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Black men and their perceptions of
beauty in women and how it may
influence their dating preferences
By: Manuel Lizardo
ANTH 490: Senior Thesis
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Abstract
This paper explores the college lives of Black men who attend or recently attended a
predominantly White university in New England. I used theories of Judith Butler: Gender
Performativity, John Berger: The Male Gaze, and Erving Goffman: Ritualization of
subordination. These theories helped me analyzed how these participants valued women’s skin
tones and other physical attractiveness. I argue the color hierarchy that values light complexions
over dark specifically affects Blacks men perceptions’ of beauty in women in choosing an ideal
partner to date solely on physicality. These men select someone that is a lighter color tone versus
a darker because of what is depicted in the media and our society. Using qualitative approach, I
examine how Black college men’s perceptions of beauty in women, influence their dating
preferences. I conducted five in-depth interviews with Black men between the ages of 18 and 24
who attend or graduated from college. My analysis showed that light skinned women to these
participants are the most attractive and valued and I believe it may be a perquisite to initiate
conversations that lands a potential first date. From these dates, they learned what inner
characteristics are compatible with their own and what they valued most from their past dating
experiences.
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Introduction
The word “beauty” is one of the most overused, misunderstood, and inadequately defined
words in the English language. When simply typing the word “beauty” into a search engine,
endless links become available, from the history of beauty, to photos of scenic places, to tips on
how enhance beauty, to various images of Caucasian women. In Merriam-Webster dictionary
beauty is defined as: “a quality that provides pleasure to the mind or sense” (Beauty, n.d.).
Although beauty may be felt with all of the senses, it is commonly associated with sight and it
also typically relates to positive descriptive characteristics or emotions.
The Holy Grail of beauty has never been completely understood. What makes a woman
beautiful? What one may see as beautiful, another may see as repulsive or unappealing.
Subconsciously, we go through life perceiving beauty in a similar way that the culture we belong
to does. Everyone has aesthetic experiences, or feelings of pleasure evoked by stimuli that are
perceived as nice, attractive, rewarding, or beautiful, but the way we appreciate them differs
across individuals and across cultures (Shiraev & Levy, 2010).
The cliché, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” is incorrect in my opinion. Perception
is the key. It is “perception of beauty” that is in the eye of the beholder. The perception of beauty
is an intriguing concept that is not easily defined. Each of us, however, has a different perception
of beauty. We all have different tastes, likes and dislikes, and this affects our definition and
perception of beauty regarding to American women.
Accordingly, I remember working at T.G.I. Fridays one particular night. One of my
coworkers came up to me and said: “Hey, Manny check out the beautiful lady over at table
21”… I replied “humm, what’s so special about her? He replied: “come on dude, she’s hot”. We
go on and dispute for minutes on our ideologies on what we find attractive in a woman. This
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particular coworker of mine was Caucasian and I associated his definition of beauty with the
Westernized beauty ideals. His description of such was having a skinny figure with blue eyes,
long legs, and a small waist as the top priorities for attractiveness. I pitched my idea of what I
considered for a female to be beautiful from my perspective. My description of a beautiful being
one that has an olive skin color tone, curly hair, ideal smile, and what my generation refers to as
‘thick’. ‘Thick’ is an urbanized term that is associated with a woman having a nice legs, not
skinny rather well proportioned, and very notable curves at the hips. Hence our contrasting views
on who is a beautiful woman in our contemporary society may be a complex one to comprehend.
This conversation got me interested in how some of my friends view beauty in women.
In this paper, I will explore how Black college men at Central Connecticut State
University between the ages of 18 and 24 perceive beauty in women and how it may influence
their dating preferences. I argue the color hierarchy that values light complexions over dark
specifically affects Blacks men perceptions’ of beauty in women in choosing an ideal partner to
date solely on physicality. These men select someone that is a lighter color tone versus a darker
because of what is depicted in the media and our society.
Few research questions guide this study:
1. What shapes Black men’s perspectives about beauty in women?
2. How are those perspectives shaped?
3. How do they learn to value certain beauty beliefs (informing their attitudes)?
4. How do they act on those perspectives?
Gender Performativity Theory
Philosopher, feminist and gender theorist Judith Butler argues that social factors shape
gender (Butler 1999 [1990], chapter 1). Gender isn’t something that someone is “born” with.
