Dionne writes;
I’ve been reading your blog for the last 2 years. I love it! Today, my friend posted the following on her Facebook page, and I just had to share it with the CN community;
Great way to start a Monday. Why Are Black Women Less Physically Attractive Than Other Women? Good job Psychology today. If you think this is a racist piece of garbage, you can Call Psychology Today to protest at 212-260-7210
Shocked and appalled. Black women already have so much to fight against when it comes to proving their worth and beauty… what we DON’T need is a racist, “scientific” study to back up stereotypes!
CN Says;
Psychology Today has already removed the article. Surprised? If you missed it, below are the researcher’s (Satoshi Kanazawa, a PhD out of The London School of Economics) conclusions;
What accounts for the markedly lower average level of physical attractiveness among black women? Black women are on average much heavier than nonblack women. The mean body-mass index (BMI) at Wave III is 28.5 among black women and 26.1 among nonblack women. (Black and nonblack men do not differ in BMI: 27.0 vs. 26.9.) However, this is not the reason black women are less physically attractive than nonblack women. Black women have lower average level of physical attractiveness net of BMI. Nor can the race difference in intelligence (and the positive association between intelligence and physical attractiveness) account for the race difference in physical attractiveness among women. Black women are still less physically attractive than nonblack women net of BMI and intelligence. Net of intelligence, black men are significantly more physically attractive than nonblack men.There are many biological and genetic differences between the races. However, such race differences usually exist in equal measure for both men and women. For example, because they have existed much longer in human evolutionary history, Africans have more mutations in their genomes than other races. And the mutation loads significantly decrease physical attractiveness (because physical attractiveness is a measure of genetic and developmental health). But since both black women and black men have higher mutation loads, it cannot explain why only black women are less physically attractive, while black men are, if anything, more attractive.
The only thing I can think of that might potentially explain the lower average level of physical attractiveness among black women is testosterone. Africans on average have higher levels of testosterone than other races, and testosterone, being an androgen (male hormone), affects the physical attractiveness of men and women differently. Men with higher levels of testosterone have more masculine features and are therefore more physically attractive. In contrast, women with higher levels of testosterone also have more masculine features and are therefore less physically attractive. The race differences in the level of testosterone can therefore potentially explain why black women are less physically attractive than women of other races, while (net of intelligence) black men are more physically attractive than men of other races.
Since when is racism ‘objective physical attractiveness’?
“Recall that women on average are more physically attractive than men.” That’s as if I said: “Recall that oranges on average are more physically attractive than apples.”
Sounds like this guy belongs in the ‘bell curve’ company… I really hate it when people don’t have the intellectual honesty to face their own prejudices and hide behind science instead…
That’s my 2 cents… but as you know, I’m fairly intolerant of assholes 🙂
What say you?
ARE YOU SERIOUS? Question, why would a woman of color even repost this uncle Tom, nonfactual foolish attempt to stir up conversation? The Asian fairy boy obviously wants what he can't have ……
a beautiful black woman with a body! I'm a Black woman who constantly gets hit on by White men, Hispanics,and yes …ASIAN! But again, what was the point of reposting this publicity attempt? As a African American writer you (in m eyes) are just as guilty! Please do all intelligent readers a favor ….. find material that is worth my time and intellect. Thanks. God bless
It doesn't matter if its backed by plain, cold, hard science, if what you state offends X minority group, X minority group will resent it and vociferously denounce you. The added bonus is that this this minority group is more reactive than most and has, as its defenders, individuals who are more emotional than logical and who are therefore willing to defy truth and logic to defend what they believe in and want others to believe in as well. There is nothing here any discerning, perceptive, and unbiased person didn't already know. Any person who has really understood men around the world should know that men are more closely attracted to the more feminine features of caucasions and asians than those of typical black women. The black women that men tend to chase are the heavily caucasion featured ones – that is, those that look more like Alicia Keys than the pure Sub-Saharan Alek Wek. This is just a brute fact, but that doesn't mean it has no exceptions – it does in individual instances, but it is irrefutable on the macro scale. Here is whats scary: what this reveals is the damning fact that the cause of the beauty of so many African-American women is largely the result of slavemasters who I wouldn't doubt were sometimes or often rapists. It sounds almost as though I am calling that page in American slave history a blessing in disguise for black Americans, but so what if some aspects of it were? The course of nature has revealed it to care little of our own customs of good and evil, especially when it flies in the face of its favoritism to reproduction and exploitation.
How is this racist if it is backed by science? Medical science has proved that black people tend to have more genetic defects on average. Studies have shown that black women have higher testosterone levels than other women. Their faces are masculine. I've even seen black women with facial hair. In fact I've seen more than one black women in my life going through the balding process. The only black women I find attractive are the small minority with feminine bodies. Being 300 pounds with stubble on a masculine jaw complete with an aggressive personality is hardly attractive. Nature is racist.
I have to say that in regards to what ignorance some people express, I am more sad today than I was yesterday. I'm painfully aware of how the world sees me as a black woman. On most days I do what I've trained myself to do and look past the ignorance that's planted in front of me. On some days however, I am broken down like a pile of crumbled rocks laying on the floor. I already have my battles to fight on a daily basis and I tire of the thought of enduring another blindsided hit. I'm tired of ppl expecting me to be a certain way so they can feel more comfortable standing next to me or initiating a conversation. I'm tired of ppl treating me like I carry some STD. I'm tired of ppl judging me b/c my natural hair has a mind of it's own and the sight of that scares them. I'm tired of ppl believing that my family receives government help because I come from the non-standard 1.5 child American household. I'm tired of ppl expecting me to have had a child unwedded instead of being someone capable of becoming a leading professional. Why is this unrealistic?! I remember receiving an email from one of my equally highly educated female friends regarding Kanazawa's article and only one thought came to mind. I thought that despite the number of years the human race has inhabited this world, despite the level and available access to education available to us, despite the unprecedented mistakes many (no matter the race) has made in the past, we have learned nothing and are thus not much better than those who have acted out of pure ignorance in the past. I've always been taught that education is my ticket to the things I desire in this world and I have been working my hardest since to attain my dreams. There have been many obstacles, ppl who have outright sabotaged me and lost opportunities but I'm still fighting. I know that I am not alone in this fight although it feels that way at times thus I will continue looking ahead and hold on to as much support and positive commendation as I can.
