Phenotypic Pride: Caregiver Perceptions of Skin Tone and Hair Texture Among Racially Diverse Families with Young Children

Background and Purpose: Colorism, prejudice, and discrimination based on phenotypic characteristics such as skin tone, hair texture, and facial features, are rooted in colonialism and slavery. Phenotype-based stratification has documented consequences for educational attainment, mental health, and social mobility among ethnic-racial minorities, but most research has focused on skin color (Crutchfield et al. 2023). Hair texture, a phenotypic characteristic tied to identity, self-worth, and cultural meaning (Mbilishaka, 2018), particularly for Black communities, has received limited attention in developmental research. Caregivers play a foundational role in shaping children's early ethnic-racial identity, and parental perceptions of appearance are likely transmitted through ethnic-racial socialization, influencing identity development, specifically pride. This pilot study examines caregiver perceptions of skin tone and hair texture for themselves and their young children, and how these vary by racial and ethnic background.

Methods: This mixed-methods study recruited 74 caregivers (M age = 36.00, SD = 5.97; 88% mothers; 65% U.S.-born) and their 3- to 7-year-old children (57% girls) from two sites in Texas and Virginia. The sample included Hispanic/Latino (31%), Black/African American (26%), White (18%), Asian (11%), Multiracial (11%), and Indigenous (3%) caregivers. Children were predominantly Multiracial (33%), Hispanic/Latino (26%), Black/African American (23%), and White (12%). Caregivers reported satisfaction with their own and their child's skin tone and hair texture on 5-point Likert scales, and whether they desired change. Open-ended responses were analyzed using content analysis with a collaboratively developed codebook to complement quantitative findings.

Results: Caregivers reported high satisfaction with their children's skin tone (M = 4.78, SD = 0.56) and hair texture (M = 4.78, SD = 0.63). This was especially pronounced among Black caregivers, nearly all of whom “strongly agreed” that they liked their child's skin tone and hair texture. Caregiver satisfaction with their own skin tone (M = 4.33, SD = 0.90) and hair texture (M = 4.14, SD = 1.01) was lower and more variable. Among those desiring change, 33% wanted a different skin tone for themselves (both lighter and darker) versus only 7% for their child. For hair texture, 39% desired a change for themselves versus 10% for their child, with desire for straighter hair concentrated among Black (n = 5) and Hispanic/Latino (n = 6) caregivers, while White caregivers predominantly desired curlier hair (n = 6), most parenting Multiracial children. Qualitative data complemented these findings; one Hispanic mother celebrated her daughter's skin tone as 'caramel,' while a Black and White mother described the beauty of her daughter's natural curly hair.

Conclusion and Implication: Most caregivers, particularly Black and Hispanic/Latino, reported strong satisfaction with their own and their children's phenotypic features, reflecting positive ethnic-racial identity that may serve as a protective factor for children from minoritized backgrounds. However, greater variability in caregivers' self-perceptions and the concentration of desires for straighter hair among Black and Hispanic/Latino caregivers point to the continued salience of racialized appearance norms (i.e., internalized racism). Practitioners and educators should support caregivers in discussing racial phenotype with young children to foster pride during a critical period of ethnic-racial identity development.