Dominican Culture Research Paper

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A preference for Eurocentric beauty standards has had a deep-rooted history in the United States and in the Dominican Republic (DR) CITE. This ideology asserts that the more an individual associates with European features, the more attractive they are CITE. Attributes such as lighter skin, straight hair, a thin nose and lips, and light colored eyes are preferred and admired CITE. Colorism or “discrimination based on actual skin color and the shading of skin” has become more pronounced within ethnicities in which skin complexities vary CITE CITE. Research examining countries such as the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Mexico have documented the detrimental effects of colorism CITE. As a daughter of two natives from the Dominican Republic, my …show more content…
To those in my community, my fair skin, wavy hair, and hazel eyes set me apart from my tanned skin, curly haired, brown-eyed peers. These attributes seemed insignificant, but became conversation starters as I navigated through school. My friends talked about my pelo bueno and ojos claro while they used deresado to straighten their hair. To me, their bouncy curls and almond eyes were attributes I envied, but to them, they sought ways to alter them. In the 1990’s, I remember colored contacts being a trend growing up. My brother born with cafe colored eyes, brought me to the store and asked the vendor for eyes como mi hermana. Looking back, those around me engaged in daily activities to try to resemble more Eurocentric beauty (e.g., hair dye to lighten their hair, contacts for their eyes, and a fresh blowout every Friday). Feeling the pressure to prove my authenticity, lightening your features when they portrayed the diversity in our culture seemed absurd. However, it may have been difficult to see beauty in everyone when Eurocentric features are often the only ones we see on Spanish television CITE. With the media only portraying a certain type of Latino(a), it is no surprise that this ideology perpetuated throughout our
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