Beauty is a concept that is socially constructed. Although superficial, beauty is a form of currency that can add value and provide opportunities. The problem with beauty construction is that it is rooted in hegemonic European beauty ideals that negatively rejects Black features and shapes the perceptions of Black women's appearance and the judgement of their capabilities. For Black women and girls to obtain various levels of success, they are expected to self-manage their perceptions through hair, behavior, and clothing styling, including in educational settings. The purpose of this narrative inquiry study was to learn how a sample of 14 Black college women enrolled at a historically White university were culturally groomed via respectability politics to navigate racialized White academic spaces. This study explored the realities of racial and gendered socialization practices associated with respectability politics as well as beauty performances as a valid navigation tool for young Black women in an academic setting. This narrative inquiry design amplified the experiences of the participants through the theoretical frameworks of Black Feminist Thought and Critical Race Feminism. This narrative inquiry study utilized purposeful sampling, semi-structured interviews, and photographic artifacts to collect and analyze the data. Narrative and clustering analysis techniques were employed to retell accurate and comprehensive accounts of the participant's collective beauty performance and collegiate experiences. The findings denoted engagement in beautification practices generated both empowerment through affirming identities resistant to erasure, as well as pressures compounding the participants' need to juggle performing for multiple audiences and mental burdens associated with progressing in a White academic environment. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]