In Amber Stark’s TEDx Talk “New Standard of Beauty” she suggests that beauty should be diverse instead of homogenous. She states that beauty is a cultural construct, more specifically it is a collection of thoughts and ideas that are created by generations and cultures and reinforced through media and television. Starks goes on to reveal her early encounter with beauty standards. She shares that like many of the Disney Princesses and Barbie dolls or the girls who are seen playing with them on TV commercials, she wished to be fair-skinned with long blonde hair. Starks later realized that as she was growing up her interaction with the media shaped how she perceived herself. Starks then shows the audience what she found on Google images after
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From Starks Google search of beautiful women, we saw that white women were overly represented. Fairer skin holds a certain status in society, this hierarchy has led to women of color using skin-whitening creams and lotions to lighten their skin (Ferguson, 54). Skin-whitening is the practice of covering your body in chemical agents with the hopes of acquiring a lighter skin tone. This practice is popular in many African countries, the Caribbean, Latin America, India, and the Middle East. The reasons for skin-whitening vary, but there are an overwhelming number of women who feel lighter skin is more beautiful. Skin-whitening products are advertised globally, many commercials are not shy in suggesting that the lighter the skin, the more irresistible you are (Skin Whitening, 1). In Thailand, an advertisement for a skin-whitening product was withdrawn after many viewers deemed it ‘racist’. The video advertisement shows a famous Thai actress attributing her success to fairer skin. (‘Racist’ Thailand, 1). Commercials of cosmetics and the firms behind them influence and shape beauty standards (Walker, 45). The images and messages of commercials tells consumers about popular culture and gives us insights on what is trending. With this control firms can perpetuate specific images to encourage the sale of their product. Currently commercials and advertisement for skin-whitening products are flooding many countries with the message that lighter skin is better and more beautiful, and profiting from this artificial
From Starks Google search of beautiful women, we saw that white women were overly represented. Fairer skin holds a certain status in society, this hierarchy has led to women of color using skin-whitening creams and lotions to lighten their skin (Ferguson, 54). Skin-whitening is the practice of covering your body in chemical agents with the hopes of acquiring a lighter skin tone. This practice is popular in many African countries, the Caribbean, Latin America, India, and the Middle East. The reasons for skin-whitening vary, but there are an overwhelming number of women who feel lighter skin is more beautiful. Skin-whitening products are advertised globally, many commercials are not shy in suggesting that the lighter the skin, the more irresistible you are (Skin Whitening, 1). In Thailand, an advertisement for a skin-whitening product was withdrawn after many viewers deemed it ‘racist’. The video advertisement shows a famous Thai actress attributing her success to fairer skin. (‘Racist’ Thailand, 1). Commercials of cosmetics and the firms behind them influence and shape beauty standards (Walker, 45). The images and messages of commercials tells consumers about popular culture and gives us insights on what is trending. With this control firms can perpetuate specific images to encourage the sale of their product. Currently commercials and advertisement for skin-whitening products are flooding many countries with the message that lighter skin is better and more beautiful, and profiting from this artificial