AfricanAmericanWomen,BeautyandMarke5ng
AresearchworkbyJ.L.Kraemer
AfricanAmericanWomenAnimageinheritedfromantebellum5mes:• Commodified:aproduc5onfactorwhichcouldbebought,soldanddisposedof.Expectedtobesubmissiveandavailable.
Threenega5vestereotypes:• Mammy:theunaHrac5venurturingmaid• Jezebel:themanipula5veall-5metemptress• Sapphire:thedominantangryblackwoman
AfricanAmericanWomenstereotypes:Mammy
AfricanAmericanWomen
stereotypes:Jezebel
AfricanAmericanWomenstereotypes:SapphireortheABW
(AngryBlackWoman)
AfricanAmericanWomenStereotypes:theWelfareQueen
This stereotype views black women as unwilling to work,unwilling to control their sex drive and unwilling to beHerthemselves,as livingcomfortablyonwelfare,bringingupabigfamilywithoutahusband,withchildrenfromdifferentfathers.(Abagond)
AfricanAmericanWomeninarts,adver5singandmedia
AfricanAmericanWomeninarts,adver5singandmedia
MostoPen:Sidekicks,objec5fied,Sexploited,Overexposed,orWhitewashedtoconformtowhiteideals,…
Iden5ty:beinganAfricanAmericanWoman
• Black,AmericanandWoman
• Colorism(shadeism)andmixedraces:blackorblackish?MochasandOreos:tragicmulaHos
• Selfpercep5on:blackwomenarethickerandhaveabeHerbodyimage,agoodself-esteem:posi5veagainstallodds
• Doublejeopardy:beingawomaninamaledominatedworld,beingblackinawhitesworld.
• Couplerela5ons:strongwomanwhodoesn’tneedahusband(educated,endogamousandblacksuperwomansyndrome?)
• Racism,sexism,feminismandac5vism:fromdefensivetoproac5ve
• Moreadversejobdynamicsandlivingcondi5ons
AfricanAmericanWomenSocialIssues:figh5ngadversity
AfricanAmericanWomenandBeauty• Beautyistheeyeofthebeholder,theninthemirror
• Asocialconstruct,correspondingtoa(global)culture,butwithuniversalconstants
• Beautyandsocialplace:beautyisdefinedbytheplacegrantedtowomen;beautydefinessocialplace
• “Flawless”:perfec5onrequested(butunaHainable)
AfricanAmericanWomen,BeautyIdealsandtheMedia
Idealmodels,mainstreamcompulsoryreferences:• «YouShallBe»young,thin,fairskinned• Barbies,models,pageantcontenders,playboypinups,cheerleaders,fitnessaddicts…
• Perfect…lyairbrushed(andwhitewashedifdarkskinned)
Photoshoppingmodelsforfake«perfec5on»
AfricanAmericanWomen,BeautyIdealsandtheMedia
WhitewashingLupitaNyong’o
AfricanAmericanWomenandbeautypressure
Groomedbeauty:beautyisonlyskindeep,soyoumustusecosme5cs,diet,exerciseandtakecareofyourhairifyouwantittobe«goodhair»
AfricanAmericanBeauty
Thedolltest:• Whichoneisthebaddoll?
• Whichonelookslikeyou?
AfricanAmericanBeautyAdefini5onofblackbeauty?
• Blackbeautyandconsequences:Highspendingoncosme5cs,haircareproductsand(some5meslowcost)surgery
AfricanAmericanBeauty
AfricanAmericanWomen:blacksuccessandrolemodels
AfricanAmericanWomen:blacksuccessandrolemodels
MistyCopeland,not(just)amodel:arolemodel
AfricanAmericanWomen:blacksuccessandrole
models
Marke5ngbeautytoAfricanAmericanWomen
• Fromprinciplestostrategies:findacustomer’sneedandtheproducttosa5sfyit
• Marke5ngbeautytowomen:womenalreadyhavebeautyneeds,create(frustra5ons)wants,youwillhavedemandandprofit
• Knowingthemarketofblackbeauty:knowyourtargetsoyouwillknowwhattheywillbuyandhowtoaddressthem
• Marke5ngblackbeauty:convincethemthatyoubringsolu5onstotheirspecificneedsandissues.Beablackcompany(orsubsidiary)
AfricanAmericanWomen,Marke5ngandBusiness
Exploitedorempowered?• Selling(through)someoutdatedandinacceptableimageofcommodifica5onandsexploita5onofblackwomen?
• Sellingselfassump5on,selfesteemandagoodbodyimage?
• Sellingsomekindofsocialacceptability?
• Exploi5ngtheirneeds,complexesandhangupstomakealotofmoneyandsome5messellcrap?
AfricanAmericanWomen,BeautyandMarke5ng:Conclusions
« The theory of marke5ng is solid but theprac5ce of marke5ng leaves much to bedesired».PhilipKotler
ABSTRACTThisresearchworkques5onsseveralmainthemesoftheAmericansocietyandwayoflife;theimportanceofbeautyinsocialintegra5on,andtheimpactofmarke5nginthispursuit,butmoregenerallytheroleandplaceofAfricanAmericanwomenintheUSAtoday,fromamainstreamculturemadewithandpartlybymarke5ngandthemedia,to amul5culturalwayof life involvingminori5es and ambivalent in termsof a highsocialpressuretoconformtobeauty(amongother)standards,butontheotherhandstrongerclaimsofselfassump5onanddemandsofdifferenceacceptance.
ABSTRACTAfrican American women suffer from an undervalued image, and endure moreadverse condi5ons; they have to face the double jeopardy of beingwomen in amale dominated society and black in a predominantly white one. They do notcorrespondtoallwesternmainstreambeautystandardsimposedbymarke5ngandmediainaworldrunningonappearancesandstereotypes.Thiscreatesfrustra5onsandneeds,andblackwomenarecompelledtospendalotonbeautyandhaircareproductstoaHaingeneralacceptanceaswellasagoodself-esteem.Theotherwayaround,wealsocanconsiderthatmarke5ngandmediamayplayaposi5verole,byoffering the informa5on and products needed to aHain their objec5ves of socialintegra5onandmaintainingtheiriden5ty.
Disserta5onPresentedbyJeanL.KRAEMERInpar5alfulfilmentoftherequirementsofaMaster'sDegree
DirectedbyProfessorAlainGEOFFROYAugust2015
Downloadat:hHps://www.researchgate.net/publica5on/281452955_African_American_Women_Beauty_and_Marke5ng
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