I don't think we need to get worked up over yet another attack on black people. I'm not even going to read the article. Its obvious to me that this guy is seeking attention in attempt to gain fame and pay some of his outstanding bills. There are going to be racist comments from people all the time, and if we give in to them and get upset, angry or sad over them and throw things back at these people, in my opinion, we're giving them exactly what they want. Just ignore it! Don't let people pull your strings!
Shameful! The world will never change. It's difficult to accept that people have such rude things to say to hurt people. I'm trying hard not to be affected by this but I am trying in vain. It is complete BS. I hate this type of crap. 🙁
Waaaayyy too many comments to read through and i may be late to the party but i just wanted to let everyone know that THE ARTICLE IS UP! I'm under the impression, from some comments, that it was taken down but it's there for the world to see now!
I stopped reading pretty early, around mutations in our genomes and some other bull. Upsetting my soul is not in the cards for today.
W.T.F. That's all.
I sent an email to the editor about this "so-called" African man who claims to be educated. And you are right, he never cited any credible sources to back his findings up, which means that he was taking personal opinion and trying to make it fact. I told her that this article was no different from anything I would see on Stormfront or Aryan Nation.com.
I read this and its kind of offensive. However, that doesn't make it wrong or untrue. In my reading, its simply unsupported (that is, bad science). The study used the correct statistics, but poor measures and inappropriately applied the …scientific method. The logic was that black women have more testosterone than their counterparts in other race groups, which explains why they are 'objectively' less attractive . The objective measure is essentially a third party evaluation of attractiveness. According to the study the alternative explanations were that black women are fatter (higher BMI) and therefore uglier. Or that all people of African descent (being evolutionarily older) have more genetic mutations, which is a condition known to be correlated with ugliness. The BMI theory is 'falsified' because they employ experimental controls for BMI (as far as I can tell). The mutation theory is unsupported bc if this were true it would hold for black men as well, but black men (according to the measure) are 'objectively' considered slightly more attractive than other races. They then articulate the logic that testosterone (supposedly known to be more prevalent in African people) explains black female ugliness and the divergence between black males and females. Essentially, increased testosterone makes black men more attractive and black women less so. The problems are three-fold. (1) The measures of attractiveness are particularly suspect. (2) the study identifies three causes, 'falsifies' two of them and defaults to the last explanation as the proper cause, but without testing it. There are infinite possible causes so eliminating two of them, doesn't reveal the true cause. A better idea is to actually test the main hypothesis. For instance, if higher testosterone levels among women of all races caused ugliness than this would provide support for the theory if it was also true that most black women also have higher testosterone levels. In short, I find, that this stuff is like his other work on race and evolutionary psychology, interesting but poorly executed. I agree with George Ellison, that his ideas are usually "based on flawed assumptions, questionable data, inappropriate analysis and biased interpretations." Not only that, but shooting the ideas down took as long as it does to drink 1 cup of coffee.
"Men with higher levels of testosterone have more masculine features and are therefore more physically attractive. In contrast, women with higher levels of testosterone also have more masculine features and are therefore less physically attractive."
How do black women have "more testosterone" even though black women are usually associated with big breasts and butt, WHICH ARE CONSIDERED FEMININE TRAITS?!
the hell with Kanazawa! maybe he's mad because his sorry butt can get no action at all from any race. maybe some pretty black lady told him he wasn't worth it and he is just venting. who knows but the hell with him anyways…….excuse my language.
and excuse my typing errors :/
I don't think psychology or other scientific fields should be bashed for the actions of a few people. It actually sad that some people use science as a vehicle to drive their own motives, but if you really read this article, what's scientific about it?
As a sociology major, this article is purely hypothetical, backed up with no logical evidence other than what the writer wants to put out as fact, but is not such. Do not get offended my fellow beautiful african american queens, but be saddened by the fact that he tried to analyze something he has no concept of.
Beauty, be it whatever race or ethinicity, cannot be analyzed because in order to analyze you have to define beauty one most take the definitions of many and combine them into a reasonable checklist. Being that there are millions upon millions of people around the global it I impossible to pinpoint what beauty is. You can only hint of such, but those things in and of itself can be questioned.
So do not let him take your power by getting angry, ask the question so what? Who cares what his definition of beauty is when there are a million other men who would disagree and id take that million to his one 😀
He's an idiot. This article doesn't even sound intelligent and has no sound backing or proof. He must have got his doctorate from one of those online schools lol
I cosign w/anonymous above. I'm also a dark skinned natural AA and i've had men of all races approach me. Its about who are on the inside that attracts people to you.
This article is so stupid it made me LOL. If black women are so unattractive why are there so many Kim Kardashians out there tanning, putting collagen in their lips, pumping up their booty with implants & injections, getting fat injections into their thighs so they'll be more curving. ALL in an effort to attain the features that AA women already have because their trying to be more attractive. So dumb…
This is so stupid, you can't scientifically "prove" attractiveness. If i take two hydrogen atoms & one oxygen atom and combine them as H20 that formula will always give me water, that's science. But if i ask 100 different people about what they find attractive i will get 100 different answers. It's just so dumb to me to see that he would take AA women, group us all together and label us a less attractive. Everybody has different ideals about what is attractive to there's NO way you can take one type and say that everybody will view that as attractive/unattractive. What an idiot.
I say….get over it and move on. When I read the article, I laughed at its ridiculousness. Do I think that–as a whole–society views AA women as less attractive–YES. Do I care — NO. B/c, if I did care….it would empower that idiocentric view. Ladies, please don't waist your time sending a man with a very developed view of who you are the satisfaction of knowing that he got to you by flooding his inbox with emails. He wins when you do that.
This guys has written countless offensive articles and prides himself on offending by claiming to be true to science.
