Charlie P.

August 24, 2007 at 11:17 am

AMEN!!! I am grew up with all sisters (4 of them ) and being that they are all Latinas, I do see a void of not enough ethnic women on ads, even on T.V. The Cover Girl ads will have 3 women, one Black , one white, and one girl that is tan, it is rare that you see any ethic women, and it is kind of funny as 2007 Miss Universe was Japanese ( I can’t even remember the last time I saw a Asian woman in a Beauty ad) and 2006 was from Puerto Rico. Thanks for recognizing this issue and hope other publications start to recognize it too, and realize that “American beauty” comes in a lot of different shades and colors and sizes.

T. Farzadnia

August 24, 2007 at 2:19 pm

Too true, and when ethnic beauty is addressed it always done so within its own subcategory as though it is a topic that is separate from the conventional standards of mainstream beauty. I’m glad to see that the “typical face” i.e. caucasian, rail-thin, flat hair, etc. is changing and some of the bigger companies realize that many of their clients include women with curves, darker features, and so on. However despite all these breakthroughs no doubt we still have a long way to go before the idea of conventional beauty is truly changed and that an ethnic woman can be considered just beautiful without being classified as an “ethnic beauty.”

Kristen S.

August 24, 2007 at 2:30 pm

This is a fantastic article, and definitely an issue that needs to be addressed. What is the American Beauty Ideal, and how has it changed (if it has at all) throughout history? The face of today’s modern American woman comes in many shapes and colors, and if these are the consumers of the beauty market, let them be represented in the marketing ads themselves. It’s not only fair representation, but it’s smart business. This is a capitalist society; it makes much more sense economically for ethnic beauty to be more accessible to the very women who are buying these products- wake up, America. We’re ethnic, diverse, and beautiful.

Mellori V.

August 24, 2007 at 2:38 pm

Thank you for the comments everyone! You address some interesting and insightful points. Here, at Beauty Chat, one of our goals is to create another avenue where all women can feel welcome and beautiful.

Nate

August 24, 2007 at 6:55 pm

I agree wholly with the above posts. I think that it’s important to note though that the reason the fashion industry today showcases Caucasian beauty is because all of the products today are marketed to Caucasian women. There are no current mainstream skincare or cosmetic lines that cater to women of ethnic descent because non-white beauty isn’t regarded as being as pretty as the Eurocentric norm. Anyone else notice that all the magazines that focus on ethnic beauty were started by ethnic people? Even outside of clothes, skincare, and makeup, many cosmetic surgeries themselves MAKE WOMEN LOOK MORE CAUCASIAN. Asians have the blepharoplasty so they can have the coveted double eyelid. Jawline and cheekbone restructuring makes the face more narrow. Nasal restructuring makes the nosebridge more prominent. And fake contacts allow ethnic people colored irises, just like the people in the magazines. Full equality will not be achieved in the fashion world until those that run it acknowledge that white doesn’t always make right.

Jess

August 25, 2007 at 2:09 pm

Thanks for the article to Charlie P, you said there are not “ethnic” models, yet you mention seeing “one white, one black, and one tan” what do you think a black woman is? It is amazing that black women in the US aren’t seen as anything more than black, when they come in different shades themselves. From Beyonce to Lauryn Hill black women come in many different shades, and are as ethnic as anyone else.

Charlie P

August 27, 2007 at 8:23 am

This is to Jess who left the last comment. I did not mean to say that black women are not ethnic, of course they are. But what I am saying is that THAT is not enough, and yes black women come in many different shades as do most races of people, but does that cover ALL ethnic beauty? My point is just because an ad show one different race, we as a diverse country, should not be satisfied. So to clarfiy, I am not saying that a black women is not ethnic, but just because in a ad there is one black women, do you think an Asian women feels identified? Or a middle eastern women? That is my point.

Elana

August 27, 2007 at 9:17 am

All points are valid! I am excited to see how Beauty Chat continues to address the various issues and topics that are geared toward EVERYONE, allowing people to feel comfortable hanging out with us and learning about various beauty issues that are real to you, and real to us.

Randy

August 27, 2007 at 9:53 am

This is a really good article and it’s about time that this subject is brought more to the main stream media. Growing up in the area that I did, I was exposed more to “ethnic beauty” then the traditional “Anglo Saxon” image of what beauty is. And it was always a question to me why everywhere I look I see these beautiful women who are so very different from each other but in the magazines and on TV I see a carbon copy of the same type of women. Remember when we settled on these shores Caucasians were technically considered ethnic to the Native Americans and vise versa. It’s nice to see that people are waking up and realizing that we are a country of diverse people, diverse ideas and diverse beauty.

Laura Rodriguez

August 28, 2007 at 12:34 am

I am very excited to finally see someone speak out on the lack of representation of Ethnic women in the “beauty” world. Through the years we have come a long way but we still have many more paths to pave. I am sure that with many more articles like these we will definately create more awareness, pride, stronger women and more colorful covers.

