A Body That Does Not Compare: How White Men Define Black Female Beauty in the Era of Colorblindness Genders 1998-2013 University of Colorado Boulder

More specifically, African-American men preferred an African-American figure that is underweight with a moderate WHR but a Caucasian figure that was underweight or normal weight with a low or moderate WHR. Also notable is that more Caucasians believed African-Americans would choose a low WHR than actually did, while African-Americans accurately predicted that most Caucasians would prefer a moderate WHR. Participants were asked questions about their current and past romantic and sexual relationships in order to assess whether or not they had flexible dating practices with regard to ethnicity.

That is, Caucasian men who date inter-racially would choose women with thinner, more tubular figures as ideal for both groups, while African-American men who date inter-racially would choose heavier, more curvaceous figures as ideal for both groups. Third, when asked about their beliefs about the preferences of the other ethnic group, participants were expected to cite an ideal female figure that aligned with cultural stereotypes for the other ethnic group. For example, African-American men were expected to report that Caucasian men prefer a thin, tubular figure.

Just seeing positive men doing what men should do is a good thing,” said one man. In sharing their experiences, the men provided an in-depth look into their love lives. Their discussions touched on many important factors that have shaped their past and current relationships.

First, African-American men were expected to prefer a heavier body size and a lower WHR than their Caucasian counterparts. Furthermore, African-American men who were more acculturated to Caucasian culture were expected to show preferences more aligned with those of Caucasian men. Second, men who date inter-racially were expected to hold all women to standards of beauty similar to those of their ethnic group.

Meanwhile, everywhere we look, women like me see successful black men coupled with fair-skinned female partners who pass the paper bag test – a remnant of the Reconstruction Channels era, where the only black people worthy of attention had to be lighter than a paper bag. This “test” was even instituted in places such as historically black colleges and universities as an informal part of the admissions process. Culturally, Black Americans have long highly valued romantic partnerships, marriage, and children. The percentage of Black women ever married, however, is lower than those who have cohabitated, at 37 percent. Importantly, each of these theories—implicitly, and sometimes explicitly—acknowledges the potential role of systemic racism and its impact on the marriage rate of Black Americans. Because of the angry black woman stereotype, black women tend to become desensitized about their own feelings to avoid judgment.

Between the last recession and 2016, the wealth gap between Black families with children under age 18 and both White and Hispanic families with children under age 18 widened, despite the income gap remaining relatively constant. In 2019, median household income for Black households was $45,438, compared to $56,113 for Hispanic households, $76,057 for non-Hispanic White households, and $98,174 for Asian households. Black women are having children at the same ages at which they may be enrolled in school or entering the workforce. Three decades after Cooper published “A Voice from the South,” fellow Black feminist Amy Jacques Garvey shed light on the role of Black women in advancing equity and prosperity for Black people and all people of color.