If you know your beautiful…who gives a freak what society (or Dr. Whatchamacallit) thinks. I've never had a problem pulling men of any ethnicity. I'm a dark-skinned natural hair having AA woman who is intelligent, fun, and fab. I know I'm beautiful and it radiates when I walk into any room…that of all ethnicities. So…..give this dude a 'kiss my a$$' and a smirk and go about your day.
Ignorant is the only word that comes to mind. If we are so unattractive why does every other race tan, get botox and booty implants to have 'fuller features'? Why are all other women trying to get a Beyonce booty?
smh, I know I'm late but I honestly laughed when I read this. Psychology Today is and has always been a bunch of bs, ladies it isn't even worth getting upset over.
I didn't get mad. I thought this was funny. My first thought was – I wonder what black woman rocked his world then dumped him (probably because he couldn't perform).
Well this is not the fact that beauty is average that disturbs me but the fact that they pretend that black women are less attractive. Average does not define the skin colour but the body shape and face. To be honest beauty varies for everyone so I dunno why giving such rubbish theories and believe me I'm doing psychology, so I've had the time to study such things. I think researchers forget one important thing: that they are talking about human beings and that differences are sooooooo beautiful and interesting.
*the level of attractiveness of black women* is what i meant.
was the PURPOSE of the experiment specifically to determine the level of Black Women? Probably not. But how can this be SCIENTIFIC if they basis of their findings are PUBLIC OPINION?! Public opinion is shaped by a million different factors. And why didn't they post about the Least Attractive Males? It couldn't have been all equal for the men but that lopsided when it came to the women. come on now….
I think it is very harmful to the psychy to read these type things. Think positive, live positive. Letting negativity in can eventually cause self-doubt.
I am fearfully and wonderfully made in God's sight(Ps 134 v 14). He created me and if you chose to hate me – how I look, how I act, everything about me, well thats your problem!!!
Ladies believe it "Bad talk is progress!!!" They wonder and whisper about us and they still can't understand so they try to break us down because they can't figure us out!!!!
This upset me,not just because it is blatantly racist but because it seems to be bad science. As a neuroscientist I think that the basic question is interesting but the "study" lacks depth. You could ask are African american women perceived as less attractive and by whom? This is not a scientific question, this is a social question and is should have been treated as such. As a scientist it kills me that this was published when there are some straight forward experiments that could have been done that would have made this scientific. There are some really good tools out there for morphing facing. Why not do an experiment that separates race from beauty by showing participants white faces with different degrees of African features? That anyone could seriously call this science makes me sick. I don't mean to rant, but this type of error is the reason people bash psychology and why I have a hard time defending it despite having majored in it.
anon @ 5:29pm
Japanese people are a beautiful race with a beautiful culture. So let's NOT reflect Satoshi Kanazawa's ignorance by doing the same thing that people have been doing to us for centuries; blaming the actions of ONE on MILLIONS. We don't need to insult all of them because one of their people happens to be a racist douche. I think you need to edit that comment, it makes you no better than him.
This "study" read like something from the Onion. Psychology Today should be ashamed to be associated with it.
I will never pick up another issue of Psychology Today again.
All I have to say is that anyone who published that article should be ashamed of themselves…and I'm sorry but I only have a bachelors in psychology and know that in writing an article you include the statistics and the information about the participants (number of subjects, race, sex, etc)…without these a study cannot be replicated to test for accuracy of results. Not enough subjects = a study not being as accurate because it is not representative of the actual population. The fact that he posted NONE of this in the "article" says this is a bunch of bull that should be ignored.
I'm intolerant of racist a@#holes, too! I will not even waste one more minute on that article. It's complete bull that is totally subjective! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
Like I said…being a scientist doesn't make it valid. I've had to argue with many "scientists" who wish to publish biased research. Just like any other field, the science / research field is very biased and racist. As a black woman, I catch hell…but I throw it right back. We have to learn early on to have thick skin and not accept all info with true validity and reliability. This is a prime example why I push for more black women to get into the field of science and research…because too many "scientists" publish pseudo research, especially when it comes to race and gender.
This is so ridiculous it's *almost* funny.
Beauty is an opinion. Many may think that one person is beautiful, while another group may think that same person is ugly.
I hope no one takes that ignorant article too seriously!
He is not the only one whose motives should be questioned. Most likely the article would have been peer reviewed. SO WHO ARE HIS PEERS THAT GAVE HIM THE GREEEN LIGHT?
Ladies lets just pray for this man and those who believe such crap because they are jealous of the Black race, we are so blessed and powerful and resilient and they can't understand way so they keep trying to break us down!!!
1st: Who cares? Who is this guy? And why do they matter?
2nd: Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way, but I honestly don't think this has anything to do with the beauty of black women… It says in the article that
"physical attractiveness is a measure of genetic and developmental health"
It sounds more like a focus on the body make up (thus the constant BMI reference)rather than how beautiful black women are in comparison. I guess the title was a more PC way of saying "WHY I THINK BLACK WOMEN ARE BIGGER/FATTER THAN NON BLACK PEOPLE"
But I digress to point #1. Who cares? It hasn't even been scientifically tested and even if it was tested what on earth does it matter?
This has to be a joke. Really? First off, dude is making general blanket, nonsensical statements. He has no evidence (scientific or otherwise) to back up any of these ri-dayum-diculous claims. He assumes that Black women have more testosterone which makes them less attractive, but how many Black women has he actually swabbed and tested? And the last I checked, the majority of black women I know have big child bearing hips, small waists and full lips; people are paying good money and having life threatening surgery to look like us.
TO EVERYONE WHO THINKS IT'S NOT RACIST:
This guy is NOT saying "people think xyz about black women" – which is perfectly legitimate social science research.
He's saying "xyz is a FACT about black women" which is NOT TRUE.
Nicki, I'd love it if you'd post this info to the main page also:
Please call Psychology Today and speak to someone/leave a message about this heinous article.
*PRIORITY*
Jo Coleman, CEO (646) 600-9151 or (212) 260-7210 X219
Please make it known to Coleman that you find the longstanding professional support of Kanazawa by Kaja Perina, Editor in Chief of PT, completely abhorrent. It's unacceptable that the Editor in Chief of such a popular website should so enthusiastically endorse Kanazawa's pseudoscience. Please contact Perina's boss, Jo Coleman, and make him aware of your dissatisfaction with the professional closeness between PT and "the great idiot of social science," as he was dubbed by a colleague.
