“Pretty hurts”: Acceptance of hegemonic feminine beauty ideals and reduced sexual well-being among Black women

Body Image ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 181-190
Author(s):  
Lanice R. Avery ◽  
Alexis G. Stanton ◽  
L. Monique Ward ◽  
Elizabeth R. Cole ◽  
Sarah L. Trinh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Black Women ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Feminine Beauty ◽  
Beauty Ideals

scholarly journals Black women and COVID-19: The need for targeted mental health research and practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 247-255
Author(s):  
Quenette L Walton ◽  
Rosalyn Denise Campbell ◽  
Joan M Blakey
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Black Women ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Women’S Mental Health ◽  
Frontline Workers ◽  
Women's Mental Health ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Health And Well Being

COVID-19 has significantly impacted a substantial number of Black Americans. Black women, in particular, are facing challenges financially, physically, and mentally during this unprecedented time. Between serving as frontline workers, being concerned about contracting the virus, contributing to their families financially, and worrying about their loved ones’ health, Black women are experiencing great strain on their mental health and well-being. These stressors illustrate the need for social work researchers and practitioners to address Black women’s mental health. This paper presents our reflections, experiences, and response to COVID-19 as Black women and scholars. Guided by our reflections and personal experiences, we put forth suggestions and reflexive thoughts for social work researchers and practitioners to prioritize Black women’s mental health during and after these unprecedented times.

scholarly journals Medical Violence, Obstetric Racism, and the Limits of Informed Consent for Black Women

2021 ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Colleen Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Black Women ◽  
Informed Consent ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cesarean Sections ◽  
Bodily Integrity ◽  
Early American ◽  
Antebellum Era ◽  
Unnecessary Procedures ◽  
A Site ◽  
Biological Race

This Essay critically examines how medicine actively engages in the reproductive subordination of Black women. In obstetrics, particularly, Black women must contend with both gender and race subordination. Early American gynecology treated Black women as expendable clinical material for its institutional needs. This medical violence was animated by biological racism and the legal and economic exigencies of the antebellum era. Medical racism continues to animate Black women’s navigation of and their dehumanization within obstetrics. Today, the racial disparities in cesarean sections illustrate that Black women are simultaneously overmedicalized and medically neglected—an extension of historical medical practices rooted in the logic of biological race. Though the principle of informed consent traditionally protects the rights of autonomy, bodily integrity, and well-being, medicine nevertheless routinely subjects Black women to medically unnecessary procedures. This Essay adopts the framework of obstetric racism to analyze Black women’s overmedicalization as a site of reproductive subordination. It thus offers a critical interdisciplinary and intersectional lens to broader conversations on race in reproduction and maternal health.

Making-up on mobile: The pretty filters and ugly implications of Snapchat

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-221
Author(s):  
Jessica Barker
Keyword(s):  
News Media ◽  
Self Presentation ◽  
Self Image ◽  
Feminine Beauty ◽  
The Social ◽  
Body Dysmorphia ◽  
Augmented Reality Technology ◽  
Media Platform ◽  
Beauty Ideals ◽  
The Masses

Abstract What happens when the fashionable beauty ideal ‐ typically considered unattainable ‐ becomes instantly attainable for the masses with the mere tap of a touchscreen? As the widespread use of Snapchat's popular but problematic Lenses has shown, responses are mixed and critiques abound. The social media platform Snapchat introduced Lenses ‐ commonly known as face filters ‐ in 2015. These filters apply virtual accessories and edit facial features, enabling users to incorporate augmented reality technology into their daily sartorial practice. Through this 'digital adornment' users experiment with creativity and self-expression, as with cosmetics and clothing, while forging social connections. However, Snapchat's filters frequently spark controversy by slimming the jawlines and noses, enlarging the eyes and lips, and smoothing and lightening the complexions of millions of users. These effects have caused users to consider the powers of self-fashioning and question the standard of beauty being presented. By examining the observations and opinions presented in the online fashion, tech and news media, this study explores the problematic nature of Snapchat's beautifying filters. It traces users' dismay at how Snapchat, originally praised as a space for authentic, unfiltered self-presentation, became a force for aggressively perpetuating fashionable but exclusionary beauty ideals. It presents the range of reactions to these face-perfecting filters, from satisfaction and guilt to insecurity and body dysmorphia. It also explores the connection between face filters, cosmetics and feminine beauty ideals in a celebrity-led, self-image-saturated culture, with reference to brand-sponsored filters.

scholarly journals Social Role Quality and Psychological Well Being

AAOHN Journal ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 371-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arlene Michaels Miller ◽  
JoEllen Wilbur ◽  
Andrew C. Montgomery ◽  
Peggy Chandler
Keyword(s):  
Black Women ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Menopausal Status ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Role Quality ◽  
Parent Role ◽  
Job Role

This study examined relationships among job, partner, and parent role quality and psychological well being in midlife black (n = 51) and white (n = 56) women employed in occupations varying by socioeconomic status (SES). Oversampling for black women ensured balanced occupational representation, allowing investigation uncontaminated by SES. Instruments included Baruch and Barnett's Rewards and Concerns Scales, Bradburn Affect Balance Scale, and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Better well being scores were reported by black women than whites, and by professionals than non-professionals. However, when race, occupational group, and menopausal status were held constant in a multiple regression analysis, partner role quality was significantly related to both well being scores, parent role quality was related to life satisfaction only, and job role quality was not related to either. Nurses in the workplace can help women identify problematic aspects of their multiple social roles, and facilitate resolution of problems to improve worker health.

