title: Temporary temptation.
abstract: Abstract As our society changes, adapting to the current needs of the community, one thing has remained virtually unchanged-the lack of standards of beauty that honor and include women of color. From magazines to music to models we are constantly bombarded with images that don't represent the hues and body types that accurately depict the diaspo-ras of women in our culture. Naively we watch television shows that condition our minds, and it shows in our perceptions of beauty. Those perceptions create impossible standards that women are expected to reach within relationships. While this has been an issue that has been talked about openly in the heterosexual community, it is still a subject that has yet to be broached by lesbian women of color. This poem speaks to the experience of women of color, lesbian or straight, who have been used, rejected or left because they did not fit the "American" standard of beauty. It is the beginning of a dialogue that needs to be continued.
authors.affiliation: a Lehigh University.
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stanton
keywords: African-American; Hispanic; Standards of beauty; ex-lover; exes; heterosexual; homosexual; lesbian; poetry; relationships; sex; stereotypes; women of color