Brewington, Tyler Berkeley. “Taking the Kinks Out of Your Hair and Out of Your Mind: A study on Black hair and the intersections of race and gender in the United States .” Senior Comprehensive Thesis (2013): 1-108. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.

Through her senior thesis, Tyler Berkeley Brewington gauges the influence of the contemporary natural hair movement in the Black community. In this study the author provides an in-depth analysis of American beauty standards while simultaneously integrating the experiences and perspectives of forty-seven Black women on the subject. By first divulging into the spiritual origins of hair within Afro-Caribbean culture, she communicates hair’s profound historical significance. The author psychologically breaks down the stigma of Black hair in American culture as a byproduct of colonial oppression. In colonial times, europeans shaved the heads of enslaved Blacks in order to “erase the slave’s culture.” Colonist would subsequently indoctrinate the masses with new standards of beauty that emulated european culture. Through their systematic degradation of Black culture, they erased their ethnic identity and rationalized colonization. The author highlights the cultural significance of hair in the 21st Century. She stresses that the standard “socialization process” is to associate Black features with inferiority, impurity, and indecency. The author also addresses how this stigma not only defines American culture but heavily permeates the Black community. This manifests itself in how elders teach their children that they have “good” or “bad” hair, which is dependent on how ethnic the hair is. Straighter and more european-looking hair is valued more in the community. This concept is not only verbally evident but it is also demonstrated through the media and marketing of the Black beauty industry. However, because of the natural hair movement which began as an online phenomenon, more and more women are learning to embrace and identify with their “natural kinky hair.” Through several case studies the author expands on the impact of the natural hair movement in regards to Black identity and culture. This article is integral to my research as it provides me with not only a historic basis for society’s stigma of Black hair, but also with authentic perspectives of those within the Black community on hair, both chemically processed and natural. This source is valuable because it gives insight into Black hair-care processes and how they influence contemporary cultural identity.

 

Chapman, Yolanda Michele. “”I am Not my Hair! Or am I?”: Black Women’s Transformative Experience in their Self Perceptions of Abroad and at Home.” Scholarworks (2007): 1-120. Georgia State University. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.

This article details the case studies of twenty Black women who have studied abroad and how this has influenced their perceptions of their hair and identity while juxtaposed with eurocentric beauty standards. The author emphasizes the concept that “Black women are active agents in their own social scripting of their bodies.” In essence, this statement is expressing that women of color should have an active role within their own cultural identification through physical expression. Chapman describes hair as a vehicle “to express creativity, personalities and social status.” To further demonstrate the significance of hair within the Black community she cites the origins of the “Black is Beautiful” movement. This social movement began in the late sixties and promoted Black pride in physical features and culture. The movement was inspired by the need to counter society’s negative connotation of the Black community. In its core, the movement valued “the importance of truth, knowledge, beauty and accentuating positive connotations of the label ‘Black.’” The “Black is Beautiful” was a pivotal movement that embraced the Black identity with self-love and pride. The author goes onto discuss the connotations of Black liberation that followed the movement such as self-help, social and economic mobility, and racial solidarity. The article discusses that Black women who have gone abroad have been exposed to different interpretations of their racial identity, attitudes, and cultural scripting of Black female bodies. While combating prejudices and white beauty standards at home, Black women also experience racism abroad for their appearance. Oftentimes, they experience travel differently than their white colleagues because their phenotypic markers make them a target for scrutiny and unwarranted attention abroad. This is especially true for areas with very small Black demographics. This article is important because it not only defines hair as racial marker, but discusses how women of color should learn to defy the “scripting” of their bodies in all social settings. In my research I want to emphasize how hair shapes Black culture through a holistic lens. I believe I can use this source to frame my research as it discusses the implications of Black hair, in America as well as internationally.

 

Johnson, Tabora A., and Teiahsha Bankhead. “Hair It Is: Examining the Experiences of Black Women with Natural Hair.” Open Journal of Social Sciences (2013): 86-100. Scientific Research. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.

This article examines the relationship between the racial discrimination and perspectives of hair natural hair practices for Black women. Research is extrapolated from data of a 2013 internet survey which evaluated the experiences of 529 Black women who have worn their hair in its natural state in the US. Before disclosing the findings of the internet study the article analyzes the history of hair within the Black community and how Black hair has been ostracized, sexualized, and racialized throughout history. The article first details how hair used to be a marker of age, religion, social rank, and marital status in 12th century Africa. This survey as one demonstration of how hair and cultural identity are one in the same. The article also sheds light on the diction that is used to describe Black hair and how it works to dehumanize the Black community. The article specifically cites a white anthropologist who refers to Black hair types as ranging from “peppercorn, tufted, matted, to woolly,” despite the fact that all of these terms have animalistic connotations. The anthropologist adds that “spirality appears to have produced the matted condition. It is not the result of accumulated dirt or anything of that sort, as might appear at first sight.” This, however, is not the only instance of blatant racial discrimination of Black physical characteristics. The article also makes reference to the story of Saartjie “Sarah” Baartman, a South African woman abducted from her native land in 1810 to be a circus display because of her large hips, breasts, and full lips. The over sexualization of the female Black body is also evident in modern times. In the same context, Black hair is seen as “wild, untamed, and frightening,” many people make a spectacle of Black hair because of its unique qualities. The article emphasizes how in the sixties and seventies natural hair was used as a political statement, which symbolized the rejection of conformity to internalize white standards of beauty. The results of the internet study demonstrated that an increasing amount of Black women are wearing their hair natural, which has resulted in a greater sense of self-esteem, self-appreciation, and pride. The revelation of this study is that the idea of straightening hair in order to attain success is a dated social construct that is losing its traction in society. This article brings the reader to a greater understanding of the role that hair plays in modern-day Black representation. I can use this research to aid my own because of its successful representation of the multifaceted Black community in regards to hair practices and identity.

