"I am interested in the concept of skin and race, and what they imply; in the ideas and theories sown into our flesh that change with the arc of time. The idea of beauty has become globalized creating homogeneous aspirations, and distorting people’s self-image across the planet. In my film, I focus on African women’s self-image, through memories and interviews; using mixed media to describe this almost schizophrenic self-visualization that I and many others have grown up with." -
Ng'endo Mukii
Artist Ng'endo Mukii tackles the subject of beauty standards among women in the black community. This video is only 1:19 sec but the beautiful imagery is upright captivating and if you're aren't familiarized with the way these standards are projected within the black community, this video really brings you there.
This image is so powerful, it just demonstrates how easy these beauty standards enter children's minds through media. This video automatically reminded me of a a conversation I had with one of my professors and a new class I'm taking this semester called City Cultures. At the moment we're exploring and tackling what consist of our own culture, being African American this video explores one of the topics I listed as a part of my own culture . These westernized/ European beauty standards has mixed (poisoned) within almost every culture, attending a school where everyone is from a different sector of the world, one thing we shared are these common beauty standards of straight long hair, thin frame, and light skin. Many forget or are ignorant to the fact that this doesn't only exist within the black community, I appreciate artist such as Ng'endo who use their craft to publicize such a crucial "ugly" beauty standard that has lived amongst us for hundreds of years, something still present today. -
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