In his 2007 book, "Why beautiful people have more daughters", Satoshi Kanazawa (co-author) writes, "My dear friend Kaja Perina, current editor in chief of PT, has been a truly unfailing supporter of me, my career, and this book project."
source
*ADDITIONAL CONTACT INFO*
John Thomas
johnthomas@psychologytoday.com
Associate Publisher
(646) 763-6360
Kaja Perina
kaja@psychologytoday.com
Editor in Chief
212.260.7210 ext 234
I'm a psychologist – research/evaluator. Psychology today is akin to People magazine in our field. It is for the masses and articles are not of rigor nor peer reviewed.
That said, this dribble is nothing new. Bell Curve for physical instead of mental attributes. You can make numbers say anything. Please express your displeasure with the editors of the magazine and the institution where the author is employed.
So called legitimate magazines are trolling for page hits. Do not go to psychology today and fall for their f@ckery. They want you to get mad, they want you to go to their webpage and cause a ruckus which benefits their bottom line. This is journalism for the Snooki/Palin generation where saying anything stupid and outrages gives you eyeballs, it does'nt matter what they say as long as they get eyeballs. Trump tried this and it backfired. Black women just like OBAMA WE HAVE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO. Obama did not allow anger to control him, he was smoother and smarter than his enemies never letting racist see beyond his POKER FACE!
Black women we need to put on our OBAMA POKER FACE!! we have more important things to do rather than giving Psychology today ATTENTION and AD DOLLARS!!
BOYCOTT!
i dont get why everyone is always upset over this whole "thats racist" thing. its a study where people were asked to give their opinion. so how is it crap or racist. people have the right to say black women are less attractive. granted these are probably based on how black men and women are projected in the media and peoples actual reasoning in defining their attractiveness. when will black people stop with the thats racist bullshit. its streotypical and ignorant, maybe a little racist. but certainly nothing to get that upset about. boo who cares what anyone else thinks anyway?
No one is attacking racism through racism. They're simply pointing out the irony in an Asian man degrading and masculinizing black women when society equally degrades and emasculates Asian men. While he's embraced the culturally imposed stereotypes about black women, has he embraced the stereotypes about Asian men with equal fervor?
LOL!!!!! If Black women are so unattractive, why do the likes of Lisa Rinna, Kim Kardashian, Nicole Basinger, etc. continue to pump their lips and booties? Why do so many non-blacks infiltrate or culture, our swagg if you will.
Sisters, we are beyond fabulous!
*high fives all Curly Nikki commenters*
P.S. Why would a reputable "scientific journal" have even published this crap? Anyone who's completed research knows you can't actually collect data on something as subjective as physical attractiveness. I smell a conspiracy, much like the tired "There are no good Black men left" saga that CNN, NBC, and ABC promotes faithfully. It's another attempt to get us to hate ourselves, our brothers, and everything Black. Not falling for it.
Jena
(just wanted to re-clarify that i typed ark instead of ack before, but i'm the same person, in case that wasn't clear before)
I did NOT pay any attention to this article that I didn't even waste my time in reading it. I suggest that Black Women realize their attractiveness and no article can ever define that.
@ Anonymous 6:42 PM –
You said, I quote, "Satoshi Kanazawa is a Japanese individual- a group known for its hatred of anything/anyone of color."
You stereotyped an entire group to prove a point about one person. Sure, there are a lot of Japanese people who think dark skin is bad, but there are also some who think dark skin is desirable (look up "ganguro"). Anytime you refer to groups instead of individuals, you are stereotyping.
I'm not trying to castigate you; I just hate to see anyone paint individuals with unnecessarily broad brushstrokes. I don't stand for it, especially when it undercuts an otherwise good point. People can and should be praised and criticized for their individual behavior, not for assumptions about them based on demographics.
It's unnecessary to say "oh he thinks that way because he's Japanese, and Japanese people think those stupid things". All that's necessary is to say Kanazawa is a complete idiot and spouts abhorrent views, dressing them up as "science".
(And yeah, btw, I'm halfway through my phone call script/email to PT… I'm so mad I have to put it down and get back to it after a while, lol. It's getting very long.)
(Also, my initials are ACK not ARK)
@Anonymous 6:51- It's rather unfair to assume upon the thoughts of all Japanese men based on one Japanese man's racist comments. It's similar to what he's doing to us, making broad statements about all of us with flimsy support. And as Asian men are stigmatized nearly as much as black women are in the world, I don't think it's a good thing to be divisive over one stupid person's comments.
This man…I'm only commenting to remind us all that we know the truth about how beautiful we are, even if the rest of the world is too slow to catch up and understand this. Shine on, all of you.
SOMETIMES I WONDER WHY ITS SO WRONG FOR ME TO TALK BAD ABOUT OTHER RACES, BECAUSE THEY DO IT TO US SO MUCH. I AM NOT SAYING THAT TWO WRONGS MAKE A RIGHT, BUT I AM SAYING THAT, WE ALWAYS DO NOTHING, SAY NOTHING, AND GET TREATED BAD ANYWAY. ITS WRONG TO SAY THAT ABOUT BLACK WOMEN AND ASIAN MEN, BECAUSE THEY ARE BOTH STEREOTYPES. ASIAN MEN ARE DOING JUST FINE AND SO ARE WE!
He has no idea what he is talking about. It's all junk science. As ark said, if one takes a survey college course in anthropology one could figure out that this guy is a total chump! Furthermore, Psychology Today should be ashamed of themselves for even allowing something like this to be released with their name on it.
Many people are dismissing his remarks on black peoples intellect. Apparently were unintelligent and ugly lol!
'races do not differ in physical attractiveness among men'
It's so amusing that he identifies black women as being the less desired females but doesn't want to admit that asian men are most undesired men.
So sad that some people have to demean others to make themselves feel good. So Pathetic!
