black woman in bathroom looking in mirror | Western beauty standards
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—Maribel E.*, second-year graduate student, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Hi Maribel, 

This is a challenging one! I say this because, more than likely, you grew up in a society that reinforced beauty standards that were primarily Anglo-Saxon (Caucasian) or white. Most of what we saw in the way of dolls, movies, TV ads, and magazines reaffirmed those beauty standards, which resulted in many people of color feeling less than desirable. We were taught from an early age what beauty was supposed to look like based on a standard of light skin, thin bodies, and features associated with whiteness. Due to this internalization, we will have some work to do to “reprogram” ourselves. It will take some time but is possible with a few intentional steps: 

1.First, I suggest using daily affirmations: Remind yourself what you are good at, what you like about yourself, what you are excited about, and what you are looking forward to. Daily affirmations help to balance the scale of negative thinking we (as human beings) have a propensity toward. 

2.Be selective about who you spend time with—friends, and even family—making sure they are uplifting, supportive, and validating. If your support system is negative, or not affirming, the work to retrain your brain will take longer. 

3.If you haven’t already done so, start looking for images that are consistent with what you look like, explore other expressions of beauty, and check out brands that are more inclusive, such as Savage X Fenty by Rihanna.

Choose to embrace yourself. Practice makes progress. | Western beauty standards*Name changed for privacy



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Have you seen at least one thing on that you will apply to everyday life?
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