Carving Up Beauty

Amber Jackson examines pre-colonial Yoruba aesthetics through art and oral literature with the goal of examining the uses and value of beauty as a social tool of control and maintenance. In reinforcing and accepting socially selected beauty ideals, pre-colonial Yoruba society also reinforced acceptable patterns of behavior, gender dynamics, and gendered notions of success, making beauty an indicator of conformity and social belonging. By examining the ancient Yoruba people, this work presents a case study that sheds light on the sociological functions of beauty standards.