A woman’s hair is often referred to as her “crown and glory.” Hair is a salient physical characteristic of one’s self concept and how others view their level of attractiveness. One of the major intra-prejudice amongst African Americans is hair texture. This stigma is especially prevalent among African American women. For African American women, hair carries an even greater psychological complexity. Starting from slavery, African Americans were judged by the texture and curl pattern of their hair. For example, Blacks with lighter skin color and straight/wavy hair had certain advantages oppose to those Blacks who possessed more afro-centric features, such as darker skin and kinky hair (Myrdal, 1962; Neal & Wilson, 1989; Parrish 1944; Poussaint, 1975; Reuter, 1917). While a plethora of commentaries have been written on black hair, few empirical studies exist that have examined the reverberating consequences of slavery, as it relates to the western indoctrination of hair and its impact on racial identity/self-concept among African American women. History of the Complexity of Hair among Black Women The origin of the controversy surrounding African American hair dates back to slavery. It was a major phenotypic characteristic used to classify African Americans’ racial identity, intelligence and attractiveness (Guthrie, 1998). European culture was used as the reference group of comparison. Whiteness became identified with all that is civilized, virtuous and beautiful, whereas Blackness was deemed as inferior, rebellious, and inadequate. Guthrie (1998) reported that the hair of the black man was wool, not hair. Subsequently, this racist ideology was internalized by many African Americans, which resulted in what Jones and Shorter-G... ... middle of paper ... ...al, political and economic strides African Americans have made in society, are African American women still psychologically enslaved to their hair? The purpose of this study is to examine current perceptions of hair and its importance to racial identity and self concept among African American female college students. More specifically, this investigation addresses the following research question: Are perceptions of African American hair related to perceived attractiveness, self-concept, racial identity, and overall happiness? It is hypothesized that: 1) African American women are more likely to perceive mainstream hair texture, such as straight, permed hair, as more attractive than natural/ kinky hair; 2) An interactive effect is expected between skin-tone and hair texture on the dependent variables attractiveness, racial identity, self concept, and happiness.
Thus, being conveyed in the African American population as a cultural identifier, American Airlines had created a policy that restricted a group of people from fully expressing their culture, discriminatorily forcing them to “fade into the mainstream.” And still, there’s the matter that cultural beliefs and practices are often engraved into one’s identity, which is composed of immutable traits. While the court judged cornrows to be mutable due to the idea that they are simply a chosen hairstyle popularized by a white actress (even though the fact that a white actress uses a mainly African American attribute does not make such attribute a holistic, white, American attribute), cornrows had become an immutable trait for Rogers, explaining her concern and motive to sue for her rights. In such way it becomes noticeable how Yoshino and the courts make it seem as if there’s a standard, universal guideline as to what traits are immutable or mutable, and contrary to that opinion, Roger’s case fully proves that the classification of an attribute as immutable or mutable can only be relative, and that the one opinion that should surpass all classifications of the attribute is that belonging to the one identifying with such
Since the beginning of time, privilege has existed. Privilege, specifically white privilege, is written all over American history. Unfortunately, it still exists till this day, till this very moment. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., is the W.E.B Du Bois Professor of Humanities at Harvard and director of the W.E.B Du Bois Institute for Afro-American Research. In his essay “In the Kitchen” he uses his childhood memories to show how African Americans do not see hair as just hair. Gates figurative use of hair shows us how far the unprivileged are willing to go in order to get a sense of acceptance by the privileged. White privilege is difficult to see for those
The discrimination observed by Mebane against darker complexion black women is still evident in the current generation of black college students. Darker women are considered by some to be unattractive and lighter toned women are considered more attractive. These beliefs have been carried over through generations from the times of segregation and slavery. During slavery lighter toned slaves were treated better than darker skin slaves by being allowed to live and work in the plantation house instead of the fields. Having a lighter complexion started to become associated with havi...