Aging, Vulnerability and Managing Type 2 Diabetes During a Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 106-111
Author(s):  
Jasmin Tahmaseb McConatha
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Black Women ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Immigrant Woman ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Class Differences

Older men and women have been found to be more vulnerable to negative outcomes should they contract Covid19, particularly if they also have comorbid conditions such as type 2 diabetes. Cultural, racial, ethnic, and social class differences exist in vulnerability to Covid19 and in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes. In the United States, for example, diabetes rates for minority and immigrant populations are higher than for non-Hispanic whites. During the a social health crisis, it is helpful to explore the ways that illness management and associated vulnerability influences the ways that minority elders attempt to maintain and promote their well-being. This paper presents a case study example of an older immigrant woman, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and her struggle to manage her illness during a pandemic. The risk of developing diabetes in the United States is 3 to 1 and risks increase with age (American Diabetes Association, 2020).  Almost 50 % of black women as well as Hispanic men and women will develop diabetes in their lifetime (CDC, 2019). Disparities such as these have their origin in intersecting risk factors such as health care and lifestyle factors such as tress, poverty, weight, diet, and exercise patterns. Being a member of an ethnic minority and being overweight are the two significant factors associated with the onset of type 2 diabetes. During the coronavirus epidemic, these same factors also increase the risk for infection and for greater complications, even death as a result of infection (Society for Women’s Health Research, 2020). This essay illustrates the increased vulnerability and challenges including loneliness facing older women with type 2 diabetes during pandemic isolation.    

scholarly journals The Role of Intersectionality in Access to Technology Among Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 259-260
Author(s):  
Zainab Suntai ◽  
Susanny Beltran
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Black Women ◽  
Cell Phone ◽  
White Women ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physical Distance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Laptop Computer ◽  
Access To Technology ◽  
Working Cell

Abstract In the era of COVID-19, technology has become a primary means of connecting with the world while maintaining physical distance, which is crucial for older adults who are at disproportionately high risk of infection and death. Throughout the pandemic, there has been increased emphasis on using telehealth to access medical and mental health care, and technology (e.g., apps, social media, video calls) for social interactions/communication to mitigate loneliness/isolation. Thus, COVID-19 has increased the need for older adults to access technology, and widened disparities experienced by those with limited access. This study used data from the 2018 National Health and Aging Trends Study, an annual longitudinal panel survey of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65+ in the U.S, to explore the association between the interaction of race/ethnicity and sex, and access to both a working cell phone and laptop/computer. Chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regressions were conducted. The sample (N=2,442) was 83.7% white, 8.5% Black, and 7.8% Hispanic. After accounting for other explanatory variables, logistic regression analysis indicated significantly higher odds of not having both a working cell phone or computer/laptop among White women (OR=1.518, CI=.1.510-1.527), Black men (OR=.1.741, CI= 1.720-1.763), Black women (OR=2.567, CI= 2.545-2.589), Hispanic men (OR=1.036, CI=1.022-1.050), and Hispanic women (OR=2.265, CI=.2.243-2.287) compared to White men. Overall, Hispanic and Black women were the least likely to have access to technology compared to other groups. Addressing technological equity remains a need. Future research should consider how the provision of devices along with technological literary programs can improve well-being among BIPOC women.

Fashioning Postfeminism

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simidele Dosekun
Keyword(s):  
Black Women ◽  
Global South ◽  
Cultural Critique ◽  
Political Struggle ◽  
Cultural Formation ◽  
Feminine Style ◽  
Feminine Beauty ◽  
Critical Consideration

This book concerns young, class-privileged women in the Nigerian city of Lagos who dress in a “spectacularly feminine” style characterised by the extravagant use and combination of normatively feminine technologies of dress: cascading hair extensions, false eyelashes and nails, heavy and immaculate makeup, and so on. Based on interviews with such stylized women, the book offers a critical consideration of the kinds of feminine subjectivities that they are performing and desiring. Tracing the repertoires of individualist choice, pleasure, entitlement and “can do” that run through the women’s talk, it argues that they subscribe passionately to the notion, or what the book frames more specifically as the “postfeminist promise,” that immaculate and spectacularized feminine beauty now constitutes and signals feminine power. Seeing themselves as “already empowered,” then, what the women do not see is the need for cultural critique, nor for feminism in the form of collective political struggle. The first book on postfeminism both as a cultural formation in the global South and as it interpellates black women, the work offers a groundbreaking new understanding of the culture as performative and transnationally mobile, and a richly theorised account of how women live, embody, and to some extent suffer it, in the flesh.

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