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Butler describes gender to be a performance. Feminists unwittingly defined the term ‘woman’ in
a way that implies there is some correct way to be gendered a woman (Butler 1999: 5). A good
analogy to this is how someone acts perhaps by words and physical movements; very similar to
performing in a play. Her theory mentions how a performance may not necessarily be the right
term for describing what it means to be a woman or man. Performances are finite while being a
woman or man is not.
Butler holds that gender is really performative. It is not “a stable identity or locus of
agency from which various acts follow; rather, gender is…instituted…though a stylized
repetition of [habitual] acts” (Butler 1999, 179): through wearing gender-coded clothing,
walking and sitting in certain gender-coded ways, styling one’s hair in gender-coded manner and
so on. In other words, gender is not something one is, it is something one does; it is a sequence
of acts, a doing rather than a being. This ongoing performance varies place to place, especially
when comparing being in public than being alone. For instance, children at a very young age are
taught particular mannerisms of the way they are supposed to act according to their gender. At a
young age, girls are taught to sit with their legs crossed while wearing a short skirt and the
contrary, boys are taught to sit with a wider stance with their legs opened. Pertinent to my
argument, a man constructs beauty in a woman by his lived experiences (what traits are found
valuable to him from past dating experiences?).
Gendered Looking Relations/ The male gaze
The patriarchal gaze or “the colonial gaze” is in gender performativity. In chapter three of
John Berger’s Ways of Seeing, he argues that “Men act and women appear” (Berger 1973:47).
This argument states that women are only viewed as objects. Berger explains that women are
born with a double consciousness of sorts, seeing themselves both as a ‘surveyed’ [based on
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appearance] and as a ‘surveyor’ [aware of how men appreciate her]. Berger claims that a man’s
power is always exterior, exercising this power on others. Women are presented as subject to
men: to be born a woman has been to be born…into the keeping of men (Berger 1973:46).
Berger says: “to gaze implies more than to look at- it signifies a psychological relationship of
power, in which the gazer is superior to the object of the gaze” (Berger 1973:48). In other words,
through looking it exerts power, enact their gender and sexuality. Women’s appearance
[feminine traits] influence the way they [recipients] see beauty.
A great example of “The male gaze” is Sarah Baartman. Sarah Baartman, as the Hottentot
Venus was the most popular and widely circulated stereotype of black female sexuality in early-
nineteenth century French culture (Tillet 2009:944).
[Sarah Baartman was born in the eastern frontier of the cape colony in South Africa as a
member of the Khosian ethnic group in 1789, and later was renamed with the pejorative
Saartjie (Duth for “little Sarah”) when the Dutch colonized the region. Under a two-year
contract with British surgeon, Alexander Dunlop, and Boer Peter Cezar, Baartman went
to England in 1810 for the specific purpose of displaying her near-nude “Hottentot body,
in early 19th century sideshows (Tillet 2009:944).]
She dressed in tightly-clad and flesh-colored body leotards, displaying her ostensibly unusual
buttocks. She performed in a cage and was ordered by “keeper” to walk, sit, dance or stand.
[In response to her harsh working conditions, a British abolitionist group called “The
African Association for Promoting the Discovery of the Interior of Africa” sued her
employer, Cezar, on her behalf on November 24th, 1810. Accusing Cezar of holding her
involuntary servitude, and that he “clandestinely inveigled” her from the Cape of Good
Hope, the suit demanded that Baartman be freed and returned to South Africa. (Kirby
1949:61).]
Sarah Baartman as the Hotttentot Venus served as the fundamental image of “Africa” and black
female sexuality in Europe.
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Erving Goffman: “Ritualization of subordination”
In 1979, Sociologist Erving Goffman published Gender Advertisements, the seminal
work in critiquing gender displays in advertising. Advertisements were collected and studied
based on Goffman’s five coding categories: relative size, feminine touch, function ranking,
ritualization of subordination, and licensed withdrawal were focused on the underlying sexism in
commercial advertisements. He believed that advertisements “depict for us not necessarily how
we think men and women behave” (Gornick, 1979: vii). The advertisements, then, are essentially
viewed as depictions of ideal, socially acceptable instances of masculinity and femininity in
modern society. Goffman contended that carefully posed models and carefully selected settings
of advertisements create “a pseudo-reality that is better than real” (Goffman 1979:23). In other
words, although men and women may not act out what is viewed in commercial advertisements,
these advertisements provide social cues to men and women as to how they are expected to
behave.
