Index of Paper Presentations for the Parallel Sessions - Academy of ...

judged. On the other hand, Brand (1999: 4) acknowledges that non-Eurocentric cultures may not conformto the same standards of beauty, arguing that beauty is ―...a contextual property deeply connected tofactual beliefs and moral attitudes‖. Mazur (1986: 282) concurs with this perspective and posits that―there is no universal standard of beauty‖. The variables which denote beauty vary depending on culturalcontext (Mazur 1986). The literature reviewed in this paper identifies Eurocentric beauty, Latino andAsian-American beauty, and African-American beauty. Understanding the different perceptions of beautyis important in exploring the influences on black women in South Africa women and their choice ofhairstyles.The Eurocentric conception of feminine beauty has evolved through the centuries with aspects ofthe feminine body such as the neck, waist, breasts, hips and buttocks being accentuated or concealeddepending on what society considered desirable (Patton 2006). For example, in America, the currentlyprevailing standard of beauty is white, young, slim and tall (Patton 2006). This idea of beauty is replicatedin the form of the Barbie doll image which Okafor (2007: 37) argues has become an image of a‗globalised beauty‘ and a demonstration of a perfect beauty by which beauty pageants appear to judgetheir contestants. It is argued that blonde white women who most closely resemble the image of Barbiehave a higher chance of winning beauty pageants and are also favoured in other image focused professionssuch as modelling and acting (Okafor 2007). According to Johnston and Oliver-Rodriguez (1997), haircolour and hairstyle are also considered determinants of attractiveness. The Eurocentric image ofbeautiful hair is that which is long, straight, bouncy or silky (Patton 2006). This mass promoted image ofbeauty has resulted in a perception of attractiveness which is racially centred with Caucasian featuresbeing highly associated with beauty.Casanova (2004) argues that the Latino prototype of feminine beauty represents aspirations towardsCaucasian ideals of beauty. In the Latin America context, beauty is associated with light skin anddownplayed Latino attributes which almost resemble Caucasian features; except unlike Barbie, a morevoluptuous body is regarded as attractive (Casanova 2004). Asian-American beauty holds the samestereotypical image of attractiveness according to Kaw (1993) whose work reveals an increasing numberof Asian-American women using eye and nose surgery to acquire ―...a feminine look considered moreattractive by society‖ (Kaw 1997: 81). This ―attractive look‖ refers to a narrow Caucasian nose and widereyes. For Asian-Americans and Latinas, the predicament with achieving the Eurocentric norms of beautyare not as great as those faced by black women, whose dark complexion and kinky textured hair sets themcompletely apart from other races in terms of their closeness in resembling the Barbie doll image.Most of the literature regarding black women‘s beauty perceptions is in the context of the African-American woman. Patton (2006: 26) argues that black women deal with the constant pressure ―...to meeta beauty standard that is inauthentic and often unattainable...‖ But Casanova (2004) contends that blackwomen are not overly-concerned about thinness compared to their white counterparts. Similarly, Webb,Looby and Fults-McMurtery (2004) argue that African-American men favour the heavier or larger bodyfigure, although there are signs that this perception may be changing to conform to the dominantEurocentric orientation. To a greater extent, the media favours African-American women whose standardof beauty is almost indistinguishable from the iconic white image as the black body image hastraditionally been besmirched (Patton 2006). Patton (2006) further contends that because not all African-American women are concerned with meeting the Eurocentric beauty standards, they create their ownstandards of beauty which make the most of their unique characteristics, resulting in creative hair styling,for example. This notion of making do with what they have is also acknowledged by Parker et al. (1995)who found that the perception of beauty by African-Americans was flexible due to their recognition of theinapplicability of the white stereotype of beauty or the Barbie image to themselves.The issue of hairstyling is particularly fascinating in that the texture of black hair lends itself tomany forms of manipulation to achieve various styles. Black women‘s hairstyles may involve chemicallystraightening the hair in order to achieve the flowing silky texture similar to that of Caucasian hair. Thehairstyles may also require the extensive use of hair extensions which can be artificial or natural hairfibres which are applied to the scalp or natural hair. The majority of African-American women do notmaintain their natural hair but employ the use of relaxers, heat appliances, and oils to achieve the desired