Leonard Hinzo

September 8, 2007 at 6:53 am

Although I applaud the article and recognize that the ideal American beauty is often thought of as blonde hair and blue eyes, several comments by readers are completely inaccurate. The Beauty Industry has long recognized the need for cosmetic products for ethnic woman. Such great cosmetic names as Flori Roberts, Fashion Fair, Iman, I,and lesser known brands such as Beverly Johnson ect. Have proven that for decades the cosmetic industry has responded to these needs. Every mainstream cosmetic company from Estee Lauder, Clinique, Lancome, Bobby Brown ect have shade ranges that include the deepest darker shades. Who can walk by a MAC counter and not see clearly half of the clientelle is ethnic because of the wide shade ranges.
Walk into any drugstore or beauty supply and notice the hair care for ethnnic hair and you will see beautiful faces that are Latino, Black etc. on the boxes. I think it is great to have your magazine, we live in a free country. But to do so because you claim not to be represented is somewhat myopic and polarizing. Instead of trying to be a part of the fabric you claim doesn’t represent you, become a seperate entity that further seperates you.
The real issue here is not that ethnicity is not represented the issue is the obsession with an idealized physical beauty that is often times unachievable. Also what does a Black, Latina, Middle Eastern woman look like? Is a Black woman from Pananma Black or Latina? Is Selma Hyak Middle Eastern or Mexican? With at least 65 specific identifiable skin shades in the African American Community…what color is ethnic enough?

No identity :(

April 12, 2009 at 8:34 pm

I am a Latina (Belizean) with a mixed Mayan/Black/Spanish/unknown background. The unknown part of my background is my grandfather since he left after my dad’s birth. My dad is very pale, like me. I live in LA (California) and in my neighborhood other Hispanics made me feel ashamed for having light skin and being skinny. They called me “white girl” even though I’m not white. Caucasians did not accept me either. People generally singled me out for my “funny” accent and odd appearance. As I got older and developed people constantly asked me about my race, assuming I was Asian for my almond eyes.

Although some say it is beautiful to be mixed, I hate being pointed out all the time. Some people (of all races) find me attractive so though they accept me for my looks, they don’t accept me as apart of their culture. I also date people of different races. I think ethnic is beautiful!! but I feel alienated and ugly (in a different way) when I’m left out of their cultures.

I don’t want to be scorned, I don’t want to even be revered. I just want to be included and accepted as your own because I think all your cultures are beautiful.

Celebrate your culture but please don’t be inclusive and don’t forget to celebrate diversity.

Elana

April 13, 2009 at 4:05 pm

No identity: I relate to every single thing that you have said. I am mixed. My mom is caucasion and Jewish, and my dad is African-American. So I am a Jewish mixed girl. I could go into soooo many scenarios where I felt completely out of place (even around one side of my family) and ashamed, but then through various positive experiences, I can tell you that it gets better and it is finally now that I am proud to be who I am. You have the best of many different worlds. Many people don’t have that — I think it’s a blessing that sometimes feels like a curse. But it’s not.

I remember being a sophomore in high school, and a girl tried to follow me home, demanding that I tell here “what I am,” and tried to ignore her but couldn’t. So I said that “I’m American.” I went on to explain that I am mixed and she said to me: “Well, you are still a n**ga.” Kids can hurt and taunt you, but as you grow up, you must realize that not everybody grew up in an open-minded household.

Just be yourself, and if others don’t like it, then oh well! I have grown a lot from past experiences, and continue to do so. I have also always been in interracial relationships, as well. My boyfriend is Mexican, and frequently we talk about having kids one day and how we are going to need to be ready for the race issues, and how to make them feel loved no matter what.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read Mallori’s article, and sharing your experiences. Feeling beautiful is just as important as looking beautiful, which is the whole philosophy behind Beauty Chat.

Stay fabulous. Change for no one.

Hugs,
Elana

Jmishka

June 3, 2009 at 1:58 am

Sometimes it seem too bad we need to have reference terms like ethnic/non-ethnic/mixed-ethnicity. I don’t mean to say that people shouldn’t be proud of their heritage. I understand that we use ‘ethnic’ in a necessary and positive way, at the moment, to call attention to the fact that one particular ‘look’ is over represented in marketing. Yet maybe *someday* everyone will be equally represented and respected and we can ‘be color blind’ as the song says (size blind would be great too). Not ignoring heritage mind you, but rather refusing to define a person’s place, belonging, or identity in this world by what we think we see (or don’t see) in a person’s skin, eyes, hair, or features. We are all homo sapiens and we are all living on this planet together. I know a Utopian dream; but hey, we all have dreams.

PS: It would be interesting to see how quickly we would start identifying ourselves as one big ‘human’ group if an extraterrestrial species ever happen upon the Earth. Perhaps our currently perceived dissimilarities would fade rather quickly.