“What is Feminine Beauty?”
Exploring Beauty Standards, Internalized Racism, and Cultural Identity Through Art
by Angela Wang
So many Asian women who grow up in the West can relate to the struggle of finding beauty in their Asian features - it’s hard to see yourself as beautiful if society, media, and pop-culture push a certain standard of feminine beauty. These messages from the outside world so often manifest as internalized racism that we then must spend years, decades, and even a lifetime, dismantling and fighting off.
Social work student and fine artist Angela Wang articulates beautifully through the pieces below on how her own self-expression and creative process helped her begin to recognize and challenge her internalized standards of beauty, and grapple with her relationship with her Taiwanese heritage.
Birth of Venus, Acrylic painting on canvas, 36" x 48".
“I feel ambivalent about female beauty standards. Beauty standards are unattainable, yet nauseatingly desirable. It can feel empowering to mold oneself toward social narratives of beauty and feminine appeal and yet, they kind of suck too.”
What is my cultural heritage? 5" x 8", Pencil sketch.
What is feminine beauty? 5" x 8", Pencil sketch.
“I never thought critically about the women I draw. I've grown so accustomed to the ways I prefer Western culture over my Taiwanese heritage. I have developed a cultural self-hatred that makes me believe I could never be beautiful because I do not look like the women gracing the covers of Elle, Harper Bazaar, and Vogue during my adolescence. This drawing was a challenge to my own internalized racism because it helped me realize that my Asian features are beautiful.”
About the Artist: Angela Wang
Website: aw2699.portfoliobox.net
Instagram: pjbeasti
Facebook: Angela Wang (Take Flight Wings)
Email: wanga2@mail.sacredheart.edu
Hello! I am a second master of social work student and fine artist. I enjoy art, advocacy, and working with others. During my downtime, I enjoy hiking, hanging out with friends, spending time with family, making art, and playing video games! My favorite games are Civilization 6, Stardew Valley, and Minecraft!