Goffman’s idea is still applicable today and can be seen in contemporary ads. For
instance, in Appendix A: Dolce & Gabbana ad was shown in print ads a few years ago.
Advertisements are design to sell products, but Goffman believes that it also sell ideas and values
on how to be masculine and feminine in the culture. The gaze helps to establish relationships of
power. Someone has to ‘read’ an ad in relations to ‘codes’. Codes are a set of rules/ behavior that
someone is familiar with in a particular culture. Advertising codes in North America
(masculinity): assertive, serious, strong, powerful, and independent in contrast (femininity) is
depicted as: passive, sexy, beautiful, thin, and dependent. Women are objectified through how
they are shot in the media and men tend to adopt positions that makes them appear strong. In this
Dolce & Gabbana men’s cologne ad it shows gender power relations. Goffman would agree that
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the female posture communicates submissive and powerless because she is in a lower status of
the man; whatever the woman is, the man is not!
Physical Beauty and Media Influences
The media plays an essential role in influencing the world. Sekayi, in her article,
Aesthetic Resistance to Commercial Influences: The Impact of the Eurocentric Beauty Standard
on Black College Women says, “Standards of beauty are dictated by others through the media,
cultural traditions, fashion trends, and emanate from anywhere, it seems, but one’s own eye”
(468). The lives of African American´s are significantly shaped by depictions of beauty in
mainstream American society. Patton, in her article, Hey Girl, Am I more than my Hair?: African
American Women and Their Struggles with Beauty, Body Image, and Hair says, “Beauty is
subject to the hegemonic standards of the ruling class. Because of this, “beauty is an elusive
commodity” (Saltzberg and Chrisler 1997: 135) and definitions of beauty vary among cultures
and historical periods.” According to Hall (1995), African American perceptions of physical
beauty and body image include the multiple dimension of hair, skin color, weight and facial
features. Essence magazine is well-known within the Black community. In fact, statistical data
from the year 2000 indicated that Essence Magazine reached 69.3% of the total Black population
within 18 to 49 age group (Mastin Teresa and Woodard Jennifer Bailey 2005). Essence magazine
gives Black women varied images of themselves to look and read about. Even though, Time Inc.
now owns and operated by White men they still give these women on how they ‘should’ look
like to attract men.
Preferences of Women´s body size and shape
Historically, within African American communities, "fat women" were viewed as
attractive, smart, sexy, employed, wanted by men in the community, able to attract husbands, and
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rulers of their households (Edison & Notkin 1994). Acceptance of fuller-figured females as ideal
in African American culture may have roots in Africa, where a large body size confers high
social status in some societies (Liberman, Probart, & Schoenberg 2003). A different study
(Brinks 1995) also mentioned that a full-figured females symbolizes family wealth and positive
attributes of the bride-to-be, including fertility, health, and beauty. The appreciation for women
who are curvy or ¨thick¨ can be seen in (Cunningham 2012) where Black men did not appear to
discriminate on the basis of women´s weight. Black men had a greater acceptance of higher body
weight than their White counterparts. Of the study conducted by (Staples 1973) suggested that a
heavier, but more curvaceous (lower waist-to-hip ratio) figure is preferred by Black men.
A different study (Fults-McMurtery Regina, Looby E. Joan, and Webb Tammy T. 2004)
examined African American men´s perceptions of body figure attractiveness based on their
acculturation levels into the dominant American culture. Acculturation was measured on the
African-American Acculturation Scale (AAAS-33), which is a 33 question self-reported form
that evaluates the participant’s involvement in various practices common to the African-
American cultural and their knowledge of certain cultural norms within the African-American
culture. A high score on the AAAS-33 indicates full immersion in the African-American culture
and a low-score indicates full immersion in the dominant culture. The results (Fults-McMurtery
et.al 2004) revealed that African American men perceived women with smaller body figures as
more attractive than women with larger body figures. However, as it relates to the ideal body
figure to date, African American chose the moderate (medium) body figure.
