By Asif A. Sattar
September 30 2023

Reflection (Click to Expand.)

Walking into this interview, I hoped to better understand what particular beauty standards exist for women and those around me, and its potential implications towards society at large. The conversation soon blossomed into a discussion regarding race, color and discrimination; a conversation that I wasn’t necessarily expecting, but was fully immersed in. I took particular interest in understanding Bragye’s attachment and historical understanding of colorism in her culture, and to what degree said colorism was similar to my own experiences of discrimination against Bengalis and South-Indians. Evidently, Bragye and I come from very different backgrounds. In a conversation regarding beauty standards, it becomes very difficult to find connections between people of different genders; the male, female and nonbinary experience of “beauty” is very different, and it only becomes more complex with the inclusion of its historical and cultural development between societies. For instance, I often think about South Korea’s emphasis on beauty standards through plastic surgery, and its abnormally high procedure rate when compared to its neighbors such as China or Japan. Cultural upbringing can vastly skew how one’s beauty standards are, and this is an understanding that I tried to maintain as I went into the interview. I genuinely hoped to understand Bragye’s perspective on beauty standards and how her culture may be different from my own (although evidently a clear similarity through colorism emerged as the interview concluded). I also attempted to utilize attentive listening and open discussion during the interview, placing a particular emphasis on providing questions that allowed the interviewee to take hold of the conversation. It allowed her to truly show her perspective on the conversation and provided for a more detailed, fruitful discussion. Through this perspective and genuine conversation, the interview provided me an ability to “develop and engage in the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes”, utilizing the positive interview experience for a stronger writing piece.

Bragye Payano is a 20 year old Dominican woman who studies Civil Engineering at the City College of New York. I originally met Bragye during our first semester in Fall 2021, and came to be acquainted with her cultural background, professional aspirations and fondness towards sociological conversations over time. I later came to work with Bragye through Undergraduate Student Government and the Department of Student Life at The City College of New York. After discussing with Bragye the general concept of the interview, she agreed to speak with me early on September 20th at the Student Government offices. My goal for the interview was to have a stronger understanding of what beauty standards meant both through a dominican and female lens. I wanted to understand its socio-political implications and hoped to strengthen my understanding of the existence of beauty standards within American culture and abroad.

Bragye defines beauty standards as a societal expectation on the accepted ways people should look like. Her shared identity as a Dominican-American shines through as she immediately places an emphasis on American beauty standards and “of course Dominican beauty standards”, which she understands as “very different, but… somewhat similar in a sense.” When asked to elaborate, she pauses. Tapping at the desk, she first speaks generally: most of what encompasses beauty standards is the idea of what is defined as beautiful by an individual and by their social surroundings, she points out, which creates a lot of self hate across cultures. She describes a shared female experience overthinking one’s appearance regardless of cultural background, and particularly one’s skin tone dependent upon environment. Bragye narrows it down further, speaking towards the colorism that touches upon many aspects of American and Dominican beauty standards. Colorism exists as a “global cultural practice” [1], according to David Knight, a Learning for Justice magazine writer from the Southern Poverty Law Center. Emerging from colonial legacies, it continues to prevail in many parts of the world, creating a distinction between a so-called desirable “light-skin” appearance as opposed to darker skin tones. As a Bengali male, colorism has always been a present function of my own life. I have seen how older generations have a preference towards lighter skin colors, with my two older sisters growing up trying to get lighter skin through products and skin routines. Through these means, beauty standards that we are raised with become attached with discriminatory practices and racism, of which is normalized through a need to look “prettier” or more “presentable”.

Afro-dominican features were largely frowned upon by her family… with people “of this generation”, specifically women, having their curly hair being seen as a negative by their families.

Bragye points out that ranging from the Dominican Republic’s ante to post colonial history, “a lot of Spaniards came in, and as they were white, they started to join the country…” This process primarily took place through interracial marriages, with much of the native population dying off during the colonial era from disease. Through the colonial process and African slaves later being brought onto the island to fill a steeply declining population, more “white” features began to become attached to how attractive one was perceived. Bragye brings attention to a lighter skin tone, straight hair, and a “European style” nose and eyes. Placing emphasis on her own experience with these concepts, she brings up pelo malo, “bad hair”, or hair that isn’t straight. Afro-dominican features were largely frowned upon by her family and other Dominicans, with Bragye experiencing this dissent first-hand when she was younger. She would receive comments on her hair and nose shape which would make her self-conscious of her image, although coming to terms with it now. Bragye points this out as a common experience amongst Dominican families, with people “of this generation”, specifically women, having their curly hair being seen as a negative by their families. Nowadays, she has noticed changes in thought within her community and her generation: people more commonly keep their hair curly and present body positivity towards their shared features. Bragye points towards the rise of technology as an outlet for women to be able to speak towards a need for a body positivity culture, helping foster a more accepting “beauty standard” overall.

In the chase to “look perfect”, they find it impossible to “love themselves” and begin “loving the person they cannot become.”

Are beauty standards a necessary facet of society? Bragye immediately responds with a stern “no.” To her, beauty standards have caused extended insecurities for many women regarding how they look and how they present themselves, with instagram’s beauty standard (as Bragye defines, a “skinny fit looking woman”) and impossible beauty standards (with many pictures being purposefully edited and not actually being real with filters and software) leading to many individuals to seek surgery and dangerous lifestyle changes to meet said impossible standard. In the chase to “look perfect”, they find it impossible to “love themselves” and begin “loving the person they cannot become.”

Beauty standards are a concept within society that is tinged with biased and discriminatory standards of race, gender and stereotypes. It places limits on what individuals are allowed for their own identity, and removes agency from what can and cannot be considered beautiful. Through fundamentally understanding where our current bias towards beauty standards stem from and working from there, we can as a generation better equip ourselves with a standard that is healthy and considerate for all individuals.