“An inconvenience to him?!”: Exploring How Eurocentrism Affects Black/African American Women Journalism Students in PWI Journalism Programs

• In Event: IMET, Law & Policy, Multicultural Studies & Research Divisions - Research Presentation (Virtual)
  In Paper Competition: Multicultural Studies Divisions - Research Presentation (Virtual)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore how Black women undergraduate students navigate and understand White beauty standards journalism programs, in addition, explore if and how they resist these standards at a PWI. Being a Black woman in the journalism industry means to simultaneously conforming and battling White Eurocentric beauty standards to survive. Our following research question was: How do Black/African American women undergraduate students perceive Eurocentric beauty standards within the journalism programs at a PWI? This study was part of a large exploration conducted from June 2019 to February 2020. The large study utilized Critical Race Theory as the theoretical framework in combination with phenomenology and the methodology. Additionally, interview, analytical memoing, and member checking was utilized. The current study included eight (out of originally 10 participants) Black/African American women who are majoring in various areas of journalism. Each participant was interviewed twice via semi-structure, one-on-one, phenomenological interviews. However, this smaller study included a thematic analysis and meta-analysis. This deeper exploration was discovered based on a misunderstanding on defining objectivity with one participant during the data collection phase. Instead of journalism objectivity, they defined the idea of self-objectivity. Over the course of data collection, all participants who identified as a Black woman discussed beauty standards in the journalism industry. After conducting a more comprehensive analysis, we found three themes: “Always ‘beautiful, skinny, blonde’”; Internalization of Being Themselves; “An inconvenience to him?!.” Lastly, we found many participants were skeptical about their prospects in the broadcast and print news industry.

Authors

• Monique Nicole Freemon, Austin Peay State University

• Mitsunori Misawa, The University of Tennessee–Knoxville