In 2017, Allure asked 30 celebrities and beauty experts to define American beauty. Many answers were heartwarming, and they appealed to some of the best ideals humanity can rally behind right now. Diversity, inclusion, tolerance, respect, acceptance of others—these were the core concepts of many responses. But behind this seemingly innocuous question and these inspiring, innocent answers lies a deeply troubling nationalistic bias. If these are great ideals for humanity as a whole, what makes them “American”? What does anyone mean when they frame the question in terms of “American beauty” rather than, say, human beauty?
What do people mean when they talk about “American beauty”?
There are many things they could mean. The obvious one is that there’s an American-specific beauty, and they are trying to find out what its essential features are. In other words, they could mean Americans have a specific, if not exclusive, kind of beauty that can be readily identified. Or they could also mean there’s an American beauty which, though not exclusive, is typical of Americans. Or, maybe, that there’s one kind of beauty America stands for—an American ideal for what’s beautiful. Any of these interpretations, however, have awful implications.
Consider some of the answers people give to this question. Jessica Alba, for example, said that “American beauty right now is confidence in who you are. The most beautiful people embrace and celebrate their uniqueness.” That’s nothing if not heartwarming. Or take singer Dolly Parton’s claim that “a true American beauty is a person who loves everybody regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation.” Also an endearing response. But nice and innocent as these answers might appear at the surface, it’s what lies beneath that’s worrisome: a deeply embedded and potentially harmful feature of society as a whole.
Jessica Alba speaking at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con. Photo by Gage Skidmore.
The issue at the core
The problem is most clear when we consider the most obvious meaning of the question. Why would we suppose there’s such a thing as an America-specific kind of beauty? To do so reinforces notions of national separation and speaks to an American ideal that has no place in the current international atmosphere. There simply isn’t any kind of beauty, genetic or otherwise, that is specific and exclusive to Americans alone.
The issue is not the answers celebrities give—especially when they appeal to loable ideals. The problem, rather, lies in ascribing these kinds of universal characteristics to Americans in particular, or to talk about them just in the context of the US. How is confidence and love, for example, not an ideal of beauty any person in the world should aspire to, regardless of their nationality? How is that not a standard of, say, Western beauty—or human beauty, for that matter? Why would we ever frame those universal features in nationalistic terms?
The greatest country on earth?
Many who try to define American beauty focus on the inclusion of many cultures and traditions. After all, they think, America should be the embodiment of what a diverse nation is all about. Built by and for immigrants, the United States is the epitome of universal unity. Or is it? Perhaps we tend to exaggerate just how diverse the US actually is.
“For me, American beauty is people that are mixed race… Two parents from two different backgrounds coming together to create new beautiful matter. I think America is maybe the only country in the world that has that much diversity,” said hairstylist Orlando Pita. The problem is that on any standard list of the most diverse countries in the world, the US doesn’t even make it to the top 80. This is precisely the kind of reasoning at issue: jumping to the conclusion that your country is the best at something just out of sheer nationalistic bias. It’s like claiming that America is the greatest country in the world—a problematic sentiment at its core.
What about the rest of the world?
Pretending like there’s an America-specific beauty (or ideals for beauty) with such sublime characteristics threatens to undermine other nations and their people. If those sublime ideals are America-specific, what about beautiful non-American individuals? Is it, then, that non-Americans partake on “Americanness” if they’re beautiful in such a way? To try to appropriate certain standards and declare them American seems awfully arrogant, not to say imperialistic. But then, perhaps, that’s not what people mean to do. Perhaps American beauty is not about the kind of beauty Americans have, but about the kind of beauty America stands for. However, if that’s so, then it seems awfully unnecessary to call it “American beauty” in the first place.
Maybe diversity is just the kind of beauty America needs—and reinforcing that ideal upon Americans is not wrong at all. Diversity is the standard by which beauty should be judged in America. But then it’s not about American beauty at all, but about global unification. To frame that in American-typical or American-specific terms defeats the very spirit “American beauty” is supposed to stand for in the first place.
It’s all about connection
Another alternative is that when people ask about American beauty, they mean to ask not what American beauty is, but how Americans see beauty or how beauty is seen in America at the moment. But, if that’s what you mean, say it! Talking about “American beauty” just sends the wrong message overall as things stand now. It’s needlessly alienating to the rest of the world.
As designer Donna Karan answered, “it’s all about connection. People who go beyond themselves and let go of the ego and ‘me’ to become part of the ‘we.’ It is beautiful to connect to something larger than ourselves.” That should also mean seeing beauty, with all its wonders and heartwarming essence, beyond American boundaries.
Your voice matters!
Are you a beauty expert? Do you want to be heard? Read our submissions guidelines and send us a 500-word article to storyteller@culturacolectiva.com for a chance to share your thoughts with the rest of the world!
Don’t miss these other articles!
Being Pretty Really Makes Your Life Easier, And That’s A Bad Thing
“No Makeup” Makeup Tips For Men Who Are Tired Of Looking Tired
Here Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Step-By-Step Beauty Routine To Have Flawless Skin
