Beauty is a constant struggle: the undecidability of black female beauty in Ecuador

Abstract

Beauty standards in Latin America remain predominantly white or white-mestizo, marginalising individuals with more Black or Indigenous features. In this study, we analyse how young Black women in Ecuador navigate both white-mestizo beauty ideals and the definitions of beauty put forward by Black communities themselves. We argue that inhabiting Black bodies involves a constant negotiation with both racialised and racialising beauty standards, exposing women to competing aesthetics tied to both hegemonic and Black beauty ideals. These standards often penalise them – at times for being too Black, and at other times for not being Black enough, depending on the context and who is perceiving and reacting to their bodies. While their bodies and beautification practices may be seen as a capitulation to whitening pressures, they are also sometimes criticised for not conforming to Black beauty ideals within their own communities. These contradictions render the pursuit of beauty fraught and often unattainable.