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To put this question into context, I'm referring as to how blacks are portrayed by the media. From the images I've seen, the summation of the message seems to be a negative one, and that blacks are not seen as particularly physically attractive, as well as not bright, articulate, or self-supporting.
Given that blacks generally stray furthest from whites in regards to physical features, and that the US, among other countries are bombarded by white standards of beauty, do you think overwhelmingly blacks are seen as physically unattractive?
If we adhere to today's highy unrealistic beauty standards (largely thanks to Hollywood et.al.), we can safely assume that 99% of the world population, regardless of race, is "overwhelmingly unattractive". Being that "we" are the majority, though, we should fight back and reject such superficial, oppressive standards instead of trying to make ourselves and others fit the mold. That said, I think other races are gaining ground in the "Hollywood says" attractiveness arena, judging by the string of recent winners of America's Next Top Model and Miss Universe (Hispanics, Asians, Blacks, Indians). It seems to suggest that whoever is blessed with the physical characteristics to meet the "beauty du jour" requirements gets the cake, race notwithstanding...
Nice politically correct answer, but I don't doubt there are indeed racial characteristics and/or traits common of blacks, that make them less desirable as a whole than other races.
I think the media only finds two types of people attractive:
1. those who are very stereotypically attractive (generally blond hair, blue eyes, northern European features - no hope for blacks here)
example: Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Sienna Miller, Leo DiCaprio
and
2. those who are very exotic looking, or appear to have an ancestral mix
ex. Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Beyonce, Jessica Alba
There are a great many super attractive black people both in the public eye and in our home towns. Just because someone of another race doesn't chose to date them does not at all indicate we don't see and appreciate their looks.
To put this question into context, I'm referring as to how blacks are portrayed by the media. From the images I've seen, the summation of the message seems to be a negative one, and that blacks are not seen as particularly physically attractive, as well as not bright, articulate, or self-supporting.
Given that blacks generally stray furthest from whites in regards to physical features, and that the US, among other countries are bombarded by white standards of beauty, do you think overwhelmingly blacks are seen as physically unattractive?
No. There are plenty of beautiful and handsome black people in the media. And there are also black people that are regular looking, just like any other race portrayed on the media. If you feel that all the black people you see on the media are ugly, then that is YOUR perception and problem not mine.
Imo some of the attractive black people would be Beyonce, Whitney Houston, Halle Berry, Will Smith, Shemar Moore, Denzel Washington and Barack Obama. Then there are the ones that aren't so beautiful and are older, but very talented, and they are then cast as character actors. Morgan Freeman and Danny Glover come to mind.
I am getting very tired of the Hollywood ideal of beauty and prefer indie and foreign movies over American big box office productions. And what's especially nice about the British BBC productions is how racially diverse their films are.
I've seen butt ugly black, white, Asian, etc. I've also seen drop dead beautiful black, white, Asian, etc. But then I live in a port area and see all kinds so the media really has no bearing on what I think. Frankly some of those models are butt ugly and I haven't figured out why other people haven't noticed. Too much make-up doesn't hide ugly.
Depending on what context. While Asians may have some problems with being seen as "attractive", all of the other stereotypes in regards to Asians are generally positive - bright, smart, hardworking, and well assimilated.
If we adhere to today's highy unrealistic beauty standards (largely thanks to Hollywood et.al.), we can safely assume that 99% of the world population, regardless of race, is "overwhelmingly unattractive". Being that "we" are the majority, though, we should fight back and reject such superficial, oppressive standards instead of trying to make ourselves and others fit the mold. That said, I think other races are gaining ground in the "Hollywood says" attractiveness arena, judging by the string of recent winners of America's Next Top Model and Miss Universe (Hispanics, Asians, Blacks, Indians). It seems to suggest that whoever is blessed with the physical characteristics to meet the "beauty du jour" requirements gets the cake, race notwithstanding...
Agreed. Race is just one aspect of many. Height, weight, breast size, body shape, hair color, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by infinity & beyond
Nice politically correct answer, but I don't doubt there are indeed racial characteristics and/or traits common of blacks, that make them less desirable as a whole than other races.
There are stereotypical African features thought to be undesirable and others thought to BE desirable. The same holds true for Caucasian and Asian features. Lip implants/injection and butt implants are two of the biggest plastic surgery crazes. These are typically two prominent features in blacks. Straight, thick hair is thought of as attractive. Asians win out in this category. Meanwhile, white people lay out in the sun in an effort to achieve that "healthy tan" that many Latinos have naturally. And then, when people get nose jobs, they generally go for a thin WASPy shape. It's a mixed bag and every race has some characteristics seen as attractive and unattractive.
I agree with christina0001, in that the two biggest ideal standards of beauty as presented in the media tend to either be those of the Barbie doll Nordic standard, or of a multiracial standard combining various features from different groups.
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