Color Me Beautiful

SUMMARY A primary task of adolescence is the consolidation of one's identity. To successfully achieve this, the adolescent must experience and internalize validation from her immediate community and the culture at large. For young women of color, the effects of intra-family prejudice and societal racism can severely compromise their ability to embrace their ethnic identity. In art therapy, this can manifest as self-rejection in the desire to portray themselves with physical characteristics that are unlike their own. The impact of racism on identity formation for young women of color and the effects of art therapy as a forum treatment will be examined in this article.