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African american hair research paper
African american hair research paper
African american hair research paper
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Why are black women so worried about getting their hair wet? How painful are weaves? Can blacks really get our edges back after they are gone? Those are some of the questions that are asked by people in America who look white. African American hair is different from white hair. In Americanah by Chimananda Nogzi Adichie, the main character Ifemelu changers her hair throughout her experiences in Nigeria and America. In Nigeria, she wears box braids, but when she comes to America she chemically relaxed and then chops off all of her hair. When she returns back to Nigeria, she puts her hair back into box braids. Hair is significant in this story because it represents her identity as an African American woman in American and in Nigeria. She learns …show more content…
Eighty present of the book is told from Ifemelu sitting in an African Hair braiding shop getting her hair braided for six hours. While sitting in the chair she would have flash backs of her life in Nigeria and in America. One of the very first flash backs that she has of hair is of her mother’s hair. She talks about how she admires her mother hair. When strangers would see her mother hair, they would say “Are you from Jamaica? As though only foreign blood…thin at temples” (49). This suggests that people have stereotypes on African American hair. Black women who have long hair must be mixed with another race because if she is not, her hair must be short or have weave in it. As times goes on we see that Ifemelu before did not really care about her hair before. Before she comes to America she was okay with just having box braids. Before she left for America her Aunt Uja told her to “Make small-small braids that will last long, it’s very expensive to make hair here” (122). This is an example of why before hair was not really a big deal in her eyes. She loved her hair the way it was. Box braids were used to empower women. It allows women to wear their hair in different ways without damaging it by using heat and other products. Box braids empowered
Hair and Makeup by Geri is a hair and makeup artist that is located in Ewa Beach, Hawaii. Geraldine “Geri” Valencia has been doing hair and makeup for over 10 years. Hair and Makeup by Geri specializes in proms, wedding hair and makeup, pageants, and special occasions. Geri has also worked with many state and national pageant title holders including Miss Hawaii Teen USA 2009 Ashley Moser, Hawaii's Miss 2010 Grand Queen Jadyn Wilderman, Miss T.E.E.N Hawaii 2010 Lindsey Barayuga, and more.
Stereotypes are harmful because they affect those who are struggling with their identity. I think Wolfe included typical African American stereotypes such as the basketball player described by Miss Pat, the African American woman with “attitude” and “a healthy head of kinks” described by Janine, and Aunt Ethel who portrays the “down-home black woman.” In The Hairpiece, the woman is being persuaded to either be the sociality
In the recent past year or two, a woman’s natural hair has become a big thing. Before, African American women, to be specific, were so disgusted by their hair. They would do anything in their power to change the “nappy” aspect of their hair to “beautiful”. They would use relaxers very so often and hot combs.
In “Straightening Our Hair”, Bell Hooks articulates her opinion of black women straightening their hair. “Black women straightening their hair seemed more and more to be exclusively a signifier of white supremacist oppression and exploration” (Hooks 337). Hooks illustrates that racial discrimination of African-American women forced them to want to conform to societies unrealistic white supremacist beauty standards. I agree with Bell Hooks arguments because she supported it with historical and surface reasoning’s on why women straighten their hair.
Hair is interpersonal because it allows for people to connect in ways they necessarily wouldn’t have connected other wise. Jefferson describes an encounter she has at a shore while she buying hair products. During the encounter, the cashier assumes that Jefferson isn’t Black and doesn’t understand Black hair, so he tries to reassure her that she is making the right purchase. Jefferson then goes on to say a series of cultural specific things to confirm her racial identity. She said that she must, “ articulate what we both know to be the chasm that divides ‘curly hair’” and “provide precision since his skin is black-brown and mine is cream-brown” and she ends by stating firmly, “I am African American”(1). I found it interesting that though they were both Black, Jefferson was the one who felt the pressure to have to “prove” her racial identity. She does this through talking a lot more then she should but hair gives her the avenue to have the conversation. In a final act to affirm her identity, Jefferson, while talking about her hair dresser, states, he “understands the mechanics of hair that goes from curly to frizzy to… nappy” (1). And with that single word they were able to connect and share laughs over hair struggles that only the “in” group, another vernacular aspect, understands. Jefferson was also to confirm her identity and establish a relationship though simply talking
Some existing Literature on Natural Hair The existing literature on ethnic and racial studies among African-Americans has focused on issues pertaining to beauty and body politics especially on natural hair. Spellers and Moffitt assert that the body politics that one assumes, guides how one relates to a particular political ideology in a particular society. Black natural hair is considered as a way by which the true identity of African women can be understood (Jacobs-Huey). It is a symbol of power among black women; it influences how people are treated by others.
