| Heart
and Soul magazine presents this wider
variety of beauty to its black readership.
The
publication claims its selection of Brigitte
Jones, a 5-foot-7-inch, 182 pound black
woman, as the magazine’s 1998 reader cover
model winner is proof "you can be
full-figured and physically fit."
While
eating disorders have been relatively
rare among black and Latina women, body
image problems do affect them. "Body-Image
Problems Affect All Groups," a
recent article by the American Psychological
Association, summarizes recent research
to conclude that "upper-class white
women are not the only people prone
to disliking what they see when they
look into the mirror."
 |
|
Makeda
Knight grew up without the influence
of mainstream media and has no issues
with her body.
|
cultural
relativity
Makeda
Knight’s long black khimar offsets
more than it hides. The traditional
Muslim scarf may cover her hair, but
it frames attentive eyes and a wide
smile. Though Knight is only 19, she
speaks eloquently, with the wisdom of
perspective on an obsession that envelops
other girls her age.
Muslim
women don’t suffer from insecurities
about their bodies, because the philosophy
and clothing of their culture discourages
it, says Knight. She also believes overweight
Muslims don’t feel the same shame that
most overweight women do.
|
