“The bodies of Black women have long been sites of trauma, carrying the weight of past and present stereotypes that dehumanise them.” – Waldron (2019)

The Relationship Between Racial Identity and Body Image in Black Women written by Kristen Gayle, Howard University is a chapter of the book Colorism: Investigating a Global Phenomenon.

Exploring the Layers of Body Image

This chapter unpacks the body image of Black women through interwoven themes:

• Body image in heterosexual Black women
• Body dissatisfaction and perceptions of skin and hair
• Competing cultural ideals – The Thin Ideal vs. The Thick Ideal
• Cosmetic surgery trends
• Media influence
• Racial identity and ethnic beauty standards
• Racial/ethnic identity as a potential protective factor
• Implications for practice, research, and policy

Cultural Preferences and Comparative Standards

Western society has long idealised thinness. In contrast, many Black communities have historically celebrated more voluptuous, curvy, or “thick” body types. But this contrast presents a challenge: using White women’s experiences as the benchmark for understanding body dissatisfaction in Black women is misleading.

Some research suggests Black women appear less impacted by the thin ideal — but that may be because the tools and comparisons are rooted in another group’s lived experiences, not because body dissatisfaction doesn’t exist.

Objectification and Early Socialisation

Objectification is described here as the process by which people are dehumanised, made invisible (“ghostlike”), and positioned as “other.” Girls — from all racial backgrounds — often learn early to view their bodies through the imagined gaze of others, leading to shame and constant “body surveillance.” On platforms like TikTok and Instagram, and in reality TV shows, this surveillance culture is amplified — fuelling comparison, validation-seeking, and disconnection from one’s sense of self.

Early Awareness of Race and Body Norms

Drawing on Clark and Clark’s research, ‘The Doll Test’ – read the Smithsonian magazine article titled ‘How a Psychologist’s Work on Race Identity Helped Overturn School Segregation in 1950s America –  the chapter notes that children as young as three recognise racial differences and often show a preference for White skin. By age five, many girls — regardless of race — already express concerns about thinness and have absorbed ideas about dieting.

The Unresolved Tension

Suppose racial identity is considered a “protective factor” against the thin ideal. Could that framing itself become a comparative-based excuse? By keeping White women’s experience as the primary reference point, we risk ignoring culturally specific pressures shaped by colonial beauty hierarchies and internalised colourism. The “Lily Complex” describes how some African American women attempt to change their natural features to align with White beauty standards, often at the cost of rejecting parts of their identity.

Intersectionality, Colourism, and Beauty Evaluation

Black women experience at least two intersecting oppressed identities — race and gender — which fundamentally shape their lived realities. For Black women, beauty evaluation is not only about body type. Skin colour is integral.

Colourism — a system tied to racism — privileges lighter skin as more attractive, intelligent, and desirable. Its origins are rooted in colonialism and enslavement, where skin colour was used to assign status, divide Africans, and prevent unity. Darker skin was deemed less valuable, often determining the most gruelling labour assignments.

Colourism is a form of intra-group prejudice that manifests predominantly within the same ethnic or racial community, wherein lighter skin tones are ascribed greater social value and privilege than darker skin tones. This reality is, for me, still deeply shocking — and it brings to mind the saying, “skin folk ain’t kin folk,” a reminder that shared racial identity does not guarantee solidarity or mutual support.

A Personal Reflection

Reading this made me pause and ask: How have I been shaped, influenced, or even groomed into accepting certain beauty norms — and how has that shaped the way I view myself from an early age?