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