Abstract

One’s perceived beauty and desirability impacts how they are treated and what opportunities are awarded to them. In the United States, dominant ideas regarding attractiveness are influenced by histories of oppression of people of color which situate white standards of beauty as the pinnacle. While perceived attractiveness is simultaneously racialized and dictates real world assets, it is crucial to understand who is benefiting from these conceptions. Drawing from twelve semi-structured interviews, this Independent Study examines how mixed-race people from a variety of backgrounds experience dominant perceptions of beauty in their own lives and in the media. The findings indicate that participants in this study have a complex relationship with attractiveness and appearance due to their multiracial background that requires constant navigation in their lives. While many of the interviewees were cognizant of the privilege that their mixed-race identity can afford them, they also share accounts of feeling stigmatized, exoticized, and fetishized by onlookers who dissected their racial identity. This was reflected in how participants saw mixed-race people being presented in the media, with many noting how multiracial celebrities, specifically women, are disproportionately represented and seen as attractive compared to monoracial people of color. The results from this study suggest that mixed-race people fall somewhere in between dominant standards of beauty, which participants grapple with throughout their lives.

Advisor

Thomas, Zareen

Department

Sociology and Anthropology

Disciplines

Gender and Sexuality | Race and Ethnicity | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Sociology

Keywords

Mixed-Race, Multiracial, Beauty, Desirability, Capital, Exotic, Privilege, Stereotypes

Publication Date

2023

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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