I Am Not My Hair: Reclaiming Black Beauty

Session Submission Type: Panel Session

Abstract

Black women’s physical appearance has been the subject of much adoration and disdain in popular culture. From the caricatures of exaggerated features and sexual organs to more recent celebration of full hips, butts and lips, Black women have seen it all. Most recently, a series of articles has sought to capture what it means to be a Black woman, portrayals that are often negative. For example, the recent article by Satoshi Kanazawa “Why Are Black Women Ugly?” where he describes Black women as less physically attractive than other women, while Vogue Italia has courted controversy for its use of negative labeling of artist Rihanna as it sought to highlight Black culture in its online blog and its print issues. Melissa Harris-Perry’s recent book, “Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes and Black Women” describes the categories that Black women are placed in which are sometimes contradictory and inconsistent. These identities have, for the most part, been imposed on Black women by mainstream society. No issue is quite central to Black women’s beauty and sense of self-worth than their hair. Black women’s hair can be seen as evidence of oppression or a political lightening rod. Black women have long sought to define who they are through their hair. Our session will explore the natural hair movement of the 60s and 70s, comparing and contrasting it to the current natural hair movement. As the Afro became a symbol for the Black Power Movement today's natural hair symbolizes a reclaiming of Black women's authentic identity.

Sub Unit

• 97th Annual Convention

Chair

• Rebecca M Hankins, Texas A&M University

Commentator

• The Audience, ASALH

Participants

• Salimah Hankins, ACLU of Maryland

• Ebony Gayles, Poverty & Race Research Action Council

Session created by

• Rebecca M Hankins, Texas A&M University

• Ebony Gayles, Poverty & Race Research Action Council

• Salimah Hankins, ACLU of Maryland