Tangled Tresses: Contextualizing African American Hair in the 21St Century

LaToya M. Hobbs

Critical Art Theory

Tangled Tresses: Contextualizing African American Hair in the 21st Century

Introduction

Hair. In general terms, it is viewed as an insignificant topic, but in the lives of black women in America it is a weighty matter that has been used to reveal ideologies about social and cultural interaction, sexuality, economics, politics, and spirituality. Beauty practices as they relate to hair care are among the most debated topics in black culture; in particular, natural hair vs. relaxed hair sits at the top of the list. In the general hierarchy of hair in black communities“good” or acceptable hair is straight and “bad” hair is referred to as “kinky” or “nappy”. These classifications are based on Eurocentric standards of beauty. From early childhood African American women are constantly bombarded with the idea that the natural kinky texture of their hair is something that must be shunned and altered. This is reflected in aquote by bell hooks from her book Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood,“Good, hair ---- That’s the expression. We all know it, begin to hear it when we are small children,when we are sitting between the legs of our mothers and sisters getting our hair combed. Good hair is hair that is not kinky, hair that does not feel like balls of steel wool, hair that does not take hours to comb, hair that does not need tons of grease to untangle, hair that is long. Real good hair is straight hair, hair like white folks’ hair. Yet no one says so. No one says your hair is so nice, so beautiful because it is like white folks’ hair. We pretend that the standards we measure our beauty by are our own invention--- that it is questions of time and money that lead us to make distinctions between good hair and bad hair”.[1]

When addressing the issue of Black hair, several questions arise. One of the first questions that come to mind is: Is there really a debate in the Black community about wearing natural vs. chemically processed hair? From my personal experiences and research on this topic my answer is yes. The level of seriousness varies between mild and extreme, but, it is an issuenonetheless.

In 1998 a children’s book titled Nappy Hair written by black author Carolivia Herron stirred a lot of commotion when it was read to a third grade class of made up of predominately African American and Latino students by a Caucasian teacher. The first-year Brooklyn teacher, Ruth Sherman, intended the book to be used as a celebration of diversity and self acceptance. In the book, the narrator, an African American man called Uncle Mordecai, tells a story about Brenda, a dark-skinned Black girl with kinky, nappy hair. Uncle Mordecai’s story turns out to be a celebration of her beauty. Enjoying the book, several of the children asked for copies of the manuscript. Things took a turn for the worst when a Black parent found a copy of the book in her daughter’s things. Outraged and upset, the mother showed the text to other black parents in the community, some of which did not have students in Mrs. Sherman’s class. The parents saw the book as offensive and insulting because of the use of the word nappy and felt that the children in the class were being taught demeaning racist stereotypes. [2]

The conflict reached its boiling point whenMrs. Sherman received an urgent call from the principal during one of her classes, telling her to come to the auditorium of the school. The principal informed her that some of the parents were upset about her use of the book Nappy Hair. As soon as she stepped into the auditorium all hell broke loose as she came in contact with the angry mob of parents. Anxious and nervous, the teacher stood in front of the crowd and did not have the chance to defend herself and intended use of the book. Seeing that the crowd was growing angrier and began calling her racial slurs, the principal and school security rushed her out of the auditorium. Unsurprisingly, Mrs. Sherman resigned her position at the school shortly thereafter. After hearing about the controversy surrounding her book which was broadcast on just about every major news station and written about in several major newspapers including the Washington Postand Newsweek, the author clarified that her book was in fact a celebration of black hair and beauty and defended the teacher’s use of the book.[3] Many feel that the ultimate victims in this situation were Mrs. Sherman’s students. What message is being sent to the children when an authority figure, in this case, their teacher, is drastically reprimanded for using a book that celebrates nappy hair? This response sends the message that hair that is kinky in texture is something that should not be valued.

Personally I think the Black parents overreacted in this situation and would not have taken such drastic measures if Mrs. Sherman were a black teacher, despite their claims that they would have resented a teacher of any race that brought up such a sensitive issue in a classroom setting. In situations like this the word nappy is considered the other “n-word”, and is held sacred and shunned simultaneously. To her demise, Mrs. Sherman was not aware of the potentially explosive nature of the termor the fact that in general, African Americans feel that only those who have “nappy hair” have the cultural right to use and discuss the term. Context remains essential to understanding when “nappy” isbeing used lovingly, negatively, or subervisvely. This story vividly illustrates that hair is a very sensitive topic for African Americans, women in particular.

