Friday, May 20, 2011

Will Black Women Ever Catch a Break?

If we're not being attacked for our "attitudes" or mocked by men and minstrels, we're being labeled for having "lists" or kicked for having kinks in our hair. Let's not even get started on the whole skin tone issue..again.  One more shot has been fired at black women by Psyhcology Today blogger Satoshi Kanazawa.  He posted a blog several days ago titled "A Look at the Hard Truths About Human Nature"which had some claims of scientific evidence that supports why black women are less attractive than women of other races. 

Some excerpts:
What accounts for the markedly lower average level of physical attractiveness among black women? Black women are on average much heavier than nonblack women. The mean body-mass index (BMI) at Wave III is 28.5 among black women and 26.1 among nonblack women. (Black and nonblack men do not differ in BMI: 27.0 vs. 26.9) However, this is not the reason black women are less physically attractive than nonblack women. Black women have lower average level of physical attractiveness net of BMI. Nor can the race difference in intelligence (and the positive association between intelligence and physical attractiveness) account for the race difference in physical attractiveness among women. Black women are still less physically attractive than nonblack women net of BMI and intelligence. Net of intelligence, black men are significantly more physically attractive than nonblack men. [...]
The only thing I can think of that might potentially explain the lower average level of physical attractiveness among black women is testosterone. Africans on average have higher levels of testosterone than other races, and testosterone, being an androgen (male hormone), affects the physical attractiveness of men and women differently. Men with higher levels of testosterone have more masculine features and are therefore more physically attractive. In contrast, women with higher levels of testosterone also have more masculine features and are therefore less physically attractive. The race difference in the level of testosterone can therefore potentially explain why black women are less physically attractive than women of other races, while (net of intelligence) black men are more physically attractive than men of other races.
There are undoubtedly those who don't feel this is even an issue or it is for only those who make it one, but it's clear this affects some people even if it's not you or anyone you know. I don't know which is worse, people who actually continue to perpetuate this non-sense or those who choose not to acknowledge it.  My question is, how can we stop these ideologies from being perpetuated? Or can we?

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