Whose Beauty Standards?

Jamaican standards of beauty are paradoxically affected by both Eurocentric and Afrocentric influences. We praise the slender (often light-skinned) woman with straight or curly hair, but also embrace the voluptuous dark-skinned woman. The rub comes because the Eurocentric standard of beauty is often heralded as somehow better than the Afrocentric. And because western stakeholders control pageants like Miss Universe, their standards of beauty are upheld.
Kinesha Goldson, an MJU contestant, penned a letter to the Editor of the Gleaner, taking issue with how the competition and by extension, the rest of Jamaica, approaches "beauty."
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/letters/20150904/beauty-pageants-skew...
"I experienced so much self-loathing and classism during my time in Jamaica as a contestant, and it really hurts my heart that a nation whose motto is 'Out of Many, One People' seems to have forgotten what 'many' looks like,"  says Kinesha.
 
She then gave her answer to one of the final questions that she would have liked the chance to answer to highlight what she and other women suffer as a result of western beauty standards.
"What is the biggest change that you would like to see for young women of the next generation?'
"I would like to see a change in the way we define and portray beauty to young women. While young women are growing and forming their own opinions about themselves and the world around them, they are extremely impressionable, and our actions and decisions set precedent.
"It's crucial that, here in Jamaica, we let girls know that that the fairness of your skin and the curl in your hair aren't prerequisites for success or beauty."
Unfortunately, many commented that Kinesha wears straight hair extensions, seemingly making her out to be a hypocrite. The point about hair is a related side issue, and really should not detract from her overall message.
Here is social media commentary on the issue:
 

 
Others seemed to believe she was merely bitter:
 

 
Our motto is referenced time and again when what a Jamaican really looks like is called into question. Chester Francis-Jackson did not agree with the points of Kinesha's article and made his frustrations clear on Facebook:
 

 
He seems to blame black people for perpetuating the notion of inferiority, which is unfair – a form of victim blaming in fact:
 

 
 
The debate brings many social issues to the fore, and even bleaching is mentioned in the Gleaner comments as another result of blackness being considered inferior. While pageants are commercial enterprises, and not really about showcasing the beauty of a particular nation, they do certainly highlight age-old issues and constructs (not least the practice of rewarding women for being beautiful, but that's for another time!). Hopefully this discussion will help to enact social change further down the line.  

 ~ Written by Marie-Liese George