What idiot would EVER, EVER say that black women, white women, asian women or polka-dot paisley women are less attractive than any other group of women? That is just wrong. Beauty is beyond definition, beyond race, class, upbringing, and current style. Beauty radiates, eminates. And please, don't ever ever stereotype!
As my grandma said… "pretty is as pretty does"
All I can say is WOW!
Evelyn of http://salonnaturelles.blogspot.com/
He's probably short, fat and bald with bad teeth. I wouldn't spend too much time on it!
Cheers to my BEAUTIFUL sisters everywhere!
Sometimes, the only way to get through to a racist person is to feed them a big dose of their own medicine. Lol!
Dorian
Your point about contacting The University of London is a great one, however, this is Great Britain that we are talking about. Unfortunately, they do not have the best track record when it comes to presenting the world with true FACTS, as oppposed to presenting the world with "facts" that place the cultural and ethnic entities of Great Britian as "the one and only" in everything. These are, afterall, the same people that destroyed cultures around the world by simply placing Britian's flag down and calling the "newly discovered" territory a British colony. Gotta love it!!
Sorry, this article made me laugh out loud. They call this scientific research? As a physician and scientist, this "research study" doesn't even pass muster. No self-respecting journal would publish this drivel. Scientific research is grounded on evidence that can be proven or replicated, not opinions. Psychology Today's decision to publish this on their website is questionable though. I know my value and worth; therefore, I am not bothered by this sorry excuse for a research study. Black is beautiful.
Let's please not use racism to fight racism. The devaluing of Asian men's attractiveness relative to other groups has the same source in this society as the devaluing of black women's attractiveness, that is, a hierarchical system of privilege and oppression that maintains the dominance of a select group of white men.
The author's race isn't relevant–his racism is. There is no need to bring that or his physical attractiveness as a person into it, since there is more than enough evidence in his post that he is trying to pass off pseudoscientific bullshit as proof of his own prejudice.
ark
You are entitled to your opinion, as I am mine.
What I stated in my previous comment is a FACT that has been noted about many Japanese people. Many of them DESPISE brown skin and look with disdain on people of color.
I am not acting in the same vein as Satoshi, as I did not research (with very poor science) and report on the state of attractiveness (or lack thereof) of black women. I have no interest in gaining the social acceptance of you or people like Satoshi. Nor do I have interest in researching how attractive or unattractive a particular group of people are.
As a medical professional, however, I do not agree with faulty scientific practices which lead to more social hate for black women (or ills on society as a whole). There is already enough of that to go around. No, I prefer concrete and tangible scientific facts that are discovered by use of a universally accepted scientific process.
I have already emailed him AND the CEO of Psychology Today. Hopefully, in addition to the time you have spent attempting to castigate me, you have emailed them as well to express your thoughts.
Have a GREAT day!!!! 🙂 🙂
Another day, another "black women are worthless" meme. What's new?
Ignore ladies, please ignore.
I am beautiful, I am a decendant of kings and queens, I am proud to be a black woman, I am proud of my ancestors & everything they did so that I could be where I am today, and I'll be DAMNED if I let anyone else tell me how I should see myself because they have power issues within themselves!
I find it sad that our race gets attacked so much. Not just in America but other countries as well. Is it because we are an abomination? No, it's because our race radiates greatness! I have read many stories and watched many documentaries about the african culture. We are smart, strong, and have fought through many trying times. Other cultures try to beat us down because the day we discover how strong we REALLY are is the day they lose their superiority over us.
I say to hell with the negativity and HELL YEAH to knowing that I am a queen in my own right!
Co-signing with Melissa and Dorian.
1. More than anything, this reflects the deep seated racism within Psychology Today's editorial board. Why publish pseudo racist science unless it reflects beliefs held by those on the editorial board?
2. Would the Psychology Today editorial team have published this article if the subject was the relative undesirability of Asian men, why Asian women rarely win beauty competitions and are rarely represented in high fashion magazines or why white American women are more likely to be divorced by their spouses than non white American women?
3. Where is the data to supporting Satoshi claims regarding testosterone?
4. An inconvenient fact apparently overlooked by Satoshi is that black women have higher levels of estrogen (the hormone responsible for female characteristics and female physical traits) than white women and continue to produce more estrogen than white women throughout life, even after menopause. Isn't it ironic then that Satoshi would (falsely) claim that testosterone in black women "makes" them unattractive/masculine when in fact, black women bodies produce more of the female hormone responsible for female physical traits than white women. So much for his baseless theory. Shame on you Psychology Today.
I'll try to keep my comments brief, but there's just too much to say (as someone who is well versed in research methodology who studied biology). Firstly, the claim that increased mutation load would lead to less physical attractiveness is preposterous! Citation regarding who has actually studied whether Africans actually have higher mutation loads is most definitely necessary. If anything, races that look less like "Africans" would have more mutations as they have diverged the most. Even if what is stated in the article were true, mutations are the primary mechanism through which evolution occurs and they do not persist in a population unless they are advantageous (i.e. make you more attractive). Secondly, across 99.9% of cultures in the world, higher waist to hip ratios are correlated with increased level of attraction by males. I don't need to argue that black women have junk in the trunk and have high waist to hip ratios. I have tried to access the original article to assess the methods employed in this "study," but have been having trouble. My hypothesis is that these skewed subjective ratings result from sampling strategies. People tend to perceive people who look like them to be more attractive. If your sample was mainly Whites/Asians/Native Americans, they're going to rate those who look least like them as less attractive. Also, were people flashed pictures of Black women/men, White women/Black men etc…? Who they selected for these pictures could definitely play a role in the results of this study. Basically, this study is a hot mess squared and I am appalled that a reputable source of scientific information would dare disseminate such an article.
LOL my first college reasearch paper was written better than this. no sitations and generalisations galore; this paper would have warranted an NP and a visit from the dean at best. what the hell? this guy is a nutjob! absolutly EVERY sentence needed sitations, analysis and PROOF because they are ASSUMPTIONS. and all his reasearch on asians says they are smarter, prettier, and genetically superior to every other race. surprise, surprise.
