American beauty standard is often viewed as the world's beauty standard. No matter where one is, when it comes to body image and physical measurements, Western media, especially Hollywood plays a big role in shaping the word beauty. International Women's Day becomes a good time for women, especially women of color, to speak up about it.
An essay published by Racked shows how immigrant women had to adjust the way they measure themselves when it comes to beauty after they arrived in the United States. Though they put some appropriation, leaving some cultural aspects from their old places or countries and adopting the new ones from the new land, these women, whether conscious or unconsciously, have started to radically redefine the beauty standard.
Along with the political climate under Donald Trump where he often times turns on women and immigrants, many big companies and influential women see this as the right time to stand up. Recently, Nike, one of the biggest American sportswear company, announced that they are going to launch their first Muslim sportswear called Pro Hijab, inspired by the growing number of Muslim female athletes, according to Guardian. Many people agree that this marketing move is challenging Islamophobia in the West.
Asian beauty routine has also emerged in American beauty world. From the ten steps of facial cleansing to several tubes of serums, Asian beauty has been earning its place in the American beauty standard. According to Pacific Standard, this is due to the growing number of Asian-American consumers spending money on the beauty products, making companies see it as a good opportunity to rule the beauty market.
The redefinition of American beauty also has been initiated by many influential women of color, including Beyoncé. Her latest album, Lemonade, which was nominated for the album of the year by Grammy, showed how Black women have their own beauty standard that should be embraced, rather than seen as a negative culture. Bustle deciphers how important the Black hairstyles shown in Beyoncé's album are to be valued. Her message was clear that she and other Black women should be proud of their cultural heritage that defines their beauty.