The Black Aesthetic Renaissance: Reclaiming Black Identity in Media and Culture

Chapters

• 0:00 Introducing the New Black Aesthetic
• 1:54 Historical Erasure of Black Beauty
• 2:42 The Power of Black Resistance
• 3:34 Media Shift: Representation or Commodification?
• 4:14 Reclaiming Our Narrative and Image
• 4:51 The Psychological Cost of Beauty Standards
• 5:43 Capitalism and the Illusion of Inclusion
• 6:30 Teaching Self-Love to Next Generation
• 7:18 The Spiritual Dimension of Black Beauty
• 8:08 Impact on Relationships and Self-Worth
• 9:16 Episode Closing and Resources

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Why is it that the very features that once got us fired from jobs, bullied in schools or edited out of magazine covers are now front and center on runways in major ad campaigns and dominating the charts? Is it finally our time? Or is it just another trend, sis, let's get into the rise of the new black aesthetic. And why this time we're claiming it for good, trigger warning. And why this time we're claiming it for good, trigger warning? This episode contains cultural commentary on colorism, discrimination and media exploitation. Listener discretion is advised, especially for those who've experienced racial trauma. Before we dive deep, don't forget to subscribe to Life Points with Rhonda on YouTube, spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit lifepointswithrhondacom and claim your free self-love affirmation, pdf, audio healing meditation, or schedule a quick one-on-one chat with me YouTube lifepointswithronda2968. Instagram slash Facebook at lifepointswithronda. Podcast lifepointswith Rhonda on all streaming platforms. Email lifepointswithrhonda at gmailcom. Sign up via many chat and grab your free gift today. Hey, beautiful souls, it's your girl, rhonda, and welcome to another empowering episode of Life Points with Rhonda, where we talk love, growth, healing and living our best authentic lives.

Speaker 1: 1:26

Today, we're diving deep into a subject that's close to my heart and probably yours too. We're talking about beauty, visibility, identity and power, and how the natural hair movement and the unapologetic celebration of dark skin are no longer niche. They are the moment. This isn't just about trends. This is about reclaiming ourselves in full glory and understanding what it took to get here and what we must do to make sure we're not erased when the camera turns off.

Speaker 1: 1:54

The historical erasure of black beauty. For centuries, eurocentric beauty standards have dominated the world stage. From powdered wigs to bleaching creams. Every era brought a new way to say you are not enough. Let's be real. There was a time when being dark-skinned meant being cast as the maid. Wearing locks or an afro meant you were unprofessional or threatening. Let's not forget the policies that banned our hair in workplaces and schools, policies we are still fighting today. The beauty industry profited billions off Black bodies while excluding us from ownership and representation. We were the models, but never the muses, the talent, but rarely the face of the brand.

Speaker 1: 2:39

What changed the power of Black resistance? Change didn't come because they gave it to us. It came because we took it. It was Black women and men demanding to be seen Online, on runways and on record covers, from the Black Girl Magic movement to the viral natural hair tutorials on YouTube. We used social media to tell our own stories. We curated our own aesthetics. We showed up as full-spectrum royalty From deep mahogany skin tones to tightly coiled 4C curls, from keloid-prone skin to wide noses and full lips. And we said this is beautiful too. Shout out to Lupita Nyong'o, viola Davis, issa Rae, janelle Monae and every artist who never compromised their look to get through the door, but instead redecorated the whole damn room.

Speaker 1: 3:33

The media shift representation or commodification. Let's not pretend the media just got conscious overnight. Capitalism always follows the coin. Netflix, vogue, rihanna's Fenty line yes, they, they're pushing boundaries, but we have to ask is this real representation or profitable packaging? Because when beauty becomes trend-based, dark skin can be fashionable one day and forgotten the next. We saw it with Black Panther, we saw it with the Afro resurgence in the late 2000s and 10s. But after the lights dim. Are dark-skinned Black women still getting booked? Are natural hair girls getting CEO campaigns? Or is it just a seasonal Black is Beautiful rollout to meet a diversity quota, reclaiming the narrative. We are not a trend. The new Black aesthetic isn't new to us. We've always been art. We've always been divine.

