Volume VI Special Issue V June 2026

Name of Author : Ms.Karpagavarshini, Dr.Muthu Deepa M

Title of the paper : Beauty, Colorism and Black Female Subjectivity in Gwendolyn Brooks Maud Martha: A bell hooks Reading

Abstract: The paper explores Gwendolyn Brooks Maud Martha in light of bell hooks Black Looks Race and Representation analyzing the waays beauty, colorism and visual regimes contribute to the formation of black female subjectivity. The novel by Brooks written in the form of a series of vignettes narrates the story of Maud Martha Brown who lives in Chicago and struggles with the beauty hierarchies favoring white people, light skin color and a European image of a feminine being. The paper applies hooks theory concerning the power of representation and claims that the author demonstrates how the stereotypes about degradation and invisibility of Black women affect Maud Martha. The experiences of comparison, humiliations and longing that the protagonist faces show colorism as an intimate method of oppression. At the same time, the inner world of the character suggests subtle forms of resistance and self representation that make her story a critique of the visual regime.

Keywords : Colorism, Black womanhood, beauty politics, Black Looks, Gwendolyn Brooks

DOI :

Page Number : 318-321