Anon 5:29, no need to stereotype Japanese people, please: do not be as bad as Kanazawa.
Plenty of Black people bleach their skin too, after all. For Blacks or Japanese, or whoever, it's not about any intrinsic hatred, it's about negative cultural assumptions. Please try to get that straight in the future and don't be like Kanazawa. (Who, as many people have already clearly noted, is male)
From some of the other comments posted on the other blog link from the OP, this "scientist" did make his conjectures from actual studies – just not studies that he headed or had any hand in whatsoever. However, the purpose of those studies was not to say "which race is the prettiest or deemed the ugliest". Quite honestly, any idiot can read a scientific study created by someone else and twist the data to create all kinds of ridiculous conclusions. And, since studies are widely published and available via a few Internet searches, it's not impossible for any idiot to spout out half truths based off of real and unbiased data.
Regarding adding more heat to the flame via complaining to this "scientist" or on other media outlets:
Although there is merit in saying it's wrong, sometimes you draw more light to an unfounded situation and give crackpots more opportunities to fuel the flames. First of all, people write inflammatory things like this for the attention. So, emailing him directly and telling him that you're a black woman who's annoyed by his article wouldn't prove anything – only prove that he's struck the nerve (which was probably his goal anyway). It's like a criminal telling a psychologist that they don't agree with the finding that most criminals tend to be repeat offenders.
Honestly, if you want to get something done, don't waste time contacting him or Psychology Today. Contact the University of London! It's a little ridiculous that this guy is actually holding a tenured position at what is probably a prestigious school. I know that often universities will have professors (even temporary professors) that bring more visibility and funding. But this guy is embarrassing – and makes the appearance as if his concepts and beliefs are endorsed by the university. I'm a little surprised that he's employed by an accredited university considering the polarizing nature of his views. It's one thing to visit and give speeches, it's quite another to take a salary and hold a position where he can spout this nonsense on a daily basis.
The author is completely disgusting; he's taking cultural assumptions and calling them evolutionary fact. It's the sort of rookie mistake college Freshmen gleefully discover and learn to pick apart in intro anthropology the second Franz Boas & cultural relativism are mentioned.
That said, he's observing a real phenomenon: in the globally dominant European and Asian cultures, these are the kinds of stereotypes that persist regarding Black women. What I don't get is, right next to Black women on the ladder of "undesirables" are Asian Men. You'd think that alone would cause him to question his basic assumptions a bit.
Sociological images recently had a post that more accurately explored the sociological phenomenon Kanazawa is confusing with biological fact. It pointed out that the stereotype of the Asian man is effeminate, whereas the stereotype of the African woman is masculine.
It's here – http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2011/05/12/marriage-and-the-intersection-of-gender-and-race/
(As an aside, I'm happy that my Asian bf & I are defying stereotypes like nobody's business.)
I agree with anon @ 3.46pm – email him!! Let him know what you think!!
s.kanazawa@lse.ac.uk
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Satoshi Kanazawa is a Japanese individual- a group known for its hatred of anything/anyone of color. Many Japanese bleach out their skin – trying to reach the desired milky white appearance.
With that said, this individual has not proceeded in a scientific manner, by any stretch of the imagination. S/he is not only contributing to poor psychological health, but is spreading misinformation and hate- all on the fromt of a pop Psychology magazine!
I would love to see him/her perform a scientific investigation on the "attractiveness of Asian men and women". LOL
S/He sounds like s/he picked one of the most unfairly reviled and scapegoated groups on the planet (black women) and threw a bit of gasoline on the flame of hate. It won't make his/her stock go up one bit.
Interested in your thoughts Nikki, as a psychotherapist. Was this based on any merit? Was the methodology valid?
Black women don't need "science" to tell us we are beautiful. All we need is the mirror.
I find this interesting, no one was really doing "studies" on black women until we got a black First Lady. Consider the time/source ladies.
@ Anonymous 4:08:
Probably out of his candy collection 'cause what he said wasn't worth 2 cents. He probably didn't even have to print it before he made it up off the top of his head so the "cost" was whatever he spent on money that day to keep him awake to format his tables.
Wow now ain't that some bullsh*t … nothing to say.
I read this post and am quite frankly still shocked that this isn't a hoax. The question posed by the article alone is so utterly racist I thought I was reading and article most likely published in the south 100 years ago. Let's put aside the fact that beauty is 100% objective and think about why any educated individual in this day and age could possibly be so completely ignorant and bigoted.
And the persecution of such a Godly people continues. These lies and negative attitudes towards us will be dealt with by God only. So be patient, God's will will be done. Hang in there..smh and smiling because this is nothing new.
Satoshi Kanazawa
(picture)
http://www.psychologytoday.com/files/authors/picture-15.jpg?0
Evolutionary Psychologist http://www.psychologytoday.com/node/71
I did a google search for the CEO of Psychology Today and it brought up Jo Coleman. Here's a link with the address and a way to contact him via email.
http://treatment.psychologytoday.com/rms/name/Jo_Colman_CEO_New+York_New+York_34087
Unbelievable. Hmmm…I wonder exactly where the money came from to fund this study. That would be something worth looking into.
Wow- well I contacted Psychology Today (a magazine that I subscribe to) and before I could even tell her the full dynamics of my call, the representative informed me that the article was posted on a blog affliliated with PT. She went on to say that in no way will the article be published in the actual magazine. I was given the email address to Psychology Today and it is letters@psychologytoday.com… I will email the site and share my disgust towards the article. I encourage you all to do the same.
@ Dorian @ Big Apple Style
Agree entirely that this is bad science from a crackpot, but I disagree that it should be ignored. It should be attacked on shouted down as bad science as soon as it rears it's head. This awful piece of racist fiction can easily be referenced by some other charlatan with an axe to grind..and the next thing we know, the whole circle jerk is making the rounds on the news and talk shows. So before this gets any momentum, traction, acceptance, we need to bury it in FAIL.
@Johnna 3:10pm
While in the scientific world, "I'm just sayin'…" doesn't work, it works spectacularly in the world of sounds bites and media circus. It's blindingly bad science, but it can easily be co-opted by cynical power-hungry jerks to try to legitimize certain racist viewpoints. Ignoring it only allows them to sit comfortably in their echo chambers pointing to faux science like this to support their self-serving beliefs.
