How Does Hamm Characterize Lupita's Non White Beauty Standards

Early uses outside sources as well as personal evidence to create a passage displaying to the reader how beauty standards have played a role in his life and the life of his family. Hamm creates connections and parallels through Nyong’o having won the Oscar Award and America’s beauty standards. In this day and age, beauty is set by white standards though it is arguably changing with time; society puts an unfavorable stereotypical view on people of color. In terms of beauty, this causes people of color to view themselves in a negative manner.

In America, beauty dominantly follows white standards consisting of the typical straight blonde hair and the striking blue eyes. Hamm states, “Despite the racial progress that proceeded Lupita’s swift rise
Hamm states, “Despite the numerous advances Black women have made over the last century, African-American women are often characterized in the public domain by negative stereotypes based on a set of social constructs”(Hamm) The writer is referring to media such as music videos or television to substantiate his claim that the light shone on African beauty is not as acceptable in society as white beauty. Hamm again acknowledges the changes in society towards non white beauty becoming increasingly acceptable in America. On account of a story told by Early about the struggle of his daughter’s being bullied, Early retells the incident by the white principal having told Early and his wife to have the daughters Linnet and Rosalind change their hairstyle in an effort to limit the teasing. Early’s wife quickly rejected the advice, and the girls continued to have short afro hairstyles.(Early 539) This event told shows that society was in fact in favor of white beauty standards. Even knowingly, the principal, a member of society, told the family that changing hair to look more white would most likely cause other girls to not out the African girls, and it definitely showed that the popular opinion was in favor of white beauty
During an acceptance speech in Hamm’s online article, Nyong’o states, “ I remember a time when I too felt unbeautiful. I put on the TV and only saw pale skin. I got teased and taunted about my night-shaded skin. And my one prayer to God, the miracle worker, was that I would wake up lighter-skinned.”(Hamm) Nyong’o expresses her view of herself as once being unsatisfactory, and her yearning desire to fit into white standards. She later tells that it took her a long time to accept who she is and her beauty, but this only goes to show that standards of beauty are being altered to favor minorities. Early, talking about his daughters’ school says, “As she attends a school that is more than 90 percent white, it seemed inevitable to my wife that one of our daughters would become sensitive about her appearance.”(Early 538) This is a great example of Early and his wife entering with the opinion that they “aren’t good enough” and no matter what the daughters do to become beautiful young women, they will more than likely be be the subject of negative views on black beauty. In an acceptance speech in Hamm’s online article, Nyong’o states, “ I remember a time when I too felt unbeautiful. I put on the TV and only saw pale skin. I got teased and taunted about my night-shaded skin. And my one prayer to God, the miracle worker, was that I would wake up