The Jamaican Beauty

 

The Jamaican Beauty

 

 

 

 

 

            It is quite exemplary that a nation this small produces a vast number of ethnicities which translates into the rich varieties of characteristics Jamaicans maintain. While many cultural groups exist singularly and untouched by miscegenation there are many others that maintain this type of “Jamaican Beauty”. Thus it is no wonder we have become fascinated with the “browning”

[1] who at all times retains the status of crowning gem of the Caribbean. Let me clarify my point by saying I speak of black here not as we are seen collectively because to a European or American any hint of black means you are entirely black, I differentiate here and throughout this article between women of dark skin and those of medium to lighter complexions. We have unanimously rid ourselves of the idea that “black is beauty”[2] and have held stead fast to Eurocentric and western standards of beauty. Our beloved Nanny who fought in one of the greatest revolutions this country has ever seen would be shocked and discouraged by our waning pride in our blackness and our defeated acceptance of the slave master heritage.

 

There is nothing wrong with having a standard of beauty but one so rigid which excludes a greater majority of our nation is entirely too biased and archaic for the present in which we live. We are unconscious of the detriment this ideal does to a society already so low on morale that we blindly buy into it without a second thought. Hence we have a culture cemented in an obsession with lighter skin that many darker women try at all cost to become lighter by chemical means. Hence many women have opted to walk in daylight looking like something dreamt up by the master of horror Stephen King.

 

We have pretty much tried to commercialize the fact that we embrace the “browning” by using nothing but light skinned women to advertise anything from Alcoholic beverages to reading glasses. I have heard it said that lighter women photo better than darker women because their colour stands out better on a background so of course logically they have to be used. So delusional we are that we tell ourselves there is a reasonable argument for why we mostly employ the “browning” for aiding the mass distribution of our products. But this view is worldwide. In a world where many are black 2001 marked the fist time a black woman has ever been victorious in the Miss World competition. Not too long ago in our country, it was a considerable rarity when a woman of actual dark skin won the coveted Miss

Jamaica crown. In the event that a darker woman was crowned we automatically believed she did not deserve to win. One may say this has changed but quiet the contrary, on recently visiting sites dedicated to obtain the comments of a diverse set of users, many Jamaicans thrashed the then reigning queen Terri Karelle Griffith who they said was just an average girl who did not deserve to win and for emphasis the use of expletives and derogatory terms were mottled in their biased and narrow minded judgements. However she did well enough placing in the top 15 and winning the Miss Caribbean World in the international competition. One of the more recent Ms. Jamaica’s Sara Lawrence a dark skinned beauty not only won the Title of Miss World Caribbean but placed in the top 6 of the competition. An impressive track record for these dark skinned, presumably average looking beauties. 

 

Being a black woman in

Jamaica means you are subject to never being thought of as beautiful. One may argue that looks aren’t everything but they are something and though they are only one aspect of the self they represent that which can be seen. After all we make a judgement upon sight. True, this judgement is subject to change but rarely will we see someone who we thought ugly upon sight to be pretty after discovering her to be a great conversationalist, intelligent, genuine, modest or any other laudable non-physical attribute. Therefore a consideration of beauty as part of one’s morale is significant. A black woman is not what most people would consider the height of beauty and as a result the shifting dancehall culture has promoted the idea that every man should strive for a brown or light skinned woman. No, a black woman is not a trophy wife she’s the woman you marry when you couldn’t find a “brown girl”[3], a last resort. To seize the attention of a large percentage of men, the colour must first be likeable after which the physical features are of secondary consideration. Thus the words of the famous DJ Buju Banton “mi love mi money, mi love mi tings but most of all mi love mi ‘browning’” express clearly and adequately the standards we have adapted in our society[4].

 

            I have realised through experience that most men regardless of if they are involved with a black woman or have only had relationships with black women their entire lives have internalised this standard of beauty. Many a Jamaican man would give his right testicle for a “browning” but in general settles if the opportunity to be with a “browning” does not present itself. It is no wonder so many black women are plagued with feelings of insecurity when thrown in the meat market at an obviously unreasonable disadvantage.

 

            We cannot change this outdated outlook we have inherited because we are unaware and entirely too comfortable with it. I do not pretend to think any race is above the other and will go further to say that

Jamaica is truly “out of many one people”[5]. However we have never learnt to love our African ancestry because deep down most are ashamed of our slave heritage. They believe that to accept that part of us is to be primitive and backward thinking; quite the opposite. For progress to take place we must embrace our history of hardship and struggle and see ourselves as beautiful. Our Eurocentric ideals must be amended to include our African characteristics. It is true that we have blended beautifully to create a nation of varied peoples but still many of us rely too heavily on skin colour as the main determinant of beauty.    

 

 

 

By Nicole Tyndale

 

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[1] Jamaican term used to signify black woman of lighter complexion.

[2] Phrase frequently used unsure of origin.

[3] Black woman of a lighter complexion used interchangeably with browning in Jamaican patois.

[4] Extracted from the song “Browning” by Buju Banton.

[5] This is Jamaica’s motto and I think I would be very unpatriotic if I didn’t clarify that for any non Jamaican or Jamaican living under a rock for the last few decades.

Reviews

[dentontyndale]

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