I came across this article a while ago and have been thinking about it a lot since that “Plight of Mixed-Race Children” post a few days ago. I am generally still offended by that Freakonomics blog article, but maybe it’s a harsh reality that I don’t want to acknowledge. The study Levitt spoke of did have just over 90,000 participants. The “more attractive” thing really stuck out to me as being inappropriate. Then I remembered reading about this UCLA study…
11-05-2002
(Daily Bruin) (U-WIRE) LOS ANGELES — A recent study by University of California — Los Angeles Assistant Adjunct Professor of Biology Jay Phelan concluded that biracial people are perceived as more attractive than “uniracial” people because they have more symmetric features.
Symmetry, according to Phelan, reflects an organism’s developmental stability and is strongly associated with longevity, health and fitness….
Symmetry, he found, was greater in heterozygous organisms. In other words, organisms are more symmetrical – and therefore potentially more “fit” – when their genes have two different alleles (for instance, one dominant allele and one recessive allele rather than two dominant or two recessive alleles).
Crossing organisms from different populations, he believed, would result in “hybrid vigor.” The theory was that their heterozygosity was making them stronger and healthier.
Genes produce enzymes that assist in bodily processes. When two slightly different enzymes are produced by heterozygous genes, the organism is “covered under a wider range of conditions,” he said.
Most humans are heterozygous in about 20 percent of their genes.
Assuming that biracial people are more heterozygous since they come from different populations (despite the debate surrounding the relative amounts of genetic variation within and among populations), Phelan started by measuring the symmetry of 99 UCLA student volunteers who were either biracial or uniracial.
Biracial people were defined as those whose mother and father were of different races, but each of their parents were uniracial. Both parents of the uniracial subjects were of the same race.
Phelan’s study concluded that biracial people were significantly more symmetrical than “uniracial” people. All 25 of the least symmetrical subjects were from uniracial groups, which were either Asian, black, Hispanic or white. Seven of the eight most symmetrical subjects were from biracial groups (Hispanic-white, Asian-white, black-white or Asian-Hispanic).
In addition, Phelan found that symmetry was about the same for all uniracial people no matter which group they were in, and about the same for all biracial people, regardless of racial background.
Phelan, however, did not want to stop merely with symmetry. He hypothesized that those who were more symmetrical would also be perceived as more attractive.
To determine attractiveness, 30 people then rated photos of the subjects who had been measured for symmetry on attractiveness, ranking them from one to seven (seven being the highest).
The results: Biracial people were perceived as significantly more attractive than “uniracial” people.
Emily Shin, a third-year psychology student and president of the UCLA Hapa Club, appreciates Phelan’s work.
“I think that it’s really great that people are doing research on hapa people, generally a group that’s marginalized,” Shin said.
She added, however, that there is some dissent in the hapa community about research like Phelan’s, which perpetuates the stereotype that hapas are on average, more attractive people.
“It makes hapa people, especially hapa girls, feel very objectified,” Shin added…..
David Zisser. “Study indicates mixed race, physical symmetry correlate.” University Wire. 2002.
I don’t know what I think of all this just yet. Right now I’m thinking, “If a majority of mixed-race children are struggling as Levitt’s article (which i initially brushed off as ridiculous mostly because of the attractiveness issue) suggests, then we need to help them because it doesn’t have to be that way.”
Thanks to The Topaz Club this offensive NYTimes Freakonomics blog post (dated 8/12/08) was brought to my attention…
A German company has introduced a new line of frozen snacks called “Obama-Fingers”. After receiving some negative attention, the Sprehe company claimed to be unaware of the stereotype that African Americans LOVE fried chicken, and stated that they only wanted it to be thought of as an American-style snack. Side note: We wouldn’t dip our fingers in curry sauce. I like ranch dressing. Some like to use bbq sauce, blue cheese dressing, or honey mustard for dipping. That’s pretty irrelevant, I’m just sayin’. What is relevant tho is the stereotyping issue. It’s ok for blacks to perpetuate the stereotype, but not for the Germans? In my opinion, if we want to get rid of the stereotype, it isn’t ok for anyone to perpetuate it.
Apparently he was “unaware of the racial stereotype that black people like watermelons.” Puh-Leeze! That’s just gross, Grose. I’m glad these stereotypes are coming to light though. It’s hard to deny that they exist when they keep popping up all over the place.
someone recently messaged me on youtube to ask if i think that her “blackified” name may hold her back when she gets out into the real world. i’m not really sure, a. if i think it will or b. how to respond. i suppose that i think it could pose a problem, or i would not hesitate to write back. hmmm…
ticed. Thanks for the gentle prodding. I’m still visiting my family for the holidays and it’s always so hectic. In a good way, I guess. So many people to see, things to do, etc. On the other hand I always feel like I’m disappointing someone every single second that I’m here because I can only be so many places at one time. Anyway, I just watched Slumdog Millionaire and I simply loved it! Please go see it, if you haven’t already. It is so beautiful (in a gritty, painful way), and inspiring. I actually was a contestant on “millionaire” quite a few years ago. Seeing that set and hearing that music always elevates my heart rate a bit, so at times this movie really had me on the edge of my seat. It also left me full of faith and gratitude and awe. It reassured me that all of the things that I’ve been through that were less than pleasant (downright painful some of them-but nothing like Jamal’s), and all of those that I have yet to face, are leading me to my destiny. “It is written.” It is written that I be born biracial. That my black mother and white father divorced and I began to see things in black or white. It is written that I witness the joys and the sorrows of both of these worlds and have come to realize without a doubt that we’re all cut from the same cloth, so to speak, and that the things “they” tell us to keep us separate are illusions of this world. That I find the pursuit of banishing them (the illusions meant to separate, not the people perpetuating them for that is just a habit they learned) to the nothingness from whence they came to be my deepest passion and most fulfilling endeavor must be written. I never looked ahead and saw this chapter coming. I had no idea. But it is written.
I’m sitting in the hotel room again. Feeling grateful for coffee, room service, the grace of God, the power of positive thinking, my job, my dog (and those caring for him while I’m away), my family, my friends, and my self. I did pause before typing “my self”. Is that something I should not be grateful for? It felt kinda weird to write. Like it’s egotistical. But I should be grateful for my self and I think it ties back into the grace of God thing, because I believe that without the grace of God I wouldn’t be my self. Well, I wouldn’t be the parts of my self that I am grateful for anyway. I’ll have to get comfortable with that. Kinda like being comfortable saying I’m “white and black” instead of “black and white” if someone asked. What’s the difference, anyway? The chat went well yesterday! They did ask me to “come back”! And my dog is more than ok. I think positive ‘what if’s’ are essential and I’ll be training myself to indulge in them and eradicate the negatives. Let’s see what happens…
Indy wouldn’t dream of doing it. He’ll be in the stroller til we get to our block, but then he’ll have to get out to tend to some “business.” I have such anxiety about these grooming days. Today we’re going to try a new place. They seem nice and professional. But then they always do at first. It’s funny that some of the more blatantly racially charged experiences I’ve had in NYC have been at a frickin’ dog groomer. Actually, it’s not funny. I would be anxious anyway, because that’s just how I operate, but knowing that my dog will probably be treated better if my white male roommate takes him to the groomer kinda sends me over the edge. And here I was wondering what on earth I’d write this morning and doubting that it would have anything to do with race. I am looking forward to writing about whatever on here tho and not being so consumed with black and white. Seems like I just can’t get away from it tho. For now.
mulatto diaries 