Self Esteem : Self And Beauty

There has been a notable amount of conversation on the internet on the rebirth of the natural hair movement. Cherise Luter (2014) states that despite afros and the natural hair movement not being a new concept (i.e. the Black Power Movement), it has gone under what she calls a “refreshing change”. Furthermore, what used to be “I’m black and I’m proud”, has been replaced with “I’m me and I’m proud” (Luter 2016). So, what is the natural hair movement? It is defined as a movement where black women decide to not conform to the social norms of chemically altering their hair and wearing it in its natural, kinky, or curled state (Joignot 2015). The movement could also be considered as an outlet for black women to display their racial and cultural pride or to articulate their “political position (Brown 2014:297). However, simply the terminology “movement” is something that should be shocking to many. There is a great amount of historical context behind the continuous influence Eurocentric beauty ideals have had on black women for centuries. According to Nadia Brown (2014), Black natural hair throughout history has proven to be recognized as “either unintended or intended personal and political statements” (298). the beauty standard in Western society which praises European hair textures, has influenced many black women to be critical of other black women who choose to chemically straighten their hair, accusing them of being subservient to the dominant and pervasive racist

Chris Rock’s documentary, Good Hair, investigates the notion of what good hair is. Dominant society views good hair as straight or essentially caucasian hair. This is not only problematic to the self-esteem and confidence of black women, but it can also cause black women to appropriate Asian culture. Black women unfortunately take advantage of Asian culture in search of what society believes is good hair. Many black women wear weaves in order to align to what society believes is good hair. However, when they buy this hair, they do not realize what Asians go through. Likewise, Asians who give up their hair do not know where or who this hair will be going to. Thus, this desire for good hair further perpetuates the lack of understanding that black

The researcher interview with African American women with natural hair and examination of social media. The researchers explain that in the natural hair community a curl texture is more attractive than kinky hair texture and lengthier hair more desirable than short hair; also having manageable hair is dynamic to African American women’s effective performances of Black femininity. This research expands the discourse in African American Studies that theorizes the experiences of African American women with natural hair compared to those of African American women with relaxed hair such as perms (Howard, 2015, p.

Much attention is given to the issue of the perfect body image among young girls and women in the United States; however, within this set of people, little attention is given towards black women and the topic of their hair. How are black women affected by these unrealistic standards for beauty, especially in a world that tends to favor the Eurocentric standards? This study discusses the phenomenon behind black women and their hairstyles and explains that their choice in hairstyle is not solely reliant on societal expectations, but also equally of their own personality, self-esteem, and time.

Since the early 1900s, Black women have had a fascination with their hair. More explicitly, they have had a fascination with straightening their hair. The need to be accepted by the majority class has caused them to do so. Though the image of straight hair as being better than coarse hair still hasn’t left the Black community, there has been a surge of non straight hairstyles since the nineteen sixties. Wearing more natural hairstyles, which ironically enough include ‘weaves’ and ‘hair extensions’ has been considered to be more empowered and more enlightened. However, this image comes with a price, and though it appears the ‘natural’ hairstyle movement has advanced Black women, it has actually set

When I once decided to take out my protective style and wear my hair in its natural state, I received several negative remarks. As a young black female I was bothered and wondered why. I wondered why I was receiving so many negative remarks especially from my fellow Black women. An individual went as far to tell me “your hair looks nice but do not wear that to a job interview”. Hair and the styling of it has been a staple of the Black community for centuries. In African American culture, an individual’s hair spoke volumes about that person. By looking at a person’s hair, one could tell where that person was from, what tribe he or she was a member of and even the status within that tribe. As time progressed the influence and importance of hair

Through collage and drawing, I show the relationship between these women and how historical stereotypes effect the way that American culture represents African American hair. Many of those stereotypes are generated

Self image has been a stigma for African Americans since slavery. According to Kerri A. Reddick-Morgan, these notions of negative self image have only been perpetuated by misrepresentations of black beauty/culture in the modeling industry, cosmetic corporations, and the media as a whole. As stated in Reddick’s Emulated through Images: The Globalization of Misconstructed African

Black men are more likely to prefer dating and marrying people with light skin than women are. Black men also see lighter skinned black women as a “prize” due to the mentioned benefits of being a light skinned black woman. Since dark skinned women meet few, if any of the European beauty standards, they are more likely to “...experience self hate, distorted body image, depression, and eating disorders” (Bryant, 82-85) Seeing as how European beauty standards are impressed upon men as well, it is no surprise that Black men see straighter hair as better hair. This then leads to Black women choosing to permanently wear their hair straight. For these Black women, “...discrimination against their person can lie within the walls of their very homes.”