Another question that arises when addressing this topic is: What is the general perception of African American hair to mainstream white America? The follow up question would be: Are there social and economical advantages to wearing chemically processed hair? The reasons that women opt to wear chemically processed hairstyles are often influenced by external forces in society. One of the most common influences on this decision is the response to black hair in the work place. One common belief of women who wear their hair chemically processed is that they must altar their hair in order to gain economic success or empowerment. Some women who prefer natural hair chose not to wear ethnic hairstyles because they would rather not deal with the negative attitudesthat are often associatedwith them. Women who do wear natural hair are often reprimanded and accused of being“extreme” or “too exotic”, an account to which I can attest to personally. In these cases the term extreme is placed on hairstyles that are common for hair that is kinky or curly in texture. There have been several cases in the United States of black women suing companies due to policies that specifically place a ban on ethnic hairstyles. In one scenario Black women filed a law suit against American Airlines in the late 1980’s to defend their right to wear braids in the workplace. A similar case was filed against Hayatt Hotels. [4] On Change.org, a social action platform that empowers people to make a difference across a variety of causes, I read a blog post entitled Companies Forbid “ Extreme” Blackness, that mentioned howtwo black women were denied employment with a Maryland Six Flags Amusement Park because of their natural hair. In this example, their dreadlocks were seen as extreme and a violation to the company’s grooming policy. These cases and countless others show the discomfort and sometimes fascination that mainstream society feels regarding black hair.

While there is often a negative or intolerant attitude towards natural hair, there are those who uphold natural or “nappy” hair as a symbol of cultural pride that should be embraced and celebrated. My objective is to investigate these two contrasting views by looking at the external and internal factors that influence hair care preferences among black women. By looking at the history of Black hair in America, I hope to contextualize what embracing natural hair represents in the 21st Century.

Pre-Diaspora-Significance of Hair in African American Culture

In order to properly address the issues of hair in modern society I feel that is necessary to look at African American hair from a historical context by investigating its origins and significance in traditional African culture. In African culture hair has significant social and spiritual meanings. Maintenance of the hair was aimed at creating a sense of beauty among both men and women. In many West African societies unkempt hair was extremely taboo and seen as a sign of un-cleanliness, immorality, sickness, and even insanity.[5] Styling of the hair was an important practice and was used to convey messages to other members of society. Figure 1 shows an image of two Swahili women engaging in hair dressing.

Different hairstyles could indicate several things about a person such as age, marital status, tribal identity, wealth and rank in the community among other things. Hairstyles often changed to signify when a person was crossing over from childhood to adulthood and used as an indicator of rites of passage. The celebration and fascination of hair starts at birth. As early as seven days after a child is born hair rituals are performed such as the shaving of the head which indicated that the child has passed from the spirit realm to the natural realm. However, children born with hair that was very full did not have their heads shaved and were seen as a gift from the Gods who would bring good fortune to their parents.[6]

In terms of spirituality hair is seen as a sacred part of one’s being and a bridge between the natural andspirit world. The head was viewed as the source of control, communication and identity. Hair was considered sacred, a source of power and the gateway to the soul. Because of its placement on the head, which is the most elevated part of the body, hair was seen as a means of communication to the gods and was often braided in complex designs to convey certain messages. Hair styling was considered an art form and intricate designs could take hours, even days to complete. Figure 2 shows an example of a complex hair design worn by a Yoruba woman.