Black women have been the essence of style, originality all while receiving nothing but bad response from critics who secretly envy them. Natural hair tends to be another widespread trend. I think that some do the natural so they can connect with their African roots while I think others just like the look, or maybe it’s easier. No matter what grade of hair society has one marked term for black hair which is “nappy”. Besides pertaining to actions, the word ghetto is used to describe just about every aspect of a black girl's life. "Girl your hair look ghetto" and "You talk/sound ghetto" are two common phrases used around school. Colored hair, weaves, extensions, dyes and relaxers/perms are all things black girls have encountered. If your hair looks "too" nice, it's assumed that you're wearing weave or that you've gotten a fresh
Somehow, everything about the whites appear to elicit a reigning beauty that raises hatred and envy the black girls have against the white girls. Packer argues that even small thing like hair contributes to hostility. The fourth grade says; “their long, shampoo-commercial hair, straight as spaghetti from the box” (Packer, 16). These reinforcements are ingredients of prejudice that brings about racial discrimination. The black girls get jealous of the white girls’ hair, and this leads to discrimination against them. It is worth noting that the prejudices are handed down by the environment and society that people are brought up in. Arnetta, remembers a mall experience when she and her mother were being seen as if they were from China. They were being discriminated because of their race. The various treatments given to black people has played a vital role in intensifying the issue of prejudice, magnifying people’s sense of inferiority, and shaping the views of the black people on the white people. Arnetta says; “Even though I didn’t fight to fight, was afraid of fight, I felt I was part of the rest of the troop; like I was defending something” (Packer, 12). This is a clear indication that society has the power to influence youths. It depicts how society joins hands to fight for what they think is their right. Owed to the fact that this is a society. Everything and everyone is interlinked in a given way, making racism and prejudice hard to do away
Hair Care is another popular africanism present in America for African americans. For african american woman going for a natural hairstyle is quite common. Dating back to pre-colonial africa a natural afro hair style defined status and identity. Different styles indicated certain qualitie...
The article Straightening My Hair by Bell Hooks makes her argument of finding the reason of why African American women straighten their hair. She first states that Black Americans straighten their hair because it is the stage of transformation; it closes the door of innocence and opens the door to adulthood. Slowly, she starts changing her views. She comes up with the statement that African Americans do not straighten their hair for reasonable reasons, but to imitate the characteristics of white women. She informs that black people repeat this process because they have low self-acceptance of their roots and background, and that they have lost beauty in themselves. My argument against this statement is that it is erroneous to claim that the straightening of African American hair is misinterpreted as their acceptance into the white community; straightening of hair is the symbolism of impending womanhood, closing the door of innocence, and sharing a time to meditate by relaxing your soul.
With African Americans being apart of the fashion industry, they faced many hardships. However, they created a distinctive voice in the history of fashion. Throughout the early twentieth century, Blacks designers influenced the fashion industry in America, having, “a system and structure for maintaining their particular type of fashion.” African American fashion was very popular and caught the attention from the media. Department stores held successful fashion shows, screened fashion movies, and staged fashion pageants. Fortunately, African Americans were allowed to attend these events, yet they were not welcomed. Fast-forward to today, the fashion industry has opened up several doors for African American designers, stylist, and models. However,
Almost 250 years of slavery and anti-blackness within the United States has created a divide in what type of hair is acceptable. According to Cynthia L. Robinson, “Black hair texture is graded” (Robinson 2011). Precisely, this means that a Black woman has either good hair or bad hair. Good hair has a resemblance of European hair texture, meaning straight and wavy curls. Good hair also diminishes the look of African ancestry. Bad is the complete opposite. The texture is kinky, coiled, and thick, giving the appearance of short hair (Robinson 2011). Hair that bears a resemblance to Eurocentric beauty standards is more beautiful and makes the individual with that hair type more beautiful as well (Robinson
Americanah is a novel mainly about love and race. It features two main characters Ifemelu and Obinze, who both struggle with identity on their quest to find a sense of national belonging. Ifemelu is the female protagonist of the novel and she is a teenager from Nigeria. She writes blogs mostly pertaining to her anger towards the topic of race. Ifemelu is vulnerable at times, but is a strong advocate of being true to one’s self. An example of when Ifemelu is shown to be vulnerable is when she lets her employer force her into having sex for $100. Obinze is a Nigerian The young lovers meet in Nigeria, but become separated when Ifemelu moves to America for school purposes. Ifemelu stays at her Aunty Uju’s house with her cousin Dike. She learns a lot about American culture, based on Dike’s experience with depression,
Traditions are practices/beliefs that are passed down from generation to generation. In traditional African societies, a kinship ties people through birth or marriage. There are two kinds of relationships in customary African tradition; those bound by blood, which are called consanguine, and those constructed by marriage, called affilial. There are four key descents that determine inheritance and marriage. However, the most common descent is patrilineal, which traces ancestry through one's father. While in America, we are vary tolerant of tracing our descent from both parents.
They all were from Africa. For Ifemelu the salon was a place that bring back memories. Adichie shows cultural criticism in this moment in depth because these women are all from different parts of africa and are now struggling in America. It also proves that America is not the dream as many people describe it to be. Cultural criticism is also seen when ifemelu says “It’s so hot,” and Marima replies “Sorry the air conditioner broke yesterday” along with ifemelu choosing “Color four.” and “Not good color,” Aisha said promptly this shows that ifemelu wants to choose a natural color of fake hair than pure black. This connects to cultural criticism because adichie shows us that ifemelu notices the small cultural observations of maria having to lie about the air conditioner because in the american view all higher class people usually have air conditioners and Marima wants to have that fantasy of her status in america. Also with the hair because Alisha think that pure black is a better color for ifemelu. Cultural criticism, identity, and race and racism is shown when Aisha asked Ifemelu “Why you don’t have relaxer?” and she replied “I like my hair the way God made it.” “But how you comb it? Hard to comb,” then Ifemelu pulls out her own com and handed to