In March of 2014 Slate published a piece titled, Kick Andrew Jackson Off the $20 Bill!, which argued, among other things, that Jackson's ties to slavery and his involvement with the Indian Removal Act make him a problematic choice as a national symbol. "His face on our money implies an honor that Jackson’s legacy doesn't deserve. Worse, it obscures the horrors of his presidency...But this issue isn't merely cosmetic, or a nod to political correctness. Symbolic change and practical change have a symbiotic relationship. By confronting and correcting the symbols of our violent and racist histories, we prompt conversations about how that legacy continues to affect marginalized communities today" (Keenan, 2014). The issue has been raised again recently, as the group "Women on $20s" tries to generate support for their mission, "to generate an overwhelming people's mandate for a new $20 bill , to be issued in time for the 100th anniversary in 2020 of the Constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote." These new bills would, you guessed it, feature the face of an historically important leading lady. Check out the list of candidates and read more on the campaign from the Washington Post or The New Yorker. One might argue that repeated exposure to Andrew Jackson's face inures us to the crimes he committed. But, history of genocide aside, it is curious to consider what our every day exposure to masculine symbols on our most utilized bank notes teaches us without our consent. Psychologically, we are socialized to recognize patterns "spoon-fed" to us by our cultures. We internalize these associations in what we see and hear throughout our lives. Researchers call this priming - we hear a word or see an image which activates a web of associations (thoughts, feelings, beliefs etc.) that past experience has taught us to pair with that word/image. (A brief on priming and prejudice here). So, what does repeated exposure to everyday currency paired with masculine models prime? Such reflection certainly gives us hints about who and what is deserving of honor and respect and what counts as success. And likewise, what exists in the silence constructed by the absence of such pairings for women?
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by Heron Abegaze, Fall 2014 In the United States, women spend about $50,000 in their lifetime and 1 hour and 53 minutes per week on taking care of and maintaining their hair. So why do we invest so much money and time in our hair? Having a well-maintained appearance can influence what other think of us and how others perceive us. For example, research on attractiveness has demonstrated that a person’s face is the first thing we notice about them after initially meeting them. Other studies have found that women with hair that appears shinier and of medium or long length are perceived to be more attractive than people who don’t fit in these categories. Research on hair color and perceived ability in the workplace has shown that women with brunette/dark brown and long – medium hair are perceived to be smarter and are more likely to advance in higher paying careers. Thus, it may be argued that having hair that appears more desirable and socially acceptable may endow more advantages and opportunities than having hair that does not conform to socially desirable traits. The majority of African American/black women don’t fit into this category. African American/Black women tend to have facial features (e.g. skin color, nose shape, hair) that are drastically different from majority (euro-centric) group members. So too, those from non-dominant racial and ethnic groups often have hair with a texture and appearance that is different from the (euro-centric) status quo. Afrocentric features of hair are described as coarse, while Eurocentric features of hair tend to be looser and appear straight. Also, in contrast to the preferred hair types listed earlier, hair that is more stereotypically Afrocentric may be short, kinky, and tightly coiled, and the majority of the time the natural hair color is black and less ‘naturally’ shiny. Previous studies on Afrocentric features have mainly focused on skin color and have concentrated on how African American/Black males are perceived in various contexts (i.e. criminal sentencing), while limited research has focused on how African American/Black women are perceived. And while studies have focused on how hair color effects perceived job roles in the workplace, there is limited research available on how Afrocentric features, specifically of hair, effect perceived job roles in the workplace. My (Heron's) masters thesis will investigate the effects of stereotypic Afrocentric features (i.e. course hair) on the perceived job roles of African American/ black women, in the workplace. |
DESCRIPTIONThis 'Blog' highlights varied research endeavors. Where noted, entries are written by my students, themselves.
AuthorCAITLIN O. MAHONEY, PhD. Categories
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