A imagem americana de beleza física e as mudanças provocadas pelo “Black power” na década de 60

Abstract

The traditional American idea of blonde and blueeyed beauty was powerfully influenced by the dominant white culture and made even more popular by the images projected in the films of Hollywood up until the 1960, as Toni Morrison makes clear in her powerful short novel, The Bluest Eye. However, at this time, the new idea that “black is beautiful” was adopted by the Negro population as a way of expressing ancestral pride in its African origins and showed itself concretely in a new way of dressing, in a new hair style (aptly called the “afro”) but, above all, in the world of art and culture. Talented black writers such as Langston Hughes and Lorraine Hansberry made their presence felt on the literary scene and soon gained national popularity in the areas of poetry and drama. A young black man, Arthur Mitchell, took young people off the streets of Harlem and introduced them to the world of dance. Today the Dance Theater of Harlem is known internationally.