Exploring Race, Respectability, and Beauty Standards of Black Women at a Historically White University

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 12:40 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: CERECG SIG Round Table 2: Resistance and Retention of Educators through Black Resistance, Black Love, and Black Futures (Table 2)

Abstract

This narrative inquiry study explored how 14 Black college women at a historically White university navigated racialized academic spaces via beauty practices. Rooted in European standards, mainstream beauty ideals negatively impact perceptions of Black women and their capabilities. To obtain success, Black women feel pressured to manage their appearance through hair, clothing, and behavior stipulated by respectability politics. This research amplified participant voices to learn how cultural grooming shaped navigating White academic environments. Using Critical Race Feminism and Black Feminist Thought, findings denoted beauty performances empowered identity affirmation while resistance brought pressure performing for multiple audiences. Narrative analysis of interviews and photos depicted both empowerment and mental burdens managing progression in a White university context.

Author

• Tamiah N. Brevard-Rodriguez, Rutgers University