[The authors believed that the combination of a high acculturation score along with an
aversion to larger body types showed a heavy influence of media images of beauty from
the dominant culture to be pervasive in the African-American community so much so that
one could be completely immersed in the African-American culture yet still have a
preference for the body types presented by the dominant American culture] (Fults-
McMurtery et.al 2004: 381).
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(Freedman 2005) further proved this notion by studying racial differences in fifty African
American male participants. The purpose of their study was to identify preferences for African
American and White American women´s body size and shape, and to see whether or not these
men held these women to different standards of beauty. The selection of these women figure
were under the same criteria. These were 5 feet 4 inches figures and BMI values increments of
five determined which weight categories they fell under (i.e. BMI of 17= “underweight”, BMI of
22=”normal weight”, BMI of 27=”overweight”, BMI of 32.5=”obese” and BMI of 37.5=”very
obese”. They also selected the ideal shapes for African American and White American women
by their waist-hip ratio (WHR). WHR is the ratio of the circumference of the waist to that of the
hips. The top two ideal shapes selected for African American women were WHR .80 (43%) and
.70 (19%) and for White American were WHR .60 (26%) and .70 (30%). Females with very
curvaceous figures (WHRs in the .50 to .70 range). African American males preferred an African
American figure who is underweight with a moderate waist-hip-ratio (WHR) but a White
American figure who was underweight or normal weight with a low or moderate WHR.
Skin color and The Perception of Attractiveness among African Americans
Although several studies have found that African-Americans are more accepting of
varying body sizes, this is not the case in skin color. Skin-color bias in the United States
originates from a history of slavery and racial oppression (Drake and Cayton 1945: 495-506;
Myrdal 1944; Russel, Wilson, and Hall 1992). By the mid-1940s, a growing body of empirical
research suggested that the African American community had internalized a variant of the
traditional American bias against dark skin and African features (Clark and Clark 1947; Drake
and Cayton 1945; Johnson 1941; Marks 1943; Myrdal 1944; Seeman 1946).
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Within the Black culture, there are internal and external biases that influence how Black
children perceive themselves and are viewed by others. In the Clarks’ Doll Test, black children
have demonstrated a rejection of the mirrored images of themselves, in the form of dolls and
drawings. Mamie Clark (1947) asked a group of Black preschoolers between the ages of 3 to 6
years to choose between a Black and White doll and determine which was the prettier, and which
the preferred friend. “Black children’s overwhelming preference for the White doll, despite their
ability to self-identify with the Black doll, suggested that they were aware of the racial hierarchy
in the broader society that considered Black people as inferior to White people” (Thomas,
2005:55).
The skin color distinction became quite important and an apart of ethnocentrism, more
specifically, Eurocentrism. Skin color became a source of status among African Americans and
became a apart of the fabric male selection (Goode, 1982). (Hall 2002), found that men and
women judged women´s attractiveness, based on how light her skin was. Those with the fairest
skin were rated the highest in terms of attractiveness, while those who were the darkest were
given the lowest ratings. Another study by Esmail & Sullivan (2006) looked at male selection
preferences among African American college students. They found that African American men
preferred lighter skinned women. Qualitative findings show a possible relationship between the
skin complexions of the parents of the participants to their skin color preference. This preference
for lighter skin derives from colonialism and slavery and has been internalized within the Black
community. “This is largely due to the fact that [f]air skin and white features were associated
with freedom and privilege” (Esmail and Sullivan 2006).
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Interracial Dating
Interracial dating in the United States has had a relatively stormy past. Firebaugh &
Firmin in their article Historical Analysis of College Campus Interracial Dating says,
“Interracial dating in the United States has faced many struggles. The struggles echoed the long
historical opposition between different ethnicities, particularly Caucasians and African
Americans” (784). Historically, in the U.S., Blacks have suffered the most severe oppression:
[Initially, before any anti-miscegenation laws were established, the state of Virginia
would publicly humiliate those who participated in interracial sexual intimacies during
the 1600s. Those found guilty not only had to pay court charges, but could also stand in
public with a rod in their hands, do penance in church, and some were whipped.