Speaker 1: 4:22

This movement isn't about white validation. It's about black liberation. That means teaching our kids that kinky hair is a crown, not a curse, choosing melanin-celebrating brands and creators, calling out colorism in our own communities, supporting laws like the Crown Act that legally protect natural hairstyles in schools and workplaces. We must own our image Because when we control our narrative, we protect our magic from being repackaged the psychological cost of beauty standards. Let's be honest.

Speaker 1: 4:53

Many of us grew up thinking we had to change something to be worthy, whether it was bleaching creams under the sink, hot combs burning our ears or being told to stay out the sun so we don't get too dark. The damage didn't start in adulthood. It started in childhood. This is generational trauma disguised as grooming, and studies back this up. Research shows that children as young as five associate lighter skin with beauty and intelligence. Where do you think they learned that?

Speaker 1: 5:21

So when we talk about the rise of the black aesthetic, we're not just talking about looks. We're talking about mental freedom, about reprogramming years of internalized hate, about unlearning shame and teaching our inner child to love her wide nose, her full lips, her deep skin. This is spiritual work, capitalism, fetishization and the illusion of inclusion. Let's go deeper. Have you noticed how dark skin and afros are everywhere in fashion ads now, but not in boardrooms, how our lips are on every influencer's surgery list but not on the cover of Forbes. Black features are being fetishized without being respected. This is the trap of performative diversity. We're visible but not empowered. Our images are loved, but our voices are silenced. Our looks are trending, but our lives are still undervalued, and that's why this aesthetic shift must come with economic power, media ownership and policy change. Beauty without liberation is a mirage. So let's be clear the real glow-up isn't just skin deep, it's structural, it's systemic and it's overdue.

Speaker 1: 6:28

Teaching the next generation to love their image. Imagine a world where little black girls and boys grow up never questioning their beauty, never wondering if they're too dark, never shrinking in classrooms or on playgrounds because they look like royalty. That world starts with us. We can't just say black is beautiful once a year, during Black History Month. We have to show it every day. That means books with characters who look like them, dolls and cartoons with coils, kinks and curl patterns. Teachers who affirm, not punish, black hairstyles. Parents who praise their child's rich brown skin instead of teasing it, because when children grow up proud, they grow up powerful. Let's not let another generation inherit our insecurities. Let's raise them. In truth, the sacredness of black beauty, a spiritual reflection. Let me take you somewhere even deeper family.

Speaker 1: 7:22

In many African traditions, including Ifa, beauty is not vanity, it's vibration, it's energy, it's alignment with one's ori, your spiritual head. Dark skin absorbs light and holds ancestral memory. Natural hair rises toward the heavens, just like the crowns worn by Orissa. Our features were sculpted not by accident but by divine design. To call black beauty a trend is to forget that it was always sacred. That's why in Yoruba we say ewa, meaning beauty is not just appearance, it's character, presence, purpose.

Speaker 1: 7:58

When we honor our blackness, we're not just resisting erasure, we're returning to ourselves. This aesthetic isn't new. It's ancestral how it ties to relationships. Now let's talk relationships. The way society sees us deeply affects the way we see ourselves, and that shows up in who we date, what we tolerate and how we love. When media tells us our skin is too dark, we internalize shame. When hair relaxers are marketed as the only path to beauty, we think love requires erasure. But when we celebrate our features, we stop settling for love that requires dimmed light. We show up boldly and we attract people who see us, not just tolerate us.

Speaker 1: 8:42

This new black aesthetic is more than fashion. It's a movement toward healing the relationship with self and, by extension, the love we choose. We are not the trend, we are the source. Our beauty is not just in our cheekbones or curls. It's in our resilience, our rhythm, our story and our spirit. As we reclaim the black aesthetic, let us remember this isn't about being seen. It's about being whole. Stand in your truth, nourish your image, teach the world how to treat you by how well you treat yourself. Let me know, if you'd like me to, if this episode sparked something in you. Don't keep it to yourself. Share it with someone who needs to hear this truth and please subscribe, rate and leave a comment on the Life Points with Rhonda podcast. Let's keep these conversations flowing. Website lifepointswithrhondacom. Instagram slash Facebook at Life Points with Rhonda. Youtube. Life Points with Rhonda 2968. Don't forget to grab your free affirmation, consultation or healing audio by subscribing through ManyChat. You were born divine, thank you. So Thank you, bye.