Just as styles vary among Africans hair texture and color vary as well. The thickness and curl pattern of one’s hair usually varies among different regions of the continent. For example, about 75 percent of the people living in Africa have very kinky or tightly coiled hair, 15 percent have curly hair and the remaining 10 percent have wavy or straight hair.[7]

Post Diaspora- Whiteness as the Beauty Ideal

The onset of slavery marked a significant shift in the cultural practices of people of African descent and was made successful by the striping away of identity through the removal of cultural practices.Since hair was such a significant part of African culture the forced shaving of the head before being sold into slavery was considered a dehumanizing act which in African culture was performed on prisoners of war. Europeans saw the hair texture of Africans as unsightly and compared it to wool, signifying that it belonged to animals rather than people.[8]

Personal grooming for slaves was a problem for various reasons, among them being lack of time and no access to the soap, combs and oils they used to groom themselves in their homeland. Unhealthy living conditions also affected grooming because they brought on the development of scalp diseases and infections such as lice and ringworm. Eventually slaves began to create hair care tools and products to cleanse and condition their scalp and hair. Because their hair was considered unsightly, both enslaved and free people made concoctions that were designed to relax or straighten their hair. One method in particular was a mixture of lye and potatoes that would burn the skin if it touched the scalp (lye is a chemical that is often used in chemical hair relaxers today). However there were people who remained true to their natural hair texture. The European beauty ideal was centered on the premise of the lighter and straighter the better. The term lighter applied to hair and skin color. So in addition to straightening, methods were created to lighten hair as well. Since light skin and straight hair were favored, people who had those features were granted access to better jobs and other social advantages more so than those with more “African” features.

Black Hair in the early 1900-40’s-Madame C. J. Walker

Most hair care products for African Americans were originally manufactured and sold by Caucasians, many of which contained caustic chemicals like bleach and other detergents that were harmful when placed in direct contact with the skin. Around the 1900’s, African Americans began to develop products to improve the health and growth of their hair. This trend not only offered better grooming practices for them, but also created opportunities for economic advancement through the development of jobs centered on hair care. Several black entrepreneurs embarked on the threshold of black hair care. In 1898, Anthony Overton founded the Hygienic Products Company. Sarah Spencer Washington was also very successful in the hair care business, founding the Apex manufacturing Company for the production of her products and as well as several hair salons. When addressing the ideas of African American hair care and beauty practices, one would be remised in not mentioning the contributions of Madame C.J. Walker.

Born as Sara Breedlove on December 23, 1867, Madame Walker became interested in hair care around the 1890’s because of her own scalp problems and hair loss. She began experimenting with her own mixtures, but they were initially unsuccessful in treating her symptoms.As mentioned earlier,head Lice and ringworms were common hair problems for African Americans due to unsuitable living accommodations and lack of proper hair care methods and products. In 1905, Walker moved to Denver, Colorado to work for Annie Minerva Turnbo Malone. Malone started her own successful hair care manufacturing company called Poro. Walker became a Poro Agent and worked as a cook while she continued to improve her own hair care formulas.

Finally a few years later, Walker came up with a conditioning salve that gave her positive results. Feeling very strongly that her product had market value, she offered it to her friends and began selling it door to door in black neighborhoods. In addition to her initial conditioner called Madame Walker’s WonderfulHair Grower, the product line expanded to include a coconut oil shampoo, a salve to treat eczema and ringworm, and Glossine, which was used with a heated pressing comb to make hair smooth and easier to manage. [9] Figure 4 shows images of Madame Walker before and after the use of her products. As her sales increased she started a mail order business and hired women she called Walker Agents to demonstrate and sell her products. As her business continued to grow Walker was able to establish offices, training schools, and salons that used and sold her products. Indianapolis, Indiana became the headquarters of her company where she built the Madame C.J. Walter Manufacturing Company which employed thousands of African American women. Her business was so successful that she became known as the first African American millionaire and the first female self-made millionaire of any race.Walker traveled to cities all over the country to give speeches about her business and lecture on hair care techniques and products. As her reputation grew she traveled to locations throughout Central America and the Caribbean such as Costa Rica, Jamaica, Haiti, Panama, and Cuba. Walker felt cleanliness and good grooming were tools to increase pride in one’s appearance and in return would lead to greater self confidence.

In investigating the contributions of Madame Walker one may ask the question, was the development of her hair care products and those of others in her field created out of a feeling of inferiority? It is hard to place a concrete yes or no as the answer. I believe that her efforts and achievements were born first and foremost to improve the health and hygiene of her hair and scalp and other women who suffered from the same problems; and secondly, to provide self esteem and offer economic security for women of color. Even though Madame Walker, provided products that could alter the original texture of hair, she encouraged Black women to appreciate their own beauty and take pride in their appearance.