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“Shades of Beauty”: Examining the Relationship of Skin Color to Perceptions of

Physical Attractiveness

Article  in  Facial Plastic Surgery · September 2006

DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-950174 · Source: PubMed

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 Skin color and attributes of beauty 1

Running Head: Skin color and attributes of beauty

“Shades of Beauty:”
Examining the relationship of skin color on perceptions of
physical attractiveness

By:
Cynthia Frisby
University of Missouri-Columbia

Correspondence to:
Cynthia M. Frisby, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Advertising
Missouri School of Journalism
University of Missouri-Columbia
360 McReynolds Hall
Columbia, MO 65211
Tel: (573) 882-6232
Fax: (573) 882-4823
Email: frisbyc@missouri.edu
 Skin color and attributes of beauty 2

Abstract For:

“Shades of Beauty:”
Examining the relationship of skin color on perceptions of physical attractiveness

The purpose of this research project was to investigate the relationship between skin color
and level of perceived physical attractiveness. Previous research suggests that skin color plays an
important role in how we perceive an individual’s physical attractiveness. The current study was
conducted to determine how influential the role of race is on perceptions of physical attractiveness.
In this study, seventy-nine subjects were asked to evaluate images of potential endorsers to be
used in an upcoming advertising campaign. The images each were actually females of varying skin
tones. Data was then collected and analyzed to determine if skin tone and level of skin color can in
fact influence the physical attractiveness stereotype.

Keywords:

Skin Tone
Skin Color
Physical attractiveness
Advertising images
African American images in advertising
 Skin color and attributes of beauty 3

“Shades of Beauty:”
Examining the relationship of skin color on perceptions of physical attractiveness

Advertisers commonly use light skinned black models to cater to a diverse consumer

population. Using light-skinned black models in advertising may have roots from when the mulatto

population began growing during slavery. Mulattos are mixed, with African and Caucasian blood,

and often have lighter skin, straighter hair, and perhaps lighter eyes than a “non-mixed black” in

America. With society now demanding more diversity in media, advertisers seem to rely on black

models with some kind of European physical feature to advertise mainstream products. The

present study investigates the influence of skin tone and color on perceptions of facial beauty. The

question the research addresses is: Does skin tone influence our perceptions of beauty?

Take Revlon cosmetics, for example. In the early 1990s, Revlon began a campaign using

actress Halle Berry. Berry, the daughter of a white mother and a black father, was the first African

American model for Revlon. For many black women, however, Berry was not a true representation

of the African American female. Frisby (2000) found that black women felt that the inclusion of

Berry in the Revlon ad was just the advertiser’s way of using a “safe” black image in their ad. One

woman said: “I’m looking at the model and saying, that’s not me. She doesn’t even look like me.”

(Frisby, 2000, pg. 7)

The advertisers for Pantene, a hair product, realized that to diversify their target market they

must use different races. One Pantene advertisement shows a black woman with long flowing hair

using the product. Do white consumers see the black model and assume that Pantene works only

on "black hair?" On the other side, do black women who do not have long straight hair think that

Pantene works only for the "good" hair? With several mainstream products using black models
 Skin color and attributes of beauty 4

with European features it is believed that the self-esteem of dark-skinned black women, in

particular, is bound to suffer from exposure to light-skinned women in ads. (Russell, Wilson and

Hall, 1992)

Keenan (1996) found that blacks in advertisements had lighter complexions and more

Caucasian features than those in news editorial photographs. Keenan also discovered that black

women in ads were lighter than black men. Leslie (1995) investigated the changing image of blacks

in advertisements and found significant differences in the aesthetic qualities of the models used in

ads. Leslie found that many of the models used in the ads were fair-skinned and had European

features. So, while research reveals an increase in the use of black models and black products, the

trend seems to suggest that the facial appearance and features tend to be more “Caucasian-like”

and are depicted with Eurotypic features.

“If a Black woman is light-skinned with good hair and good features, then she’s [“hot”]. …

But a dark-skinned girl with short hair can forget it. And if she has a big nose, then she should just

be a nun. But if she has long hair and good features, then her skin color can be overlooked. Long

hair really helps out those black ugly girls.” -Darryl, a working-class Black man, as quoted in The

Color Complex.

Media and Skin Color

The most prominent public debate of whether skin color and skin tone affect audience

perceptions was raised when Time magazine's June 20, 1994 cover exhibited a photo-illustration of

O.J. Simpson's Los Angeles Police Department mug shot. The photo showed Simpson with

darkened skin and darkened razor stubble (Barron, 1994; Van Riper, 1994). Critics argued that

making Simpson's skin darker publicly cast him in the stereotypical image of the menacing black
 Skin color and attributes of beauty 5

man and that this image could negatively affect a jury's perception of him (Kurtz, 1994; Van Riper,

1994).

African Americans with dark-colored skin have faced more discrimination in terms of

negatively stereotyped media images than African Americans with light-colored skin, who have

enjoyed more social favoritism in the media (Ducille, 1996; Neal & Wilson, 1989). Whether Time

magazine editors had racist intent or not, many Americans perceived the colored image to be a race

code. Simpson's visage and ethnicity were exploited, his complexion manipulated, and his plight

was recast as "An American Tragedy" to sensationalize the case and sell more copies of Time

magazine (Lipsitz, 1997).

