For example, there are broad social expectations for women around the issue of appearance: We are expected to be young, beautiful, sexy, etc. However, in my community there are no expectations about hair texture or skin color, whereas in some communities, this can be an issue. I recently received a letter from one woman who wrote, “As a dark-skinned African-American woman raising multiracial children, I have experienced painful encounters regarding race, skin color and beauty standards within the African-American community.
