Perceived Attractiveness, Facial Features, and African Self-Consciousness

Abstract

This study investigated the relationships between perceived attractiveness, facial features, and African self-consciousness (ASC). Attractiveness was assessed by having subjects assign descriptive adjectives (that varied from negative to positive) to three pictures: an African American female with a high prevalence of African facialfeatures, an African Amenican female with a low prevalence of African facial features, and a White female picture. A total of 149 African American college students participated. It was hypothesized that subjects high in ASC would select more positive adjectives in their descriptions of the high African facialfeatures picture than would low ASC subjects, who, in turn, would select more positive adjectives in their description of the White picture than high ASCsubjects. A 2 x 3 x 3 mixedANOVA was computedforsex, ASC (low, medium, and high), with the three pictures as a repeated measures variable. The dependent variable was the assignment of adjectives to the pictures. There was a main effect forpictures: The two African American pictures were rated higher (more positive adjectives selected) than the White picture. There was a significant ASC by picture interaction. As predicted, highASCsubjects used more positive adjectives in their descriptions of the high African facial features picture than did the medium or low ASC subjects. The results are discussed within the context of Afrocentric values in the lives of African Americans.

African American College Women's Body Image: An Examination of Body Mass, African Self-Consciousness, and Skin Color Satisfaction

“…The mean for the AOS was comparable to previously reported means (Brown et al, 1990: M = 3.91, SD = .71). The mean for the ASC scale was also comparable to means reported in previous research (Chambers, Clark, Dantzler, & Baldwin, 1994: M = 4.95). The mean BMI for this sample fell on the borderline between normal and overweight categories and fell below the BMI mean reported for African American women in previous research (Wilfley et al, 1996: M = 29.80, SD = 7.80).…”

What’s Color Got To Do With It? Skin Color, Skin Color Satisfaction, Racial Identity, and Internalized Racism Among African American College Students

“…Among women with fewer African features (i.e., narrower noses, lighter skin, and thinner lips), Black consciousness was not associated with physical appearance satisfaction. Conducting a similar study, Chambers, Clark, Dantzler, and Baldwin (1994) found that participants with higher African self-consciousness used more positive adjectives in their descriptions of high African feature pictures than did those who were medium or low in African self-consciousness.…”

“…In the current study, the link between skin tone variation and racial identity is examined through the lens of skin color satisfaction. Moreover, because several of the studies cited (Chambers et al, 1994; Smith et al, 1991) measured skin color as a component of either Afrocentric or Eurocentric features, and not as the variable of interest in and of itself, the current study revisits the relationship between skin color and racial identity attitudes with an explicit and independent measurement of perceived skin color and the private regard aspect of racial identity.…”

Phenotypic Bias and Ethnic Identity in Filipino Americans*

“…Keith and Herring (1991) found that, after controlling for parents' socioeconomic status, significant differences in income, education, and occupation status were found in individuals from African‐American backgrounds, with better outcomes favoring those with lighter skin. Other detrimental effects also have been found such that darker skin tone has been associated with higher blood pressure in African Americans (Klag et al, 1991; Tyroler and James, 1978), as well as with psychological factors, such as lower perceived attractiveness, self‐esteem, and self‐efficacy (Chambers et al, 1995; Thompson and Keith, 2001).…”