Back in the early 1800’s, the color of one’s skin mattered amongst African Americans and Caucasian people. There was infidelity between the Caucasian slave owners and the African American slaves. Of course, the outcome of that produced a fairer toned child. In most cases the child could pass as white. The mixed toned kids got to be inside doing housework, while the dark Negroes worked in the fields, under extraneous work conditions,”their dark-toned peers toiled in the fields”(Maxwell). From the early 1800’s to modern day, there is controversy that light or bi-racial African Americans are better than dark colored African Americans. African Americans had to go through tests to see if they were able to receive priviledges that white people received,”light-skinned African Amerians receive special priviledges based off of their skin shade”(Maxwell). If an African American did not receive the priviledges similar to white people then they would try to change themselves to fit in,”African Americans are using bleaching creams so that they can make their skin lighter , just to achieve the standard beauty”(Brooke). As much as one will not one to discuss this topic, statistics shows how people are more lenient towards light and fair skin tones.Light oor fair coloredAmericans that poseess Caucasian features are prefiebly preffered.
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.
For centuries, black women have been criticized and laughed at for wearing styles like cornrows, locks, and bantu knots, being told that their hair is too ethnic or African
One of the factors that heavily influence the continuing propagation of these ideas associated with the sexuality of racialized women is the production and dissemination of media images, symbols and narratives (Brooks & Hébert, 2006, p. 297). As a society who is constantly consuming media culture through various media outlets, television uses a combination of methods in imagery, symbolization, and narration to represent our social realities. Notions of what beauty means are further dictated by fashion and reality television shows, which includes shows that discuss trends, makeovers, modeling, and more. In turn, these television programs often targeted at young women themselves, continue to shape how society views women of color, particularly how women of color are superfi...
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.
Malcolm X wrote of his “conk”: “This was my first really big step toward self degradation: when I endured all of that pain, literally burning my flesh to have it look like a white man’s hair. I had joined that multitude of Negro men and women in America who are brainwashed into believing that black people are ‘inferior’ –and white people ‘superior’ –that they will even violate and mutilate their God created bodies to try to look ‘pretty by white standards” (X 356). Many black men and the majority of black women have diverted themselves from the wearing of unprocessed (natural) hairstyles from the fear of losing approval from whites and fellow blacks as well.
In other words one’s characteristics inclusive of skin color, facial structure and hair texture appears to regularly inspire acts of being degraded. Moreover African Americans have the impossible task ...
Gordon, Maya. "Media contributions to african american girls' focus on beauty and appearance: exploring the consequences of sexual objectification." Psychology of Women Quarterly 32.3 (2008): 245-256. ERIC. Web. 18 Sept. 2011.
Everyone is raised within a culture with a set of customs and morals handed down by those generations before them. Most individual’s view and experience identity in different ways. During history, different ethnic groups have struggled with finding their place within society. In the mid-nineteen hundreds, African Americans faced a great deal of political and social discrimination based on the tone of their skin. After the Civil Rights Movement, many African Americans no longer wanted to be identified by their African American lifestyle, so they began to practice African culture by taking on African hairdos, African-influenced clothing, and adopting African names. By turning away from their roots, many African Americans embraced a culture that was not inherited, thus putting behind the unique and significant characteristics of their own inherited culture. Therefore, in an African American society, a search for self identity is a pervasive theme.
Regina Jere-Malanda debunks black hair, the object of popular debate and heavy scrutiny. In her article, she sheds light on many cases where black hair has been in the spotlight. She refers Michelle Obama who wore a natural hair style and was ridiculed by the media. There were cartoons of her in an afro with a gun on her back. She includes the testimony of Dr. Reese who says from personal experience, that the ill-tolerance of natural hair is associated with Black Panthers in that it represents "militancy". On The Tyra Banks Show, the ideology of having more relaxed hair is said to date to slavery times where having such hair could mean better treatment. These associations along with others have brainwashed the community into thinking that having natural hair is distasteful. Thus, the idea that having straight hair is equated to conforming to popular opinion and not loving one's natural self causing debate.
3. Racism, sexism and negative stereotypes come at a cost for African American women. They suffer psychological and physical damage from the oppression that they face. Society has placed specific Eurocentric beauty standards for women which cause Black women to feel shame and want to change their weight, hair texture, body shape and skin color. “In a society where the standard of beauty remains