A lot of things go into making your appearance – fashion, accessories, grooming … and race? As described in an article on Vox, research by Duke sociologist Robert L. Reece shows that black people are seen as more attractive if they tell others that they’re mixed-race. A research team conducted over 3,200 interviews with black people and ranked their attractiveness on a scale of 1-5. Those who said they were mixed-race received a higher score. Reese concluded that these findings are not a result of physical attributes or colorism; rather, they are about perceived racial identity. Vox reports,
“[Reece said] results could be partially explained by the fact that people think ‘being exotic is a compelling idea.’ But, he added, ‘It’s also partially just racism — the notion that black people are less attractive, so being partially not-black makes you more attractive.'”
This is not the first research to address this troubling dynamic; numerous studies have shown that resumes with white names are more likely to receive callbacks than those with black names. Other research has shown similar results for college applicants, those seeking health care, and people looking for mortgages or loans. This new research, however, shows that the effects of race go beyond the above-described settings, and that who’s considered “good-looking” is itself a product of racial hierarchies.
Comments 1
Joanna Van Brunt — September 7, 2016
Race is only an issue to those that try to make it one. Never in my life have a ever thought that one individual was more attractive than the other because of their skin color. In today's generation, it seems as if people are purposely trying to come up with names that are more and more difficult to pronounce. This is with all races. It comes down to people's judgment.
The research that was done does not mean anything. A lot of people have different preferences. One's opinion should not be able to define what race is more attractive than the other. I personally have thought that a black man was more attractive than a white man standing right next to him. To me, it comes down to personality and their heart.
Someone's name is just the title and identification of one's self. This does not define how well they do at a job. There have been many times where a person with a difficult name has a far greater personality and skills than one individual with a basic name. Race and skill color does not define who you are.