The subject of African American or black women’s hair is not a topic that the majority of people in the United States give much thought to. It may even be trivial to some. However, black women’s hair, its history, is entangled in the larger history of the United States. The latter has created a context in which black women have struggled to negotiate their blackness, and the idea of beauty as it relates to blackness, in the midst of a dominant white culture. How a black woman chooses to style her hair is all at once a practical, an aesthetic, an emotional, and a political choice, and as such it reveals critical internal negotiations of identity. Increasingly, black women, particularly young black women, have chosen to go ‘natural’. Naturals …show more content…
Wolf, he states, argues that the media perpetuates an unattainable standard of beauty. Further, he states that Michael Kimmel refers to the latter as the “male gaze,” because the media is dominated by males, white males to be precise. As such, this standard of beauty reflects Eurocentric patriarchal ideals of beauty. This idealized image of beauty consists of straight long, most likely than not blond, hair, white skin, and a tall slender build. This idea of femininity has become an obsessive quest that white women attempt to attain. Black women are further confined within this perfect idea of white beauty, in which black men are sometimes willing actors. Due to this idea of perfect white femininity, black women find themselves bound by both racial and gender …show more content…
Since the institution of slavery, the aim has been to tame the natural hair by subjecting it to alterations in order to disguise it. Ayana Byrd and Lori Tharps (2001) state that these processes were necessary not only to allow access to the American Dream but to calm white people. Post-emancipation black women found themselves with increasing time to dedicate to their appearance. Byrd and Tharps further state that the straightening of hair became an obsession to point where comb tests were used to determine membership to certain black churches. Straight hair in the early 1900s was a status symbol, it meant that one belonged to the middle class. Straightening one’s hair was a tool used to counter racist stereotypes of black appearance perpetuated by whites. Byrd and Tharps add that this aided the ‘new negro’ to gain acceptance into those areas of society to which they had been denied access. In essence straightened hair allowed for class mobility. This ushered a torrent of products aimed at providing quality straight hair such as Madame C.J. Walker’s products. By the 1920s, with the emergence of the Black nationalism in the 1920s, the process of hair straightening became a controversial topic. Marcus Garvey is famously quoted as saying “don’t remove the kinks from your hair! Remove them from your brain!” (Byrd and Tharps, 2001, p.38). Certain publications even
Alice Walker’s short creative nonfiction, Dreads uses imagery to convey her narrative about a hairstyle that was inspired by singer, Bob Marley. Dreads are defined as a “hairstyle in which the hair is washed, but not combed, and twisted while wet into braids or ringlets hanging down on all sides”, according to howtogetdreads.com. Imagery was chosen for this paper by the depth of Walker’s illustration of beauty that natural hair has that might seem to be abonnement or not professional by society standards. This reading sparks interests just by the title a lone. That people have mixed feeling about dreads, some might see it as being spiritual; or as a political statement. However, Walker loves the way her natural hair is supposed to form without
There is evidence that suggests that in the corporate world, academia and military, blacks who maintain their natural hair have experienced some form of discrimination. There have been situations where some students and research assistants have been asked to perm their hair or wear weaves since natural hair is perceived as “unkempt” (Philips). The US Army has also been criticized for what most blacks see as discrimination by imposing hairstyles on black female recruits. These policies deny individuals of their racial identity, personal and political autonomy (Greene). Natural hairstyles like dreadlocks, braids and afro are considered unprofessional and are therefore not allowed and this has become a racial-politico issue (Salem).
Beauty is often described as being in the eye of the beholder. However in modern western culture, the old adage really should be beauty is in the eye of the white makeup artist, hair stylist, photographer, photo shop editor, and advertiser. Beauty and body ideals are packaged and sold to the average American so that we can achieve vocational, financial, social, and recreational successes. Mass media and advertising has affected the way that women perceive and treat their own bodies as well as their self-concept. Women are constantly bombarded with unrealistic images and hold themselves to the impossible beauty standards. First, we will explore the role of media in the lives of women and then the biggest body image issue from a diversity stand point, media whitewashing.
Wolf, Naomi. The Beauty Myth. How Images of Beauty are Used Against Women. New York: William Morrow, 1991.
She states, “Individual preferences (whether rooted in self hate or not) cannot negate the reality that our collective obsession with straightening black hair reflects the psychology of oppression and the impact of racist colonization” (Hooks 540).
