Essay Sample on The Modern Girl and Racial Respectability in 1930s South Africa

Introduction

In 1930s girls who had education, careers and those with cosmopolitan appearance contributed to racial uplift. They were regarded as "modern girl," but there were those accused of being prostitutes. Such girls were also accused of betraying their tribe by imitating the white and Indian as they didn't want to be married, wore clothes that were provoking as well as having sex with men from other races. The Modern Girl wore cosmetics which also made them be noticed, and they were considered as a product of the whites and Indians.

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Scholars have analyzed the journey of consumption of a black girl and the way the fashion they embraced. The girls also started appearing in magazines such as Bantu World and Ama Respectable. The Bantu World magazine was founded by Bertram Paver and gave girls a chance to appear in discussions (Thomas, 2006). He was white and was an advertising salesman whose aim for starting the magazine was to market the products manufactured in the White Companies in South Africa. Half of the content was published in English, and the other half was in local languages, and South Africans were given editorial jobs.

During the launch of the African magazine, ladies were invited to submit their best photos, and they were promised prizes in the form of cash (Thomas, 2006). The editor justified the move by indicated that for the nation or the country to rise it has to integrate women in the plans. The agenda of the contest was to show that Africa had beautiful girls and women. Through the competition the magazine aimed at increasing women readership of the magazine and increasing consumption of products advertised in the magazine.

As it was in other continents African Women with gleaming skin were seen as beautiful and attended homes of the senior chiefs to show their health to the white travelers. Such girls' mostly came from Shaka and when they got old and their skin no longer appealing they were married off (Thomas, 2006). They maintained their beauty by applying animal fat, and their fashion was ornaments made beads. They wore rings made of brass, skirts, and belts that were made from animal skins. The beauty was boosted by use of tattoos, plaiting the hair, applying ochre and used soaps and creams. The press had inspired the editors of the magazine from African American. The African ladies were now involved in the contest for "Miss Africa" which boosted interaction and connection among the Atlantic contesters.

The magazine was to deal with the racist thought that black women were not beautiful. While the black writers portrayed their ladies as beautiful and beneficial in unifying the culture of Africa, their counterparts white photographers presented the young African women in an erotic manner (Thomas, 2006). The poses printed were sexually suggestive and were customized for the white audience. In the 1930s the photos of Africa women were decent and expressed respect for Christianity. They wore blouses and dresses, and they looked at the camera without smiling. Such photographs were embraced, and they were hung at the walls of many homes. The beauty contesters, however, were required to learn how to smile through staring at the mirror. Only smiling looks could be used to promote toiletry such toothpaste. "The Son of Africa" who was the editor, therefore, encouraged the contesters to enhance their features through a smile. Smiling was however seen as a behavior that was not modest, so the editor had the responsibility of convincing people that it was okay to smile.

The winner of the contest performed well as she was glamorous and her fashion was outstanding. The dress, necklace, and the facial appearance made her look like a lady of African American origin who had appeared in periodicals such as the crisis and Negro World (Thomas, 2006). The judges for the contest were readers, and she convinced them enough that he was it for the award as she gathered double the votes obtained by her competitor. Even though she was married, she was able to appeal to both the white readers as well as the blacks.

The men in charge of the competition had done an excellent job in making the black lady proud of their race. In 1933 a debate started on the use of white powder whereby an article was published in the magazine, and the author known as Tommy explained a scenario where he had mistaken a black lady to be an Italian as she had applied the white powder (Thomas, 2006). Ndobe's face appeared white in the contest photos so the woman could have been her. Although the author was not against the use of the powder other writes of the magazine were against the idea of black ladies applying powder. Women who used cosmetics were condemned and one month after the article was published Dhlomo who was a female editor for the magazine launched a campaign against the use of red lipstick as well as the white powder. The criticism of the use of cosmetics was not so much based on traditions but Christianity.

The magazine promoted consumerism in South Africa, and the most profitable businesses were those dealing with beauty products such as deodorant, skin beach, powder, hair straighteners and strengthens with the leading manufacturer being Apex (Thomas, 2006). The products were sold door to door by agents, and the companies gave back to the women by offering jobs that were not related to the manufacturing of cosmetics. They were employed as laundry assistants or domestic workers. The companies conducted intense marketing through African women who encouraged the company's target customers to boost their appearance using the products.

References

Thomas, L. M. (2006). The modern girl and racial respectability in 1930s South Africa. The Journal of African History, 47(3), 461-490.

Lee, L. O...