“We live in a society where racism is often subtle, consisting of such micro-aggressions that collectively attempt to kill black women's spirits.”- Ama Yawson, Huffington Post
To give some general background information, the natural
hair movement is a movement designed to show and express that the natural hair
of black people (though shown more through women) is perfectly fine the way it
is, and does not need to conform to the ideal of straightness to be beautiful
or seen as not dirty. It is also about women enjoying their natural hair,
without having to worry about chemicals or procedures to ‘fix’ it. While some
people worry that it has become an elitist way to look down on back women who
choose to wear weaves or chemically straighten their hair [link]
many women find it liberating and enjoy the community they have found in
embracing their natural beauty.
"At its base level, the natural-hair movement is practical. It’s a vehicle for women to access bloggers, websites, and their peers to learn how to best care for and style their locks. But, that’s just the basics. The real “movement” of the movement has always been about black women finding self-acceptance." (Link)
 |
| Image Link |
While there is a lot of positivity in the movement, I would like for focus briefly on the negative feelings that some people have. Some women feel like the natural hair movement is just a way for people to feel elitist. In the article linked above, the woman says that the people who used to look down on her natural hair are now the same people who look down on other black women for not having their hair in its natural state. She also points out that to a lot of people, "hair is just hair" and doesn't have any higher political implications. While all of these points are valid, and even true to individuals, the problem is also that for a lot of people, hair is not just hair, and something that has been used to make them feel bad about themselves or to portray them as "lesser." It has also been used as a tool to give unequal statuses to black women, and a way to portray them as 'other.'
"Beauty is subject to the hegemonic standards of the ruling class." -Tracy Owens Patton
In her article, Patton talks about the ways in which Euro-centric beauty standards (such as light skin, straight hair, and a smaller figure) can be damaging to women who do not fit these standards, since they are portrayed as the only way for women to be beautiful, and thus, valuable. She states that "Women of color looking for answers through an introspective gaze or through their communities in order to counter White hegemonically defined standards of beauty is not a new occurrence.Historically and into modern times African American beauty has been disparaged. As much of the literature on African American women and beauty has pointed out, African American women have either been the subject of erasure in the various mediated forms or their beauty has been wrought with racist stereotypes." The natural hair movement is a way to fight back against these stereotypes and to show that black women's hair is perfectly fine the way it is. It is a way for women to set their own personal beauty standards and to try and take back power. It seems to be especially important for women to have this power because even today, their is still prejudice regarding something that should be as simple as hair and letting anybody choose to wear it how they want.
 |
| Image Link |
Recently, there was also a news story about another little girl who was threatened with expulsion because according to her school's dress code, her natural hairstyle of locks was deemed a "fad hairstyle." Video can be found in this article. While there are many reasons a girl can be sent home from school, (due to sexist standards in dress code) hairstyles specifically wore by young black girls fall on this list, even though these 'hairstyles' are just their natural hair.
Debunking the myth of what is beauty would require Euro American women to say "the hell with what men think" and African American women would have to say "the heck with what all of White culture thinks"- Wilson and Russell 1996, 85
Sources:
Kenneth. "I Hate the Natural Hair Movement - Curl Centric™." Curl Centric™. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2014.
Patton, Tracey Owens. "Hey Girl, Am I More than My Hair?: African American Women and Their Struggles with Beauty, Body Image, and Hair." NWSA Journal 18.2 (2006): 24-51. JSTOR. Web. 22 Nov. 2014. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/4317206?ref=no-x-route:693717b1204f58362f4112988cf00336>.
Reporter, Daily Mail. "Bullied 12-year-old Girl Is Threatened with Expulsion from School for Refusing to Cut Her Natural Afro Hair." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 26 Nov. 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2014.
Klein, Rebecca. "Tiana Parker, 7, Switches Schools After Being Forbidden From Wearing Dreads." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 05 Sept. 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2014.
"Is #TeamNatural For Black Girls Only?" Refinery29. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2014.
It is very interesting because I've always heard the argument from people who love and are proud of their natural hair or people who call natural hair a "fad" and "unprofessional." I was not aware there were some people who felt they were being looked down upon because they did not go with their natural hair. I think this is an interesting movement because even if some people feel "hair is just hair," the same could be said about body shape and skin color. Those are things everyone has, yet they continue to maintain beauty standards and racism because people have different opinions on them and it influences how they feel about the person who has a certain hair type, body shape, or skin color. One reason, I believe, people care about their body parts so much is because there is such a high standard of beauty today that originated from people who felt pride in certain body parts. Daily critique and praise towards appearance are further reasons why these things continue to perpetuate the beauty standard.
ReplyDeleteThis post was relatively striking to me because honestly, I never saw afros as black peoples 'natural beauty.' As ignorant as it sounds, it never really crossed my mind that without products or materials, African American hair that is fully grown out is in fact an afro. I think that it is very cool that the girl in the article was able to express herself through her hair. In modern day society, many people will do this by dyeing there hair blue or even putting in in corn rows. The fact that the young girl, and many others, is able to express herself by letting her true, natural hair grow out is outstanding.
ReplyDeleteIt's really shocked me that people's hair styles can reflect the problem of racism. Different people will have different beauty standard. For my opinion, we should not judge people by their choice. It's nothing wrong with a black woman straight her hair, since she feel that style looks better on her. Also, students could have their original hair styles too, because their hair do not really violent the school codes. When one chooses to change their hair style, it may be a simple personal choice rather than the cultural hegemony.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fascinating blog article to read. Strangely enough I had just read something similar in a magazine and have to admit that both have made me completely change the way I think about how hairstyles can reflect not just personality, but an abundance of different issues or facts about someone, including their heritage, their genetic makeup, and the racism still caught in America. Your use of quotes was really great in strengthening your research and its importance. The fact that someone can be judged based on their hair to determine their "ruling class" is appalling and something I've never really thought about. A very thought-provoking post, and it will make me think twice about how hair is seen in society!
ReplyDeleteThis reading is very insightful, I was surprised to know that there are some people who do not accept black women's hair. I believe everyone has the right to choose whatever type of hair or hairstyle, if straight or not. I do not think blacks should conform and I do not believe whites hair is the "norm."
ReplyDeleteReally interesting read, I liked how you used examples of how the choice in hairstyle plays a huge role in how Black women are perceived throughout the blog
ReplyDeleteWhat I like about this post is how it touches on the racial biases that beauty standards place on people. There is this Eurocentric mindset that looks at women who do not straighten their hair as other and does not respect that just because there is a difference in hairstyle does not mean one is better than the other. We should stop teaching girls to "tame" their hair and instead welcome the fact that their is appropriate in the same way naturally straight hair is.
ReplyDelete