 

King, Vanessa, and Dieynaba Niabaly. “The Politics of Black Womens’ Hair.” Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Makato 13.4 (2013): 4-18. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.

This article discusses the varying perspectives of Black women living in America and those abroad with regards to hair and hair-care practices. In this way, the article gives great insight into the hair culture of the Black community nationally and internationally. The study found that those abroad felt that relaxing hair did not define their character and it was merely a choice of styling. Meanwhile, those in America believed that to relax your hair actively defines who you are as hair is a very important asset to their identity. Many participants expressed that they feel the greatest pressure to relax or chemically straighten their hair from their family members and peers. Those who expressed this sentiment also made note that they often straightened their hair for special occasions such as church. The participants of the study also expressed that when they wear their hair naturally they are perceived as childish, as relaxers are culturally a symbol of the transition to adulthood. Interestingly enough, the participants unanimously agreed many people would be “more comfortable” if they straightened their hair as it is the societal norm. The women involved in this study all insisted that the large majority of the Black population relaxes their hair because of the misconception that it is easier to care for than natural hair. Participants held different experience of how men treat them with natural hair. Those abroad claimed that men find them more attractive while women at home believe that men make negative comments about natural hair. This study goes onto demonstrate that there are varying opinions on the implications of chemically altering ones hair. Some believe that it is a way of individual expression independent of social connotations, while other believe that it is a manifestation of white idealization. This article is useful as it shows how ethnicity plays an integral role in cultural identity. Those at home and those abroad have different cultural and social factors that influence their perspectives on natural hair practices. I believe that I can use this research to draw ideas of how perspectives of hair-care may differ within the Caribbean diaspora at home and abroad.  

 

Reddock, Rhoda. “Diversity, Difference and Caribbean Feminism: The Challenge of  Anti-Racism,.” A Journal of Caribbean Perspective on Gender and Feminism 1 (2007): 2-22. Caribbean Review of Gender Studies. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.

This source discusses the rift between Afro-Caribbean women and Indo-Caribbean women in the present day feminist movement. The organization Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA) was criticized for not being representative of Indo-Caribbean women. This article discusses how these two different groups, although being connected by their shared Caribbean heritage are in frequent opposition to one another. The different groups even have starkly different stigmas that follow them. For instance Afro-Caribbean women are stereotyped as being loose, immoral, loud, independent, and sexually available, while Indo-Caribbean women are stereotyped as chaste, pure, controlled, and sexually unavailable. The Afro-Indo conflict presently superseeds the earlier white-black conflict that previously afflicted the Caribbean. Although the main premise of this article is to highlight the divisions within the Caribbean Feminism movement and the Caribbean as a whole, it does mention the role of very important feminists such as Catherine McKenzie, Amy Ashwood Garvey, and Una Marson. Specifically, Una Marson wrote a poem Kinky Hair Blues, which conveys her resistance to straighten Afro-hair. This article will be useful in my research as it details key figures in the Afro-Caribbean movement and their actions toward cultural liberation. Una Marson’s poem will be especially important in illustrating the struggles of colored women with regards to their hair and societal conformity.

 

Rosette, Ashleigh Shelby, and Tracy L. Dumas. “The Hair Dilemma: Conform to Mainstream Expectations or Emphasize Racial Identity.” Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy 14.407 (2007): 409-21. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.

This article sheds light on how oftentimes women of color, specifically Black women, must downplay their ethnic identity in order to conform to mainstream aesthetic standards. It notes how beauty standards in the U.S. are in direct opposition to the natural characteristics of most Black women. Women who do not conform to these standards run the risk of being racially and ethnically discriminated in the workforce. The article discusses the paradox that is balancing femininity and attractiveness in a professional setting. Shelby explains how a woman is advantaged and also inhibited by being perceived as attractive within the workplace. Although she will afford more opportunities if she is thought to be physically appealing, she will carry the connotations of being incapable because of her femininity. Traditionally, American culture devalues Black women as less feminine and less attractive than other demographics. This article notes the processes of “covering” and “shifting” as ways that women of color hiding their cultural roots. “Covering” is the choice to make the stigmatized characteristics less visible in order to retain social status. “Shifting” is when an individual changes their dialect to assimilate into a particular social setting in which their native dialect would be looked down upon. Black women find themselves choosing hairstyles that fit the expectations of their white colleagues rather than ones that are true to their ethnic identity. This article makes note that Black women spend approximately $50 million per year on chemical straighteners alone. One can only assume this number has grown since 2007, as the market for chemical hair-processing has grown in the last decade. This study is especially useful because it details the conflict that Black women face concerning their personal and professional identities. I can utilize this article in my research when I am discussing how social stigma contributes to the prominent trend in processed hair.