Beauty ideals may differ among different ethnicities, and evolve over time. Some are influenced by others, while some develop their own. Hair is one of the most aesthetically important parts of the human anatomy. It is visible to all, and can be manipulated to however the person desires. Each person’s hair is unique, particularly to their ethnicity. The hair of African Americans is particularly unique as it is not only vastly different from the hair of other races, but also distinct among fellow African Americans. It can be coiled, curly, straight, wavy, and nearly everything in between. Consequently, their hair became the center of much attention, especially do the fact that its appearance differs so greatly from the long standing European

Women believe hair is an essential part of life. Different races have different hair textures and styles majority of the style comes with stereotypes. Women believe hair is a way of bringing out their personality or raising their self-esteem In the African American population hair is controversial topic. Some embrace the natural beauty of hair while others enhance it with more chemicals, weaves, locks and braids. African American hair has started issues within the corporate workplace. This paper explains how African American women’s natural hair is viewed in the corporate

On her website, she shares different opinions and ideas on hair in black culture, beauty, style/ fashion, well-being, food and musing. Specifically, her segment on hair in black culture is helping uproot a cause black women has been facing since forever. Black hair is very different compared to others. It goes against perfection. In an interview with New York Times Jenna Worthman, believed Ross “pushes against a culture fixated on unnatural and unattainable perfection”. (New York Time) There are many conversation about how black hair is unprofessional and how it gets in the way. The ‘Good Hair’ study quotes that wearing natural hairstyles has deep political and social implications. Alexis McGill Johnson, co-founder and executive director of Perception Institute, a consortium of researchers, advocates research on race, gender, ethnic, and other identities into solutions that reduce bias and discrimination. “From the classroom to the workplace, bias against natural hair can undermine the ability of black women to be their full selves and affect their professional trajectory, social life, and self-esteem. This study also demonstrates how research with an intersectional lens can help us create new metrics, such as the Hair IAT, and drive new conversations.” “Black women experience more anxiety related to their hair and greater social and financial burden of hair maintenance than white women. Black women are twice as likely to report social pressure to straighten their hair at

This research aims to discover the motives of black women and their hair/hairstyles they choose. In an attempt to answer this question, I observed a salon that dealt with a predominantly black female clientele. While there, I noted the dynamics between the hairdressers and the clients: whether the stylist have an input/impact on what hairstyles are chosen, what are the intentions or goals of the women when they choose a style?, and what the style the majority of them gravitate towards? It was a very friendly atmosphere so I was able to interact with both the customers and the clients and obtain more information beyond the physical/visual aspect of the environment.

Black women in America today are embracing their natural hair like no other time. The term “natural” is often defined differently to the natural hair community than other races. We as black women are making it a point that our hair is beautiful in the way that each hair follicle grows into the various hair textures among us. For many African American women, natural hair is a way to protest society’s expectations of beauty and create a new standard of what it means. This includes the right to wear one’s natural hair as it grows without chemicals to process it and conform to society’s expectations. Consequently, the idea that “natural hair” is “unprofessional” in any setting is baffling. The ultimate goal intended here is to further analyze the idea of natural hair as a part of culture and thus a big part of the identity of the black woman. I will first turn to Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex to which she argues that every force in society conspires to deprive women of their own individuality and compress the female gender into a category only capable of mere housework, bearing children, and being sexually submissive to their partners. Then I will focus on W. E. B DuBois’ text The Souls of Black Folks and discuss his idea of double consciousness to further the complexity of the identity of the black woman. These two ideas will allow me to demonstrate that working African American women are a product of subjectivity in corporate America because it is a world dictated by

Since I began my natural hair journey I am persistently overshadowed with a multitude of confused stares from strangers in public, and unfiltered conversations from Black men and women pertaining to my decision to be “Natural”. Those experiences launched my curiosity about the politics of Black women’s natural hair in America. Instead of considering that Black women who opt to wear their natural hair may have begun a journey to true acceptance of themselves, they are shunned upon for not conforming to Society’s westernized standards of beauty. Thus, Black women’s natural hair are identified as employing a form of resistance to our cultural history of oppression.