Punishments changed over the years. For example, in the case of Pace v. Alabama in
1883, the Supreme Court upheld the anti-miscegenation statute as constitutional. Tony
Pace, a Black man, and Mary J. Cox, a white women, were sentence to two years in jail
on the basis of adultery or fornication. It was lawful to impose greater punishment for
couples involving a Black person than for couples consisting of “any man and a women”
(U.S. Supreme Court, 2008)] (Mendez 2013:12).
It was less common to see African American men in interracial dating due to the consequences
that followed by such actions. “Opposition to interracial relationships continues to exist,
although it has lessened over the past few decades. This opposition still occurs though laws
banning miscegenation were revoked and the occurrence of the desegregation movement decades
ago” (Friebaugh & Firmin, 2008: 785).
Interracial relationships have become more accepted by society, however, and individuals
are more open to participation (Fiebert, Karamol, & Kasdan, 2000; Lovstuen, 2001). Age and
generation seem to affect openness to interracial relationships because in a 2010 Pew Research
Center, it showed that 93% millennials from the age 18 to 29 agreed that it is fine for black and
white people to date each other. Robert Staples in his article The Black Women in America: Sex,
Marriage, and the Family says, “A college campus is one of the few integrated environments in
American society where black and white people come into social contact with one another away
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from the influence of their friends, neighbors, and parents” (1973:112). In a study that examined
Black and White heterosexual college males, Blacks were more likely to get involved in
interracial sexual liaisons; 87% out of 80 single participants reported having had interracial “one-
night fling” (Sebald 1974). This “one-night fling” was found to be an extensive pattern among
the black men. The reason for the “one-night flings” correlated with negative social pressure
against interracial dating that exists in American society such as opposition from parents and
friends, and lack of general racial contact. Thus, the majority of the men stated a preference for
dating and having romances within their own racial group (Lampe 1981, 1982 & Sebald
1974:29). Overall the studies Lampe (1982) concluded that although Black students indicated a
willingness to date interracially, the majority of Black students preferred and dated within their
respective and racial groups, due to the stigma and negative repressions involved.
Personal characteristics of the ideal African American dating partner
Madison´s (2003) study showed a paradox in contemporary experience of African
American male college students regarding interracial dating. These Black men may not marry
outside of their race, but they are more open to trying interracial dating. Participants in
Madison´s research reported that Black men feel that White women were less demanding, more
open to sexual experimentation, and more assertive than Black women. “The black male stated
that the white female expressed a desire to spend time with him without the demands of a
committed relationship…thought to be freer in the exploration of sexual intimacy…this type of
committed relationship was reported to be a welcome experience for the black male” (Madison
2003:36). Allen and Anthony 2009 explored the personal characteristics African Americans
desire in their marriage partner using surveys. The findings indicate that African American men
seek well educated, financially stable, monogamous, and affluent partners who are spiritual,
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religious, self-confident, and reliable. In the discussion section, the author acknowledges the fact
that the characteristics of ideal marriage partners chosen for this study may not be thorough
because physical attractiveness such as skin shade was not include among the qualities
respondents might seek in their ideal marriage partner (Allen & Anthony 2009).
Methodology
During the course of my research, I interviewed five African American men attending or
attended a university at central Connecticut [see Appendix: B]. I had casual conversations with a
couple of my African American friends about my research topic, which resulted in my first
interview once I actually began the recruitment process. Recruitment was done by a form of
snowball sampling, friends, and colleagues. I initiated my second contact because one of my
professors recommended that a certain individual would be a great candidate for my research.
We exchanged contact and arranged for an appropriate time to conduct the interview. I also
obtained interviews through the help of friends that either went to school with me or are
currently enrolled in school. I could not set-up an in person interview for one of the interviewees
because of contrasting work schedules. I decided to instead send the interview questions via-
email so he can complete it when desired.
