Sculpted by Society: Black Women, BBLs, and Body Image

Social media's impact on perceptions of BBLs

The Brazilian butt lift, or BBL, is described by the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, as a type of fat transfer designed to shape and enhance the buttocks. Basically during this cosmetic surgery fat is taken from one part of your body and moved to your butt to make it fuller and more lifted — no implants involved.

While people of all backgrounds get cosmetic work done, BBLs have become especially popular among Black women. Unlike the Eurocentric beauty ideal that’s all about being super thin, a lot of Black women are drawn to what’s often called the “thick ideal” — that balance between slim and curvy. And with so many Black celebrities and influencers either getting BBLs, talking about them, or showing off those results on social media, it’s no surprise the trend has blown up and become part of the larger body image conversation. Since these platforms often shape beauty standards, spread information (and misinformation), and amplify cultural trends, it’s important to understand how they contribute to the way Black women share experiences, opinions, and perceptions of procedures like BBLs within their communities.

In this episode, we sit down with Lauryn Grubbs, a doctoral student in the Human Centered Design Apparel Design program at Cornell University. Her research primarily explores representations of Black American women in popular culture, with particular emphasis on the use of style, fashion, and dress to communicate notions of identity, status, and belonging. Through critical analysis of media such as film, television, and photography, she examines the impact of the normative gaze on Black women, exploring how it produces binary body politics to which Black women are expected to ascribe. In her work, she seeks to challenge this process by exposing the constraints, contradictions, and exclusions inherent in body politics, while also highlighting contemporary image-makers who move beyond binary constructions to center the both/and possibilities and complexities of Black womanhood.

To learn more about Lauryn Grubbs, click here.

More Works by Lauryn Grubbs:

• Lauryn Grubbs Instagram

• Black women, Brazilian Butt Lifts (BBLs) and body image: A qualitative study on the role social media play in promoting the thick ideal

• Black Women and Body Positivity Solo Show

• Hand-Me-Downs: Meaning of Handed-down Clothing and Other Items in Black Families

• Morehouse School of Medicine's (MSM) "The Skin I'm In"

  
  

This episode will be available May 18.

Season 3 Episode 8

Running Time:  TBD minutes