The World of Beauty

A UNIQUE LOOK AT THE COMPLEX WORLD OF BEAUTY, RACE AND ADVERTISING — BLACK BETTY POSTERS.COM

Lucky Brown poster

Robyne Robinson

Minnetonka, MN (BlackNews.com) - Black hasn’t always been beautiful.

In fact, it wasn’t that long ago in American history when the ‘Brown Paper Bag Test’ determined a black woman’s standard of attractiveness — if you were lighter than the bag, many blacks thought you were much prettier than sisters with copper or cocoa-colored skin. Why?

Porcelain skin was considered the pinnacle of beauty, and many black women spent millions bleaching their skin with creams and lotions called "Lucky Brown" and "Madam Jones", hoping to reach some level of cosmetic — and social acceptance.

Where did these ideas of beauty for black women come from?

Some say a combination of racism, advertising and design. Quick-thinking white businessmen not only played on the slavery-damaged psyche of assimilated blacks in the 1920’s and ’30’s, they made fortunes doing it.

Black Betty is a website that explores the complexity of beauty, race and the power of ad design. Visitors can buy vintage posters and t-shirts of cosmetic company labels created during the golden age of advertising. Use Black Betty as a source for black memorabilia, an historic resource on advertising, or share it with friends who love with vintage graphic design.

Visit www.blackbettyposters.com!

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