THE PROBLEM WITH PRETTY

A ground-breaking examination of beauty, bias, and the science of how perception shapes our lived experience, especially for Black and brown women, from renowned life coach and body image expert. With actionable advice for taking back control and hacking perception, Dr. Ally will teach readers to reap the advantages of being perceived as more beautiful without changing who you are.

In her research and her direct coaching work with clients, Dr. Ally has seen just how possible it is to be treated as more beautiful, and even feel more beautiful, without changing our physical attributes. Perceptions of beauty are only partially informed by physical appearance. We have a lazy perceptual system that looks for patterns, and those patterns are often informed by a small visual cue and a lot of socially constructed assumptions. Knowing this, and the dominant assumptions, it's relatively easy to be perceived as pretty using simple visual cues that trigger "pretty" perception patterns (as detailed in this book). Perhaps more important than hacking the perception of others, Dr. Ally outlines how to cultivate positive self-perceptionwhich also has little to do with changes to your outward appearance. Her research has shown that when women felt more in control of their appearance, they felt more confident and rated themselves as more attractive, regardless of physical changes. In a separate study, she found that Black women who rated higher on feelings of closeness to their ethnic identity and culture also reported feeling more control over their appearance, resulting in higher confidence and less dependence on validation from mainstream beauty norms. This is not a book about "how to be prettier." That's the last thing women need. As a Black woman who grew up in an affluent white neighborhood, and who has made her career in media, Dr. Ally knows too well the emotional costs of trying to fit into the dominant (white) narrative of what is considered pretty. She wants to help women escape that, for good. THE PROBLEM WITH PRETTY is about bias, control, how perception shapes the experience of our lives, and what we can do about it. Dr. Allycin Powell-Hicks is a Mental Health/Relationship Expert, television personality, and founder of the DOUX Consulting Group. Helping clients, couples, and corporations authentically align with themselves and their brands by using a blend of neuroscience and creativity is her true passion. Her research on minority women, cosmetic surgery, and the impact of media on body image has been presented at conferences around the world. Using this research, she directly impacts and improves the lives of others through workshops, radio, television articles, and hands-on coaching. She is a Lecturer at California State University Los Angeles, where she teaches gender psychology and the psychology of personality