Black Hair Resources
Military Ban on Black Hairstyles
Trailer for Chris Rock's 2009 Film Good Hair
Politics of Black Hair in America
Books on Black Hair
The Politics of Black Women's Hair by
From furious debate on the Web about Michelle Obama's straightened hair to keen interest in model Tyra Banks's revelation of the hair she usually hides under wigs and weaves, Black women's hair has taken a prime place on the pop cultural agenda. More than just a fashion statement, a Black woman's choice of hairstyle can reflect her self-image, childhood experiences, and personal beliefs as well. Using interviews, memoirs, and personal essays, this book sensitively charts Black women's journeys with their hair: how it is perceived, judged, and graded on the yardstick of mainstream society's standards of beauty. Women from Canada, the United States, Britain, and the Caribbean discuss their lives through the medium of their hair. Unhappy childhood struggles with the comb, adolescent experiments with identity through hair, and adult decisions for or against "natural" hair are all expressed with honesty, some wry humour, and the poignant realization that hair can be another social battlefield.
Call Number: Online resourceISBN: 1897415508Publication Date: 2009-01-01
Hair Story: untangling the roots of Black hair in America by
Two world wars, the Civil Rights movement, and a Jheri curl later, Blacks in America continue to have a complex and convoluted relationship with their hair. From the antebellum practice of shaving the head in an attempt to pass as a "free" person to the 1998 uproar over a White third-grade teacher's reading of the book Nappy Hair, the issues surrounding Black hair continue to linger as we enter the twenty-first century. Hair Story is a historical and anecdotal exploration of Black Americans' tangled hair roots. A chronological look at the culture and politics behind the ever-changing state of Black hair from fifteenth-century Africa to the present-day United States, it ties the personal to the political and the popular. Read about: * Why Black American slaves used items like axle grease and eel skin to straighten their hair. * How a Mexican chemist straightened Black hair using his formula for turning sheep's wool into a minklike fur. * How the Afro evolved from militant style to mainstream fashion trend. * What prompted the creation of the Jheri curl and the popular style's fall from grace. * The story behind Bo Derek's controversial cornrows and the range of reactions they garnered. Major figures in the history of Black hair are presented, from early hair-care entrepreneurs Annie Turnbo Malone and Madam C. J. Walker to unintended hair heroes like Angela Davis and Bob Marley. Celebrities, stylists, and cultural critics weigh in on the burgeoning sociopolitical issues surrounding Black hair, from the historically loaded terms "good" and "bad" hair, to Black hair in the workplace, to mainstream society's misrepresentation and misunderstanding of kinky locks. Hair Story is the book that Black Americans can use as a benchmark for tracing a unique aspect of their history, and it's a book that people of all races will celebrate as the reference guide for understanding Black hair.
Call Number: E185.86 .B96 2001ISBN: 0312265999Publication Date: 2001-02-01
Hair Matters: beauty, power, and Black women's consciousness by
Contents: Unhappy to be nappy -- Why hair matters : getting to the roots -- The hair "do's" and "don't's" of Black womanhood -- Splitting hairs : power, choice, and femininity -- Women and girls speak out : five hair-raising sessions -- Black hair, 1990s style -- Methods, methodology, and the shaping of Hair matters -- Defining black hair and hairstyling practices -- Interviewee demographics.
Call Number: Online resourceISBN: 0585434638Publication Date: 2000-01-01
Hair: public, political, extremely personal by
Cut it, color it, perm it, shave it, braid it, wax it, highlight it, mousse it, gel it, brush it and brush it and brush it... What don't we do to our hair? Diane Simon is fascinated by people's relationship with their hair because it is both very personal one and very public. She recognizes that so much of who we are is reflected in our relationship with our hair. Diane is the curly-haired daughter of straight haired parents and has suffered much for her "bad hair". In researching and writing Hair: Public, Political, Extremely Personal she has used her suffering as a point of entry, a common ground to share with those who think of themselves as excluded from Western beauty norms because of their hair. In Hair: Public, Political, Extremely Personal, social and cultural issues form the backdrop for an exploration of the choices people make to transform themselves through their hair. Hair is a cultural investigation with a strong narrative momentum and a commitment to individual personalities. Join Diane on her visits to Harlem braiding salons and Hassidic wig shops, and in her quest to try every type of hair removal. Spend an afternoon with Sy Sperling at the Hair Club for Men headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida, and find out the truth about some celebrity scalps. Hair: Public, Political, Extremely Personal is candid, humorous, serious, and surprisingly revealing. Cut It, Curl It, Weave It, Bleach It, Condition It, Implant It, Blowdry It, Spray It, Tint It, Comb It, Rat It, Bob It, Perm It, Braid It, Coif It, Gel It, Wig It, Fake It, Knot It, Pull It, Dye It, Highlight It, Wave It, Shampoo It, Straighten It, Pluck It, Color It, Wax It, Clip It, Shave It, Thread It, Mousse It, Depilitorize It, Tweeze It, Hide It, Laser It, Tease It, Trim It, Chop It, Wash It, Dry It, Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It
Call Number: GT2295 .U5 S56 2000ISBN: 0312208936Publication Date: 2000-04-08
Find More Books on this topic in Vanderbilt Libraries
News Articles on Black Hair
- Telling ‘Untold’ stories of womanhood and the politics of Black hairWashington Post
By Nicole Crowder May 12 - The politics of black women’s hair: Why it’s seen with skepticism — and a need to discipline A new military ban on cornrows and locs misses an entire culture -- and evokes my nightly rituals as a young girlSalon
By Brittney Cooper
"the long-held skepticism in black communities over natural styles has its roots in the structural and systemic regulation of black women’s bodies." - TSA reaches agreement on pat-down searches of black women's hairBrief Article - L.A. Times
By Hugo Martin - Teyonah Parris Promptly Put An 'Old Man' In His Place After He Inappropriately Touched Her HairThe Huffington Post
By Julee Wilson 06/10/2015 5:38 pm EDT - TSA Says It Will Stop Touching So Many Black Women's HairHuff Post: Politics
04/03/2015 3:13 pm EDT
By Julia Craven - Zendaya Blasts Giuliana Rancic For Making Racist Comments About Her Oscars Hairstyle (UPDATED)The Huffington Post
By Julee Wilson 02/24/2015 - Huffington Post: Black HairAll Huff Post articles on Black Hair
- White Women, Black HairstylesSlate OCT. 15 2013
By David Rosenberg - Allure's Afro Tutorial For White Women: The Politics Of Black Hair In Post-Rachel Dolezal AmericaInternational Business Times
By Barbara Herman, August 04 2015 2:13 PM
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Glossary
- "Transparency Phenomenon"Defined in the first paragraph of this article:
Flagg, Barbara J. "On Selecting Black Women as Paradigms for Race Discrimination Analyses." Berkeley Women's LJ 10 (1995): 40.