Interaction with participants consisted of open ended questions about perceptions of
beauty in women and dating preferences. These interviews lasted about twenty to thirty minutes
each. Questions that elicited responses about how they define beauty in women included: What
attracts you to a woman? Which figure represent your ideal female figure and why? Does
intelligence influence beauty? What are the physical/internal characteristics of a beautiful
woman…and how did they learn to value this? Interviews were held in public places such as
coffee shops, library, and the homes of the informants. Most of my interviews took play in a
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quiet section of the school library at a university in central Connecticut. Each interview followed
the guidelines for informed consent. Furthermore, with permission from my informants, I used a
digital audio recorder to document all my interviews. The names of all participants were changed
and replaced with pseudonyms. Only I have access to information on participants. All data I
collected from participants was stored on a passcode protected, secure file on my computer. Only
I know the passcode.
After interviews were conducted I went back and listened to the recordings. I transcribed
and took notes on the interviews. After going through the first few recordings I began to identify
key themes and kept those in mind as I went through the rest of the interviews. Themes relating
to social spaces to find potential mates, light-skinned women, intelligence, body shapes, facial
features, and personality were my main focus.
Findings: Interviews
Social spaces to find potential mates
Throughout the analysis of my finding I refer to the men in my research as Black,
meaning that they are of African descent or heritage. Since not all Black men are American, I
refrained from using African-American as a criterion to participate in the research study.
The first question that was asked of all interviewees was how they defined dating,
followed by where they find girls to date. From this question I received a variety of different
responses. Some were confident in their answer while others were hesitant in their response. For
Tom, an undergraduate student from central Connecticut University said: “Dating is when two
people have sexual interest in each other, or at least some level of interest beyond friendship and
get together to do some common activity.” Allen a graduate student from central Connecticut
University said: “I define dating as a person going out with another person with the intent of a
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relationship or marriage in the future.” Everyone acknowledges that ‘sex’ is a contributing factor
in a dating relationship.
Light-skinned is the most attractive skin tone
When I asked the men interviewed in which color group have most of their dates been in,
most of them said light-skinned girls or in the mulatto range. The follow-up question to this was
how they came to value this. Each participant responses were different. Howard stood out to me
the most because he was not born in the United States and I was not excepting such emotional
response. Howard being born and raised in Haiti until the age of thirteen found lighter skinned
tone women unique because of the lack of exposure he had growing up. He said:
[“I value lighter-skinned women over others because the different experiences I had as a
child and now as an adult. I grew up in a different country…over there its different
(remembering his past of Haiti) the majority of us are black and it’s rare that you see
someone of a lighter skin complexion or of a white complexion. I’m used to seeing folks
my skin tone and darker than me. When you see someone of a lighter skin complexion it
just would spark a different interest and totally blows out your mind. In middle school
(first U.S. school he attended)…there was a lot of girls of lighter skinned or Caucasian
women at the school and I really started to feel more attractive to them as opposed to
darker skinned (resembles his skin tone) because it was something I already knew and
tested it out and tried it.”]
This uniqueness (variation of skin tone girls) made him attracted to lighter skin women.
Allen is the only exception that he no longer dates black or darker girls because his
experiences with them have turned him off and it has not been enjoyable for him. He says: “I
have learned to value this through trailer and error, with dating women that were complete
opposite. This represented mostly by black women. The black women I have date have had the
common denominator of being easily angered and having bad attitudes.” He remains to only date
white women.
Tom mentions that he doesn’t actively go out searching for a specific skin tone, but
seems to be what’s the most available. He said: “I dated girls that had different variations of
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colors…but it’s not really that important to me.” He goes on and later mentions that he comes
from a family that has a mix of people and that he would feel hypocritical if he excludes women
based on their skin tone in his life it would also limit himself on the dating pool; something he
wouldn’t consider on doing. What was interesting about Tom was, he mentions the majority of
his dates been Caucasian or ‘light-skinned’ women, but does not have a tendency to ‘look’ at
color.
Mike is a second year student at central Connecticut University who is studying abroad
from Jamaica. With confidence in his response, Mike said: “I’m most attractive to light skinned
women.” There was a long paused after that. I later, asked how he came to value this. He really
didn’t know why but later elaborated and unsurely said: “yeah probably media…when I watch
T.V. the prettier girls are always lighter than the darker girls.” Corey on the other hand always
had been attractive to light shin girls. He’s not sure why but it’s a personal preference of his.
