The reactions our hair gets from others, particularly for black women, are so overwhelmingly definitive of our experience of our public selves and our beauty. Black hair might not always be that way, but within the current U.S. context, it is such a defining aspect of the lives of black girls and black women. First, it helps us identify who we are, who we want to be, who we want to mate with, and even whether we’re gay or straight. Second, because it’s such a big deal for us in all of those ways, it is a big deal financially. Even working-class black women will find room within very tight budgets to keep their hair groomed—which proves how much of a financial incentive there is for corporations and ambitious entrepreneurs to get involved in this business. So, once you have marketing and advertising and product dollars undergirding the already deeply emotional and personal experience of hair grooming for black women, those things end up feeding upon each other. - Melissa Harris-Perry, Slate Thoughts?
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 21:38:58 +0000
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