Week 9: Race & Beauty

Week 9
Race and Beauty
Magnolia Garcia

        It has been made clear that “Western models as more sexually liberal than Asians,” and considering the difference in cultures, it makes sense. But what if Asian women were intentionally depicted in the way that Western women tend to be--in a Sensual/Sexy beauty type of way? If it were done over a period of time, would that help break the stereotypical barriers that exist now? It’s just such a strange thing [to me] that these categories and associations exist between women of different races. Regardless of what category a woman falls under, there seems to be no winning either.
        Western women are used as sex objects in advertising across cultures, whereas Asian women are generally not. Asian women, instead, are portrayed as “girlish” and “childish” under the Cute/Girl-Next-Door beauty type. The discussion section of this paper mentions that, “Depictions of women as strong, professional, and independent may be more threatening to men and thus this type of portrayal may be avoided by advertisers in certain countries.” Women are literally either seen as sex objects or simply less than a man. As a woman--and a woman of color--it’s infuriating to read about these male perspectives. What’s crazy is that the models in these magazines make up advertisements that are directed towards the female audience; they are advertising makeup and clothing that is mostly intended for women. So why do men have such a strong say in what works and what doesn’t in these magazines? Of course, this is a discussion that is far greater than one merely over the topic of advertisement.