Investigating constructions of beauty amongst young, urban, Black South African women as influenced by their socio-cultural contexts

Abstract

This qualitative study explored constructions of beauty amongst young, urban Black South African women as influenced by different socio-cultural contexts. Much of the literature on this subject focuses on the influence of Western culture on Black women’s conceptualization of beauty and nearly always points to the resultant negative self-perception that they go on to develop. The study applied phenomenology research design and qualitative approach in addressing the study objectives. A sample of six young Black women who were students at the University of the Witwatersrand participated in this study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, where participants were asked a series of open-ended questions that explored their perceptions and personal meaning-making of the concept of female beauty. True to the literature on the subject of female beauty, which highlights the multifaceted nature of this concept, major findings were that participants related in different ways to the construct of beauty. However, it was found that participants in this study employed new and evolved ways of thinking about beauty. For these young women, beauty was viewed as a personal choice, as emotive, as a state of health, moreover, as a marker of one’s lifestyle. This differs significantly from the traditional manner in which Black women’s ideas around beauty are usually explored – as mainly informed by Western culture. While they did not deny Western cultures influence on how they have come to understand beauty, the young women in this study communicated a sense of empowerment to think of beauty beyond these confines.