What was interesting in this study was that 4 out of 5 participants’ mom was of lighter
skin tone than dad. I wondered if this can have any influence on their view on skin tones and/or
any correlation at all.
Body Shape
I showed each participant a chart that pertains of seven ideal women body shape and had
them pick one the found most attractive and why [see Appendix: C]. To my surprise, all the
participants picked the full hourglass figure as the most attractive to them, while some mentioned
about finding more than one body type attractive. Howard mentioned that the full hourglass has
thick thighs, big breasts and her shoulders are well laid out. Tom said: “for me it’s the most
feminine look. It’s my perception as the most attract.”
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All the interviewees either verbally stated they don’t find overweight women attract or by
them choosing full hourglass body shape tell us something these men. Allen specifically said he
doesn’t like women with large waists. In Dillard (2008) study they employed inductive
qualitative methods to understand how a group of African American college students perceive
fashion magazines ads. Using the ads of fashion magazines targeted to African Americans and
mainstream fashion magazines, this study showed how participants interpreted their own
standards of attractiveness in conjunction with the ads discussed. The African American men in
focus groups perceived African American female models, often times physically portraying
ideals that mirror Eurocentric ideals of beauty (i.e. fair skin, long straight hair, and thin bodies).
All African American men in the focus groups agreed that physical attractiveness was important,
if not the most important element of imitating and sustaining communication between human
beings. Mike who lives a healthy lifestyle sees overweight women as a sign that they don’t take
care of themselves, while Corey and Tom value being in shape and whoever they date should
too. Tom said: “I think I am a person who takes care of my body, so I value being in shape…I
want a girl who takes care of her body…her physical presentation.”
Facial features
Related facial attractiveness to symmetry, suggesting that symmetrical features are
representative of health and fitness, valuable mating characteristics. For women, youthful facial
features as opposed to mature, adult features, are viewed as attractive and preferred (Zebrowitz
1997:134-137). I ask the interviewees what are the physical traits of a beautiful woman?
Followed by how they learned to value this? Corey said nice hair, smile, teeth and body. I ask
him by what he meant by ‘nice’ hair. He hesitated a bit, but later on said natural hair…by natural
I mean curly and naturally long or having the colors that she was born with. He valued these
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physical traits by a combination of media influence, and personal experiences: “I just learn to
like what I like…over the years as I grew up, I grew up with my own preferences and vision on
what I wanted.” Mike said that the woman facial structure has to be on point (aligned correctly)
and mentioned similarities between Corey by liking a woman who has a nice smile, teeth, but she
can’t have a big nose. I giggled a bit, but proceeded to ask why you focus on nose. Mike said:
“It’s a personal thing like when someone has a big nose it’s like the focal point of their face. Like
when I look at them, it’s like I’m always looking at it …and I don’t like that feeling.”
Allen enjoyed dark hair, and light eyes through his early interaction with women. Allen
said: “I grew up around a lot of white women so that has believed influenced my perception.”
Howard didn’t mention a specific facial feature but rather said it had to be symmetrical.
Biologists suggest that facial symmetry should be attractive because it may signal mate quality
(Ridley, 1992; Swaddle & Cuthill, 1995; Watson & Thornhill, 19994).
Personality
I ask the participants what are the internal characteristics of a beautiful woman and how
did they learn to value that? Howard likes when a woman is caring and respectful: respectful in a
sense by giving back to the community by doing local charitable events and respecting him.
Howard said:” I came to value this because that’s the type of woman he grew up with…that’s my
mom. I basically grew up with a single mom and that’s what I tolerate.” Tom mentions being
self-composed, independency and adventurous. He valued this these things because inherently he
know what he want but also from the experiences of girls he dated that possessed these
characteristics and on the contrary he had people who were too dependent or haven’t been
willing to set outside of this very defined box that they have themselves set. Mike values
confidence and motivation because these are thing he has in himself and believe the women he
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date should too. Allen likes sexually adventurous, high sex drive, sense of humor, and no
attitude. Allen said: “he learned to value this through trial and error, with dating women that
were the complete opposite. This was represented mostly by black women. The black women I
have dated have had the common denominator of being easily angered and having bad attitudes.”