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Skin Color

All skin is composed of four substances and has four colors, brown, yellow, white, and red.

Yellow in the skin is called carotene, red is referred to as hemoglobin, and brown is called melanin.

Melanin, and the amount of melanin is the substance that determines differences in skin color and

tone. When people have a lot of melanin, their skin looks dark brown. When there is a medium

amount of melanin, skin is referred to as light brown. And, when there is a very small amount of

melanin, the skin is very light, almost pale in complexion.

Skin color is highly correlated with other phenotypic features – eye color, hair texture,

broadness of nose, and fullness of lips (Thompson & Keith, 2000). European features are all

accorded higher status both within and beyond the African American community. These European

traits function along with color in complex ways to “shape opportunities, norms regarding

attractiveness, self-concept, and overall body image” (Thompson & Keith, 2000, 340). Data obtained

in the Thompson and Keith (2000) study also seem to suggest that women with more Caucasoid
 Skin color and attributes of beauty 6

features are perceived as more attractive to the opposite sex and are more successful in their love

lives than women with more Negroid features (Thompson & Keith, 2000). Dark-skinned women,

according to this study, are seen as occupying the bottom rung of the social ladder, being least

marriageable, and having the fewest options for higher education and career advancement.

If having dark colored skin is perceived as negative, or American consciousness is biased

against dark complexions, how do advertising images of different skin tones affect judgments and

perceptions of attractiveness? The answer to this question provides important implications for

advertisers.

The following research investigates how light or dark complexions of women affect

potential consumers. We test the hypothesis that women with darker skin tone will be judged

negatively or less attractive than the same woman with lighter skin tone.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Because the dominant culture may hold lighter skin tone as attractive, it is valuable to

research the attitudes toward skin tone and attractiveness. Therefore, the following hypothesis are

proposed:

H1: Photos of persons with lighter skin tones will receive higher scores for perceived

attractiveness among a sample of participants.

H2: Photos of persons with darker skin tones will receive lower scores for perceived

attractiveness among a sample of participants.

Physical Attractiveness

The physical attractiveness stereotype has been described as the tendency for people “to

ascribe socially desirable personality traits to those who are good looking, seeing them as more

sociable, poised, and well adjusted than those who are less attractive” (Weiten, 2002). Dion,
 Skin color and attributes of beauty 7

Berschied, and Walster (1972) found that physical attractiveness stereotypes do exist. In their study

they found that attractive individuals were judged more socially desirable than unattractive

individuals.

Many researchers investigating the physical attractiveness stereotype have come to the

conclusion that people often believe “what is beautiful is good” (Dion, Berschied, and Walster,

1972). Many of the basic findings conclude that individuals who possess attractive facial

characteristics are found to be more favorable than those with lesser attractiveness. However, very

little research has been conducted to explore the role skin color may have on attributions of

physical attractiveness. The current study was conducted to determine how influential the role of

race is on perceptions of physical attractiveness. In this study, seventy-nine subjects were asked to

evaluate images of potential endorsers to be used in an upcoming advertising campaign. The

images each were actually females of varying skin tones. Data was then collected and analyzed to

determine if skin tone and level of skin color can in fact influence the physical attractiveness

stereotype.

Conceptualization

Several racial and ethnic studies scholars have agreed upon definitions for studies in racial

and ethnic studies. Skin tone will be defined in the same manner as Keenan did in his study. Taking

standards from the beauty industry, skin tone and color categories will be established based on

skin color tones described previously.

Ethnicity in this study will be determined by responses to the demographic information

included in the experimental survey. African American participants will be identified by indicating

their ethnicity as African American; Hispanic participants as Hispanic, etc. Those who identify

themselves as White/Caucasian will be classified in the same racial group.

 Skin color and attributes of beauty 8

Method

Measurements

The independent variable, skin tone, will serve as a predictor for the dependant variables of

attractiveness and credibility. Specifically, the research will be based on survey design. A photo of

four people was adjusted to three different levels of darkness in their skin tone via computer

software (Adobe Photoshop). Therefore, a total of twelve images were created (e. g., four models X

three different shades/skin tones). Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions

and were asked the same set of questions for the four different pictures. The order of the

photographs shown will vary: most dark skin tone, normal tone, and finally lighter tone. By

randomly assigning participants to conditions and showing different faces in the same

experimental condition, it was determined that physical fetishes would not be a factor, which might

influence or confound the final results.

Participants

The 79 participants in this study consisted of Caucasian and African American female

college students aged 18- 28 years. Of the 79 participants 45 were Caucasian and 34 were African

American. Of the female participants the mean age was 21.42 years. Students received extra credit

for their participation.

