Beauty is a concept that has long fascinated, divided, and united cultures around the world. But beauty is not universal. It is shaped by history, culture, media, and power. In Western societies especially, beauty standards have been heavily racialized, often framing white femininity as the default ideal while exoticizing, marginalizing, or even erasing the beauty of Black women. In this commentary, we delve into the societal perceptions and portrayals of Black and white women in media and culture, examining how these two identities have been shaped differently—yet share common struggles.
Rather than pitting one against the other, this article seeks to explore the nuances, challenge stereotypes, and ultimately celebrate both.
Historical Beauty Standards: A Racial Divide
Historically, Western beauty standards have revolved around whiteness. Pale skin, straight hair, and Eurocentric facial features became the benchmark of feminine beauty through centuries of colonization, art, advertising, and cinema. Women who fit this mold—largely white women—were elevated as symbols of purity, elegance, and desirability.
Black women, on the other hand, were subjected to a very different narrative. In the colonial and antebellum eras, Black women were often dehumanized or hypersexualized—either portrayed as unattractive or reduced to stereotypes like the “jezebel” (oversexualized) or the “mammy” (nurturing, desexualized caretaker). These narratives were not only harmful but created long-lasting impacts on how society viewed and treated Black femininity.
It wasn’t until the Civil Rights Movement and later, the Black is Beautiful movement in the 1960s and 1970s, that there was a significant push to reclaim and celebrate Black beauty in its natural form—from afro-textured hair to darker skin tones.
Media Representation: Who Gets to Be “Sexy”?
One of the most telling arenas where beauty is defined and judged is mainstream media. In movies, television, magazines, and social media, the representation of white women as the standard of beauty has persisted for decades. The blonde, blue-eyed archetype—think Marilyn Monroe, Pamela Anderson, or more recently, Margot Robbie—has long symbolized the “ideal” in Western pop culture.
However, there’s been a gradual but powerful shift over the last 20 years. Black women like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Zendaya, and Lupita Nyong’o have not only challenged these ideals but expanded them. These women have graced magazine covers, won Oscars, launched fashion lines, and influenced millions. Their rise represents a reclamation of space that had previously excluded Black beauty.
Still, disparities remain. Studies show that white women, even today, are more likely to be cast in leading roles, featured in high-end fashion campaigns, or chosen as “America’s Sweetheart.” Black women often have to work harder to be taken seriously—and must simultaneously navigate expectations of both strength and sensuality.
Sexuality and Stereotypes: The Double Standard
When it comes to sexuality, society often applies a racial double standard. White women who are overtly sexy are often seen as empowered, playful, or bold. Their sexuality is framed as a choice—an act of freedom. Black women, meanwhile, are still battling harmful tropes that portray their sexuality as aggressive, dangerous, or deviant.
This divide can be seen clearly in music videos, Instagram influencer culture, and red carpet fashion criticism. A white celebrity wearing a revealing dress might be praised for her confidence, while a Black woman in the same outfit might be accused of being “too much” or lacking class.
This racialized lens has real-world consequences. It influences how teachers perceive students, how hiring managers judge professionalism, how juries assign guilt, and how police officers interpret behavior. The perception of a Black woman’s body as inherently more sexualized can even impact medical treatment and judicial outcomes.
Fashion, Hair, and Cultural Appropriation
Another area where the contrast is evident is in fashion and personal expression—particularly in the treatment of Black hairstyles and clothing.
Black women have long worn protective hairstyles such as braids, afros, locs, and cornrows. These styles are culturally significant and practical. Yet, in many professional and educational settings, these hairstyles were (and often still are) deemed “unprofessional” or “unruly.”
Ironically, when white women adopt these same styles, they are frequently praised for being edgy or fashionable. This phenomenon—cultural appropriation—highlights how white bodies can “borrow” from Black culture without facing the stigma Black women endure for the same expressions.
This extends to body shape as well. In recent years, curvy bodies—full hips, thick thighs, and pronounced buttocks—have become trendy, largely thanks to Black influence. However, the mainstream celebration of these traits often centers on white or racially ambiguous women (e.g., Kim Kardashian), again highlighting the disconnect between influence and credit.
The Role of Social Media and Empowerment
While traditional media still carries weight, the rise of social media has provided an alternative platform for women of all races to represent themselves on their own terms. Influencers, artists, and creators—especially Black women—are using platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to showcase beauty in its diverse forms.
Movements like #MelaninMagic, #BlackGirlMagic, and #UnapologeticallyBlack have become powerful affirmations of identity and pride. At the same time, white women have used platforms to embrace more natural beauty, body positivity, and feminist expressions of sexuality.
The internet has democratized beauty to some extent, allowing more intersectional definitions to emerge. It’s not uncommon now to see a curvy Black woman going viral for her fashion, or a white woman sharing her journey of embracing body hair or rejecting unrealistic beauty standards. Both are part of a broader cultural shift that celebrates authenticity over conformity.
The Dangers of Pitting Women Against Each Other
A key takeaway from this exploration must be the rejection of the “versus” mindset. Media, advertising, and society at large often try to pit women against each other—especially across racial lines—as if there’s only room for one type of beauty. This zero-sum framing is harmful and reductive.
Black women and white women are not rivals. They are both navigating a patriarchal world that judges them harshly based on appearance, age, and behavior. They both experience objectification, though in different forms. And they both deserve to define beauty and sensuality on their own terms.
Solidarity and allyship between women of all races are essential. Black women advocating for better representation benefit all women by expanding the beauty narrative. White women who challenge Eurocentric standards can help dismantle the very hierarchies that excluded others.
Moving Forward: A Broader Definition of Beauty
So, what does the future of beauty look like?
It’s inclusive. It embraces kinks and curls, freckles and scars, light skin and dark. It recognizes that sensuality is not about meeting someone else’s expectation—but about confidence, self-expression, and freedom. It understands that no single race owns beauty, and no single standard defines it.
For white women, this may mean unlearning internalized supremacy and embracing intersectionality. For Black women, it may mean continuing to celebrate their unique features and demanding representation not as a favor, but as a right. For all women, it means recognizing and rejecting the systems that tell them their worth is tied to how they look.
Conclusion
In the end, beauty is not a battlefield. There is no winner between the Black sexy girl and the white sexy girl—because they are not fighting each other. They are fighting the systems that tell them they must compete, conform, or shrink themselves to be worthy.
Both have power. Both have beauty. And both have the right to define themselves, on their own terms.