This is so rediculous.I myself do believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.I see all kinds of diffrent women that I think are beautiful that don't mean somebody else will think they are beautiful.It just goes to show that some people still refuse to look past color.I think that it's real sad.
"It is very interesting to note that, even though black women are objectively less physically attractive than other women, black women (and men)
subjectively consider themselves to be far more physically attractivethan others."
WTF.
And that's not even the worst quote there…
What a hurtful "article" 🙁
PLEASE LADIES – DONT JUST REGISTER YOUR DISGUST HERE – EMAIL THE GUY – DON'T BE RUDE JUST LET HIM KNOW HIS SO – CALLED EXPERIMENT IS RACIST THROUGH AND THROUGH!!
s.kanazawa@lse.ac.uk
I skimmed the article before they took it down. I was about to get upset, but then I remembered that in college, my professors considered the magazine Psychology Today akin to the Enquirer (I was a psych major). It dumbs down sociological and psychological research for the general public. Academics don't take anything in that rag seriously. Once I remembered that, I just laughed at it and went about my business.
I second the sentiment Miss Medi DiJah!!!
There is no way this article can call into question what I look in the mirror and see everday….beauty!!
I completely agree with Dorian @ 2:50pm. I'm in the medical/science field and the article I read doesn't even meet the basic requirements for me to define it as a scientific article. For instance…where in the heck are the citations and actual figures for the assertions that this man is making? I'm sorry, in the scientific world, the equivalent of "I'm just sayin'.." just doesn't cut it. lol! We shouldn't even give this guy or his ignorance the time of day….
I agree, why even debate this mess. It's just another racist person writing another racist article.
Here is the link to the article pdf: http://www.scribd.com/doc/55554853/Untitled
I am bothered by the racist overtones and undertones but even more problematic is the research itself. There are studies that look at facial symmetry and attractiveness but I think it is the conclusions that he draws in this study that are wretched. They don't seem to be based on anything found in the data that he utilized. He also doesn't account for social constructions related to attractiveness and where black women have been placed on that spectrum. The fact that racism has been so dominant in our society and has shaped views and ideas about beauty there has to be a discussion about this in the piece. It is just problematic. SMH.
@anon 2:21… let's just say I don't have a subscription 🙂 However, I am surprised that this article was featured. Bad, bad science. Guess they needed some traffic today!
I just looked him up on wikipedia. Someone is quoted as calling him "the great idiot of social science". That's all I needed to know…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satoshi_Kanazawa
Shame on Psychology Today for posting this crap. I was considering subscribing to their magazine, but not any more.
Found this quote on twitter.
"I refuse to read even one more "article" that started with "why are black woman…" Unless the rest is "so awesome" – @huny
@Wassila….I called them too.
You can lodge a complaint at letters@psychologytoday.com
The site is actually down.
Well if you read the blog link that CN posted…you see that this guy is basically the black sheep of the evolutionary science community. The actual article has no sources to prove where he came to these conclusions and even the language he uses is questionable at best. I used to work in the medical field and it's hard to find a research article that would even bother to say "my best guess is…" because it immediately calls into question anything that you're going to write.
Basically this author is a quack and has made it a practice to write inflammatory content just to see his name in lights (so to speak). Don't flip out and get goaded by every little thing that gets printed. This was published on a blog, and not a real psychology paper. The only idiots who are going to run with this are fringe zealots who are always looking for an excuse to further promote their hate. To the rest of the sane world, this "article" is an obvious load of bull.
OK, so someone emailed the article to me. I don't think I can read through all of that based off the title, but what I got from it is that we are less attractive because we have a high level of testosterone than any other races? uhm…who do I contact to offer them a couple of seats? like seriously!
It's crazy to me how for the longest, having hips & ass was frowned upon, now EVERYONE is embracing it! having an ass is the new "in thing".
Noses were turned up because of our complexion, now they're fighting for a spot in tanning salons. I am sick and frickin tired of these fake ass scientific studies done to make us feel like ish! you can keep it! Thanks in advance.
nice quote Chai
nice quote Chai
So, basically because black women have more testosterone, we look like some hard, burly man? Wah?? What boggles me is that this article wasn't a surprise to Psychology Today. It wasn't a secret. This researcher (and I use that term loosely) had to run this story by someone who gave it the "green light" to publish.
As a person who is in the psychology field. I will make sure that I make no future purchases of this magazine and I will pass the word to other colleagues.
Shame on them for publishing this nonsense,and even more shame for being passive aggressive.
I cannot believe someone actually write that trash!
just called and they said they removed the posting..it sucks to ee that they would resort to find some biological way to reinforce racist views. sadden by the attempt especially since i hope to go into the field of psychology. with all the advances we have made in our technology many minds are fixated on the differences among us
Why do we play into this by even engaging? This didn't need to be republished here, or given a larger audience. It certainly doesn't deserve discourse.
Two things we need to do and remember. One don't get upset and two take action to oppose this garbage.
No I don't believe a word of it and know that it is not true and I'm not upset. At the same time we have to stop over-looking these attacks on us period. If whites stop tanning, getting plastic surgery, and not have access to the better food products (just go into a neighborhood that is mostly black look at the produce and meats that are in those stores versus a predominantly white neighborhood and grocery stores)show me how white women would really look. Even with all that whites do to stay so-called beautiful I still don't see it but I really believe this is part of a war that is being waged on blacks especially women and we are sitting around denying which is o.k but we need to do more in opposing this mess not because it is true but because it is not true and wrong and because it will only get worse. I'm seeing a lot of attacks on black women and I'm ready to take some self-defense classes to protect me and mine because they really feel they can attack us and nothing will happen to them. If ever I am attacked by a white person physically because of my skin color they will live to regret ever messing with me because I am going to get them with my bare hands that sounds harsh but I'm seeing it too much and they need to know that they cannot attack me and mine because of my skin color.