Procedure

Participants were told that the purpose of the experiment was to aid a local ad agency select

the right endorser for an upcoming advertising health campaign about exercise and nutrition. They

were told that the campaign would be aimed at young women ages 18 - 25. Each participant was

given a consent form, a rating sheet (for data collection), and a booklet containing 4 headshots of a

female actor/model. The booklet also contained the supposed advertising copy that was to be used

in the campaign. The ad copy was used in order to impede hypothesis guessing.
 Skin color and attributes of beauty 9

The rating sheet was used to collect demographic information such as age, gender, and

ethnicity as well as the participant’s ratings of each image’s physical attractiveness. No traceable

information (i.e. name, social security number, student number) was collected. To ensure that other

confounds were not introduced into the experiment, four pictures of physically attractive women

were identified and used for experimentation.

Adobe Photoshop was used to change the level of skin tone for the four models. Skin color

was the only feature manipulated for each model. The designer was able to use the same picture

and with the help of technology, manipulated the skin color, leaving facial features exactly the

same. Images were selected from magazines based on ratings of attractiveness from twenty

independent males and females prior to the study. They were rated on a scale of 1-20 as to how

attractive they were perceived by participants. Four images were then selected on the basis of

attractiveness ratings.

As the participants viewed the images in the booklet they were asked to complete the

information on the data collection sheet. The data collection sheet consisted of the endorser

credibility and attractiveness scale. After all the information had been completed and collected, the

subjects were then debriefed concerning the real purpose of the study. The initial results collected

from the data indicate significant effects of skin tone and its affect on the physical attractiveness

stereotype (p <.05).

Results

The results were obtained by running a 3 (skin tone: light-, medium-, dark-skin) X 2

(participant ethnicity: Caucasian. African American) factorial, ANOVA with an alpha level of .05,

using SPSS running on a Mac. There was a significant effect of skin tone, F(5,41)=7.33, p<.05.

Hypothesis Tests
 Skin color and attributes of beauty 10

Hypothesis 1 tested the idea that lighter skinned models would positively affect perceptions

of beauty. To test this hypothesis, a multiple analysis of variance was conducted with skin color

and participant ethnicity as between-subjects factors and perceptions of physical attractiveness as

the dependent variable.

________________

Insert Table 1 about here

________________

Attractiveness of the Image

A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted on the attractiveness

dependent variable. Participants were asked to indicate overall how attractive the image was to

their self-perceptions. The response scale ranged from 1 = very unattractive to 5 = very attractive.

Overall, participants found the light brown images to be more attractive (n = 78, M = 4.5, SD = .68)

then the other manipulated skin tones.

________________

Insert Table 2 about here

________________

Results show an overall main effect of skin tone, suggesting that light brown skin color is

perceived by both Caucasian and African American models as more credible and attractive than

models who are pale and dark skinned, (F 2, 71= 14.7 p < .0001). Consistent with earlier theorizing,

light brown models yielded more favorable responses than did images featuring dark skinned or

pale models, F = 18.70, p < .01. Consistent with the proposed relationships stated in Hypothesis 1,

when the participants were asked to evaluate an individual on the basis of physical attractiveness
 Skin color and attributes of beauty 11

and credibility, participants in this study found light brown models more credible and more

attractive than their darker skin counterparts. (Refer to Table 2)

DISCUSSION

Levels of attractiveness appear to play a significant role in how we attribute certain

characteristics to certain people. More attractive individuals are more likely to be ascribed with

positive characteristics; whereas less attractive individuals are more likely to be ascribed with

negative ones. However, no differences were seen when race was included. This may suggest that,

at least with women, race is less important than attractiveness level.

Since the mid-‘60s, many advertisers have been in a dilemma regarding the use of blacks in

ads. Many advertisers considered using blacks in ads to appeal to a growing black target audience

and market, but were concerned that blacks in ads might alienate white consumers. Fortunately for

advertisers and ad agencies, research shows that white consumers react to black models in ads

almost exactly the same way as black consumers react (Frisby, 2002).

Published studies have measured both white and black consumers’ reactions to black

models featured in ads. The studies have been conducted using different media, different products

and they have measured both attitudes and sales figures. The studies usually consist of creating

identical ads—one version with white models and another with black models. Ads are shown to

groups of consumers who are asked how they “feel” toward the ad. These attitude scores are then

compared to determine how consumers respond toward the models.

Even though African-American models have more of a presence in magazines geared

toward the majority, most (nearly all) of the models are lighter skinned with Eurocentric features

(Keenan, 1996; Leslie, 1995). Surprisingly, this stereotypical view of African-Americans was also

depicted in the black magazines, Essence and Ebony. The Eurocentric standards of beauty,
 Skin color and attributes of beauty 12

particularly the skin color standard, are still at large in the United States, and advertising continues

to display it.

The findings of this study should be evaluated in the context in which the data was elicited.

This study presents a media effects experiment involving manipulations of skin tone. This was not

an experiment of the effects of the creative concept of an ad or the message strategy or execution;

if so, the stimuli would have included copy, a headline, a product/service, and other information.

Had this information been included the findings may have been different. The respondents in this

study were potential consumers in a laboratory environment. The facts presented here find that, in

a laboratory environment, held biases toward light brown skin did influence interpretations about

and ratings of the model’s level of attractiveness.

 Skin color and attributes of beauty 13

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