Participants in Madison´s research reported that Black men feel that White women were less
demanding, more open to sexual experimentation, and more assertive than Black women. “The
black male stated that the white female expressed a desire to spend time with him without the
demands of a committed relationship…thought to be freer in the exploration of sexual
intimacy…this type of committed relationship was reported to be a welcome experience for the
black male” (Madison 2003:36).
Intelligence
I asked the participants “Does intelligence influence beauty? Why or why not?” Corey
mentioned the notion of ‘beauty and brain’ which was the first time of hearing that phrase.
‘Beauty and brains’ is somebody you want that is smart and beautiful and not dumb as brinks
(goes hand to hand). Mike and Tom thinks that intelligence causes them to have better
conversations with women. Tom went on to say: “Intelligence cases intellectual
conversations…there are people who I been completely attracted at first glance but then like you
see that they’re little substance behind that.” He went on to say that he has been in instances
where he found to be physically attractive to a girl, but there beauty went down a lot because of
the lack of intelligence he sees in them. Howard definitely thinks intelligence enhances beauty
and uses an analogy to reference it. He referred beauty to soup…in which a soup could be made
in various ways, but requires selective ingredients to make it taste good (mentions beauty
consists of many traits with intelligence being one of many). Allen is the only one who doesn’t
21. Lizardo21
think intelligence influence beauty but rather see intelligence making them more attractive to
him as he can see a future with a smarter woman, rather than a dumb girl with no future.
Conclusion
There is a strong correlation between the majority color group of participants’ have been
in and what skin tone they have found most attractive. Light skinned women to these participants
are the most attractive and valued...it may be a perquisite to initiate conversations that lands a
potential first date. From these dates, they learned what inner characteristics are compatible with
their own and what they valued most from their past dating experiences.
Research Limitations/ Future Research
There were some limitations in my research. The most obvious one is the small sample
size. I only interviewed five participants. I wish time was on my side so I could have generated a
greater pool in this study, but it was not. Also we cannot generalize these results to the greater
African population because we don’t want to discriminate or offend anybody.
I also wish that I could of find a more realistic female model because these models did
not have a face and were in 2-dimenisional. If it was in 3-dimenisional, I feel the responses of
these interviewees would have changed because they can see at first-hand on how much curves
the full-hourglass has.
Another flaw in my research is the participant’s ethnic backgrounds. As good as the
responses were, I should have similar ethnic backgrounds, that being African-American. In this
case, having participants from Haiti, and Jamaica changes the results, but more importantly I am
unaware of the color hierarchies in those respected countries.
The responses from where they find girls to date shocked me a bit. All the interviewees
mentioned similar public spaces to meet girls such as clubs, bars, and parties. I was not expected
22. Lizardo22
to find virtual spaces such as the Internet especially dating applications to find potential mates. A
few participants mentioned the popular dating application Tinder. Tinder is a location-based
dating and social discovery application that uses Facebook to facilitate communication between
mutually interested users, allowing matched users to chat. In Appendix D: it shows the
percentage of Tinder Users by Age. The participants in this study are between the ages of 18-24
so they are right in the mix with the highest users using Tinder along with the 25-34 age groups.
This is probably due to the fact, that nowadays cell phones play a central part in the lives of
many people around the world today. Thus, millennials were brought up around with these
technologies (cell phones) so I feel it would be an ‘easier’ transitional phrase from public spaces
to virtual space to find girls to date. How will this affect their interpersonal communications
skills? What will their interaction experience be like on their first date? This is another research
paper in itself, which is worth conducting.
26. Lizardo26
Interview Questions
1) How do you define dating?
2) Where do you find girls to date?
3) Do your parents influence who you date?
4) What skin tone are your parents?
5) In which color group have most of your dates been in?
6) In terms of skin tone, which woman do you find most attractive? How did you learn to
value this?
7) What personal qualities do you look for in a dating partner?
8) How do you define beauty?
9) What attracts you to a woman?
10) Which figure represent your ideal female figure? (Chart to choose from) and why?
11) Does intelligence influence beauty? Why or Why not?
12) What kind of woman is attracted to you, but you are not attracted to?
13) What are the physical traits of a beautiful woman? How did you learn to value this?
14) What are the internal characteristics of a beautiful woman? How did you learn to value
this?
27. Lizardo27
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