Nikki, you're in the psych field, is Psychology Today thought of as a credible source? I'm assuming not given this garbage, but I was just wondering what psychologists/psychotherapists thought of this publication even before this article.
well thats just bullshxt.
Black women are considered "less attractive" because that's the subliminal horseshxt that they feed us from the time we begin watching television. and it definitely goes deeper that BMI…(-_-)
The media is constantly reinforcing the mammy, jezebel, sapphire, and tragic mulatto stereotypes assigned to black women in Uncle Tom's cabin, all who carry the most undesireable personality traits. I find it funny that we are considered less attractive, but women of other races spend millions on implants artificial facial fillers and tanning to look the way we are born….
The "science" behind this article is about as scientific as the racism that was the basis of Social Darwinism.
@gs
I was thinking this was some "Bell Curve" ish, as well. Flawed science on top of flawed assumptions to make up a gobbledy-gook "study" of some straight racist nonsense.
This research does not even make since from the point of view of psychology, because black women wrinkle less and age better than nonblack women from evolutionary perspective they should be more attractive, they also had an artilce years ago about why men prefer blondes, and they used the same argument, as it is harder to ditinguish a blonde women's age vs a brunette as a blond womens hair is lighter therefore white hairs won't show as much. The study was really a nonstudy beucase it does not even explain how the study was conducted, it looks to melike it just a bigot's opinion wrapped in some distorted view of psychology.
this literally got my blood boiling…shame really. Seems like authors of articles like these fail to understand the beautiful nature of black woman…and all women.
"Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can anybody deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It’s beyond me." -Zora Neal Hurston
P.S. Alicia from 1:50 pm
It was also interesting how puzzled he seemed to be by the fact that we black women believe ourselves to be very attractive in direct contradiction to the outcomes of the so-called study. I love the fact that we have never allowed American or any else for that matter to tell us that we are not beautiful.
There's also a really on point Langston Hughes poem whose title escapes me at the moment.
when someone takes their time to study a group of people it means that they are indeed very interested in that group, i would never sit for hours studying asian man becouse i simply dont care abut them this is ridiculous lol and people especially black women should not care about those studies that dont even make sense..bring me some hair tips now lol
sorry for the broken english(my second language)
miss african queen
They took the article down
That article was removed about a half hour ago, but not before I read it!! That was OUTRAGEOUS!!!! What good did that type of "research" do? This just confirms how much I hate "psychology."
Put this one right next to the flawed science that shat out the Bell Curve theory back in the 90's. This so called scientist really needs to take a simple sociology course in critical race theory and STFU.
Alicia
I wonder if this so-called study would pass the lowest bar for scientific rigor. I'm not a scientist, but I remember a decent amount from my high school and college courses and recall that certain standards have to be adhered to in order to for a studies results to pass academic muster. In the form of the article that I saw, there are many, many problems with this "study". First, it jumps to so many stunning conclusions with very little to back it up. I was especially shocked at his conclusion that black women were somehow "objectively" less attractive. Objective presupposes the absence of bias on the part of the scientist and the subjects.
How many people were in the study? Was it a large enough sample set? From which cultures or countries were the study participants drawn? If the study participants were from the West or countries heavily influenced by the West, then the bias toward white and away from black is pretty commonly documented in western popular culture not to mention valid scienticific research.
Can you imagine a similar study published that conclused that Asian men "objectively" had the smallest penises and were the least desirable sexual partners? Co-sign @ Melissa.
Okay, I needed to calm down and read the article objectively, because I was already irritated at the title. After reading the article, I just can't see the point that he was trying to make. It just hurt too much. I have heard that same lame judgement about black women my whole life…we are too fat and not as smart as other races. I KNOW that is a lie, because more and more black women are graduating from colleges and holding very important positions in the workforce. I must say that I HATE psychology, (sorry Nikki) and this article is out of line. Ugh!! We have a long way to go…
I read the article and was so upset I got up and walked away. I was about to post it on my blog www.onlyinreallife.com and it was gone. I think so many Beautiful women called and told them to take that racist article down.
This really amazes me how can we be less physically attractive when every time you turn around there are women from other races tanning to achieve our complexion, and putting collagen in their lips to have the fuller lips and really do I need to go on….When I come across articles like this I do not get upset I laugh because I know it is not true and when you get upset with garbage like this you loose you power and I refuse to give my power to a senseless article like this.
Not surprised. How do you keep a race of beautiful, intelligent and talented people down….you keep teling them they ain't worthy.
Not surprised. How do you keep a race of beautiful, intelligent and talented people down….you keep teling them they ain't worthy.
I can't get the article to come up, maybe they've taken it down already, which is a good thing. I totally agree with Anon 1:35, what purpose did it serve and who thought it was a good idea to actually publish it!?
I can't seem to locate the article anywhere (the link posted above isn't working), but its headline sounds absolutely infuriating…not to mention that I'm sure the comments are filled with answers to "why" we "aren't considered attractive". Ugh.
The article was re-posted here for those that want to read it: http://www.curlynikki.com/2011/05/black-women-less-physically-attractive.html
I saw this on a friends twitter. Was shocked at the things they listed that made black women unattractive. And finally to come to the conclusion that it must be that our race has been around so long we've mutated and have too much testosterone? Wow. Just sad. And a goggle search for the article (which appears to be unavailable?) show that a lot of people have conversations about this topic.
Already deleted but things like that just make me feel..idk how to describe it :[
I think I sometimes take these things too seriously.
Ok I had to calm down before I read that entire article. I wanted to make sure that I was giving them enough credit. I must say that I can see the point that he may be trying to make, but this is outrageous!!! What does this "scientific" study really prove? How is it supposed to benefit anyone? I think the line has definitely been crossed here.
What a racist piece of dribble. I guess it's just another day attacking black women. Funny how the Asian author did not discuss how Asian men are the least desirable by ALL races. Even Asian women by and large prefer white men and openly state their disgust for Asian men. Don't let articles like this bother you. Know your worth and forget the rest.
Wow ! I can't believe they actually took the time to determine if African American Women are as attractive as other nationalities.
Unbelievable…. was it that serious ?
Thank you for posting Nikki!! -Dionne