Project Overview:
This research offers a comprehensive interdisciplinary investigation into the performance of Black beauty in Britain from 1948 to the present. By tracing a continuous lineage from the post-war era to the contemporary landscape, the project uncovers the cultural, economic, and political significance of Black British women’s beauty practices. Central to this study is the reframing of beauty not merely as a cosmetic concern, but as a critical site of self-agency, subversive political messaging, and socio-economic empowerment.
The project provides a vital counter-narrative to traditional, white-centric histories of beauty that have historically been rooted in a colonial colour caste system. Beginning with the emergence of the Windrush generation in 1948, the research examines how Black women utilised ‘style narratives’ as a form of quiet resistance against marginalisation. It analyses the transition from early adaptations of ‘soul style’ and the establishment of Caribbean festivals and Carnival Queen contests (1959–1964) to the reclamation of beauty as a tool for radical empowerment. By documenting the development of Black beauty entrepreneurship, the study illustrates how Black women have historically carved out spaces for collective agency and continue to challenge Westernised aesthetic norms on a global scale.
The strength of this research lies in its interdisciplinary and multi-sited methodological approach. Rather than focusing on a single medium, it integrates a wide spectrum of beauty practices, including studio portraits, salons, pageants, and cosmetic businesses, into a singular cultural history. This is achieved through a combined synthesis of archival materials, such as photography, periodicals, and community newsletters, alongside ethnographic and oral-history data collected across Britain. In so doing, the project tackles systemic exclusion, contributing to a more representative and equitable account of British national heritage and the performance of identity across social spaces.
Project Outputs and Impact
The research will culminate in a series of outputs designed to engage both academic and public audiences, ensuring the project’s findings contribute to both scholarly discourse and national heritage. Key deliverables include:
- Scholarly Publications: The dissemination of findings through a series of Q1 peer-reviewed journal articles, contributing to the fields of Cultural Studies, British History, and Sociology.
- Public Exhibition (2026): The curation of a physical exhibition at The Lambeth Archives in November and December 2026, showcasing archival material and contemporary fieldwork data.
- Documentary Production: The creation of an audio-visual documentary that captures the oral histories and experiences of the research participants, providing a permanent digital record of the research.
- Expanded Exhibition (2027): A second physical exhibition at The London Archives in early 2027, aimed at broadening public engagement with the history of Black beauty and entrepreneurship in Britain.
Dr Benedetta Morsiani - Benedetta is currently a Leverhulme Research Fellow at Brunel University London, with a research project exploring the performance of Black beauty among Black British women since 1948. She previously worked as an Assistant Professor in Cultural Anthropology at Northeastern University London, and before that completed a PhD in Cultural Studies at the University of Westminster.
Benedetta's research focuses on understanding the experiences, perspectives, and contributions of individuals belonging to Black African minorities in Europe. Her work, particularly, investigates socio-cultural issues through the study of material culture and forms of symbolic representations, and their intersection with political and economic spheres. Her Leverhulme research project, entitled 'Black beauty in Britain since 1948: self-assertion and collective power', investigates the cultural, political, and economic significance of beauty practices employed by Black British women since 1948. In particular, the research uncovers how Black British women have used beauty practices to challenge normative assumptions about beauty, establish self-agency, convey subversive political messages, and create entrepreneurship opportunities. In so doing, the research transforms the existing scholarship on the history of beauty, which is hitherto a white history, and foregrounds the leading role of Black beauty entrepreneurs in both activism and defining what beauty is.
Benedetta's current research both establishes and extends her doctoral research where she investigated the migratory experiences of young London Congolese (DRC). The project traced how young London Congolese employed body performances to portray their cultural heritage and embody their racial, ethnic, gender and transnational identities. Fashion and beauty practices offered a powerful portrayal of their life histories, socio-cultural memories, everyday life experiences and issues affecting Black African diasporas in London. The project revealed the sphere of entanglement between identity issues, cultural and aesthetic rituals of the body, politics, and economics.