Studies, Vol. 6, No. 2, December 2018 Negotiating between two cultures with different beauty norms had a large impact on Ellie‟s body image perceptions. People outside of Ellie‟s family who question her heritage by claiming that she “does not look Black” reinforce the confusion associated with this conflict. Nora‟s family and peers also have an influence on her body image perceptions. Nora spoke of trying to fit in at school while also trying to meet her family‟s expectations at home. She states: Yes, so like my hair for example, I have highlights in my hair, and that‟s kind of just so I can fit in more with people around me, with white people right, like the majority of my friends are Western beauty, I don‟t have very many Indian friends, so I want to fit in and make sure that I look like them also. So I‟ll do my hair, and I‟ll do my nails, and all that kind of stuff. But back at home that‟s not ideal, like in India, it is not ideal to do your makeup and to colour your hair and what not, so I definitely think that, yeah. Like if I were to walk around in a sari or something at school, I think that I would be judged more than wearing like a normal, white Canadian outfit. I don‟t have saris here, but I can‟t walk around with that here. -Nora, Indian-Canadian, 20 years old Negotiating expectations between Indian culture and Western culture is an ongoing challenge for Nora. She describes struggling between two different cultures with conflicting beauty norms, similar to Ellie. However, class also shaped Nora‟s experience with Western beauty pressures early on when she felt she was unable to fit in. She said: When I was younger, I definitely felt excluded, because I was different than other people. So, when it comes to money wise, like my parents are not extremely wealthy, so I would shop at say, a Bluenotes outlet where things were really cheap. I wouldn‟t put a lot of money into my clothing, whereas the girls in middle school wore Hollister and Abercrombie and like, all of the expensive brands, and I wouldn‟t be able to fit in with that. -Nora, Indian-Canadian, 20 years old Nora‟s experience highlights the role that culture and class plays in her ability to meet Western beauty norms. bell hooks (1992) validates this experience in her research when she discusses the ways in which blackstudents tried to pass as “white” by talking a certain way, wearing certain clothing and choosing to spend most of their time with white friends. However, if women are unable to afford clothing and products needed to achieve Western beauty norms, they may feel excluded. Sam discussed the role men played in shaping her experience with her body image. Sam describes an event in which a man‟s comment negatively impacted her feelings about her body. She said: It was a male. It was during the frosh tower party, and all of my friends and I, we had gotten all dressed up, you know, club apparel, nothing like, too riské or anything, and the comment that was made, there was a guy around, and you could tell that he was looking at us and everything, and I was not facing him, and he said something, I can‟t remember exactly, but it was like, she‟s got such a great ass, it is too bad that she is flat as a board. It was like, you have a great ass, and oh well, too bad, it wasn‟t like, oh, you‟ve got a great ass, it was like oh, you‟ve got a great ass, but because you don‟t have boobs, see-ya. -Sam, White-Canadian, 18 years old As can be seen in Sam‟s narrative, male reactions to a woman‟s appearance can have a lasting impact on her self-esteem. 6.4. Cosmetics Sam discussed insecurities that come with being a young woman in Western culture and how these insecurities make her feel she needs to purchase and use cosmetics. Sam said: I went out and bought cover-up, and then I watched YouTube videos about how to do your makeup well, and then it gradually just came to be more and more, to the point that I realized, oh, I am kind of good at this. I can make myself look really nice, but at the same time, there are some days where you might have a cold, or you are really tired, and you think I don‟t want to do this, but I have to do this. But I never really thought of it, like, there were some girls who are like, my face is fat, I am going to contour it so I look skinnier. I know girls who will contour their nose because they believe it is too fat, or not skinny enough, or buttony, and they want it thin and angular. There are all of these resources now, like on You Tube, that you can go to where you can fix anything you want about your face, without surgery, but with makeup. But you are still doing the same mental damage to yourself. -Sam, White-Canadian, 18 years old Ashley Mckay, Shannon Moore & Wendee Kubik 7 Sam feels strong social pressure to wear cosmetics. However, makeup is not the only product promoted to women to achieve Western standards of beauty,