In this paper I’m going to show how African Americans have used hip hop and black hair are two ways in which African Americans embrace their culture and fight oppression. However, as we have reviewed in many classes, oppression is not easily escaped. So in this paper, I’m going to show how cultural appropriation is used as a way of oppressing black culture. So this paper is an expansion of what we have learned in the class.
In the recent past year or two, a woman’s natural hair has become a big thing. Before, African American women, to be specific, were so disgusted by their hair. They would do anything in their power to change the “nappy” aspect of their hair to “beautiful”. They would use relaxers very so often and hot combs.
By the twentieth century, slavery had damaged black pride, and made it known that black features were inferior. When it came to black women and their hair, black women desperately wanted to match the standard of “white” beauty. Walker’s solution to this was to create a look that was Afro-American without trying to imitate whites. Walker spoke about beauty emphasizing that to be beautiful does not refer to the complexion of your skin, or the texture of your hair, but having a beautiful mind, soul, and character.
To illustrate, Malcolm X described in contentment “And on top of my head was this thick, smooth sheen of shining red hair – real red – as straight as any white man’s.” (Malcolm X 285) For the first time X believed he was amongst equals in comparison to the revered “white man”. In such a developing society that X lived in, having straight, clean hair was a social standard held in high esteem. Eventually, X exclaims that many of his peers took to the same conk route, utilizing the hairstyle for many years, hoping to achieve a distinguished social status.
Although this normalization of Colonial standards is not directly used to rank up in the society as in the case with Chica da Silva, it is indirect. For example, curly hair (a hair texture more dominant in minorities), is deemed to be unkempt, especially in a professional setting such as the work place or a job interview. On the other hand, straighter hair does not provoke similar reactions. If one loses future employment because of his or her “unruly”, it can be assumed that something as simple as hair, can prevent one from climbing the social
When India Arie released “I Am Not My Hair” and featured Akon on her track, it swept the hair care world by a storm and her message was clear, saying that hair did not define an individual and should not determine their status in life. She expressed her passion for hair and how it was to generate her own happiness, and not the satisfaction of others, similar to when we spoke about Madam CJ Walker in class and her passion for hair. Being that Madam CJ Walker was subjected to the treatment that people of color was given, she used hair as an outlet. India Arie brought light to the fact that people of color are generally judged by their appearance and put into a separate category, such as when she mention in her song: “good hair means curls and waves, bad hair means you look like a slave. At the turn of the century, it's time for us to redefine who we be.” In addition to her statement, Akon’s approach was similar and touched on the fact that young black males are often discriminated upon, denied jobs, and struggle in society overall the same as when people of color were discriminated upon during the Harlem
The natural hair of black people has been ridiculed, shamed and discriminated against all throughout history in America. It has been called nappy, wooly and ugly. What was celebrated in Africa soon became the humiliation and shame. Men and women were told to hid their hair, straighten it, and hate it because it didn’t fit in with European beauty standards of having long straight hair. It wasn’t until the 1960s when a powerful movement swept across the nation and people began to accept their natural hair again. Activists like Angela Davis wore her hair in an afro as a statement. People accepted their culture and more importantly themselves. When social media became popular, there was a rise of a community that revived that movement again. The
Wolf utilizes the term "the beauty myth" to demonstrate that the interpretation of beauty is a creation of society, intended to keep women trapped inside their bodies. Wolf claims that the beauty myth "is not about women at all." She explains, "it is about men's institutions and institutional power" (5). In addition, she claims that women have recently obtained numerous rights, which now threaten "to destabilize the institutions on which a male-dominated culture has depended." She continues to explain that "a collective panic reaction […] has forced a demand for counter images" (8). Clearly, society as a whole does create pressure on women to act in a certain manner. However, Wolf's implication that it is an intentional, organized effort to keep women oppressed is one-sided and extreme.
Through content analysis Shome addresses how white women are often shown in a soft light, making them glow angelically. White women are also usually incredibly beautiful, usually tall, fit, and middle or upper class when photographed for advertisement purposes. This research attempts to explain why white women are seen universally as global
Almost 250 years of slavery and anti-blackness within the United States has created a divide in what type of hair is acceptable. According to Cynthia L. Robinson, “Black hair texture is graded” (Robinson 2011). Precisely, this means that a Black woman has either good hair or bad hair. Good hair has a resemblance of European hair texture, meaning straight and wavy curls. Good hair also diminishes the look of African ancestry. Bad is the complete opposite. The texture is kinky, coiled, and thick, giving the appearance of short hair (Robinson 2011). Hair that bears a resemblance to Eurocentric beauty standards is more beautiful and makes the individual with that hair type more beautiful as well (Robinson