A Sociological Analysis Of African-American Culture

African-American culture is known for thick, coarse hair, which is extremely time consuming when maintaining it in it’s natural state. The natural state of hair varies depending on the ethnicity. For African Americans, natural hair is hair that has not been altered by chemical straighteners, such as perms. From trying to maintain healthy hair to paying for extensions, my hair was one of my biggest battles I faced during my upbringing. This paper engages a sociological analysis my personal hair situation I faced when I was an adolescent. I will directly focus toward social aspects of this phenomenon. Specifically, I will discuss the issue of race and hair in relation to the dominant culture and the consequences this has for individuals.

As mentioned before, Caucasians typically have silky hair while most African Americans have coarse, thick hair. This racial difference is an important aspect of this analysis because it provokes the issue at hand, black girls are being judged and discriminated because of their hair. Having a plethora of short ponytails, that often stick off is “ugly” in society today, when compared to just have two long ponytails. Girls who are not black, do not face half of the issues I did involving my hair. Thabile Vilakazi, a journalist for CNN, published an article about South African girls being told that their afros needed to be tamed because they were too exotic(). They attended Pretoria Girls High, where a school code of conduct is active, but does not mention any restrictions or permissions about their hair(). The conflicts many black girls deal with in society today are the reasons why we drift away from embracing our own

Although white is considered “raceless” and does not seem to be defined, having hairstyles that fit in with society decreases the amount of racial discrimination conflicts one faces. Even many African American celebrities feel compelled to smoothen their hair and to fit in easier with the dominant culture and to move in society better. Although weaves and extensions are easier to manage, last longer, and can be styled in more ways mimicking the dominant culture, afros and such natural hairstyles have meaning. The afro hairstyle emerged during the civil rights movement and symbolizes rebellion, pride and empowerment(). Black girls should not be downgraded because they want to cultivate their hair history or be a reflection of their ancestors. Our ancestors and even the young South African girls who protested, have worked hard for our natural state of hair to be accepted, yet there still are consequences dealing with this