Abstract

This research seeks to examine how authors represent Black/African-American beauty in children’s literature. To conduct my research, I have chosen to review Natasha Tarpley’s I Love My Hair and Carolivia Herron’s Nappy Hair in conjunction with Zora Neale Hurston’s young adult novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. The objective of my thesis aims to highlight the emphasis authors place on Black/African-American children’s hair and the cultural differences in their perceptions of Afro-beauty. Today, society expends extensive time and interest in outward appearances through media: television, radio, digital media, and fashion magazines. As a result, Black/African-American adolescent and teen girls become overly concerned with their beauty and face extreme pressure to fit into the dominant cultures definition of beauty: ‘lighter skin, slender nose, slim body frame, and straight hair.’ Black/African-American girls who fall short of the prescribed characteristics of beauty become psychologically impaired with their self-confidences; sometimes refusing to embrace their own features or invest extensively in beauty care products to conform to the dominant beliefs of beauty. I have provided a summary of the focused literature for the benefit of readers who not have had the opportunity to read the previously mentioned texts along with a sample lesson plan.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

2015

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Kaplan, Jeffrey S.

Degree

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

College

College of Education and Human Performance

Department

Educational and Human Sciences

Degree Program

English Literature

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Education; Education -- Dissertations, Academic

Format

PDF

Identifier

CFH0004818

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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