The Reign of Black Hair

By: Makayla Jefferys (’22), Staff Writer

I have always believed that when you walk into a room your hair makes the first statement. Even when your mouth quiet your hair speaks the loudest. The quote “My head, my hair, my choice,” flashes on every website about natural hair, yet the quote doesn’t actually resonate with the politics of hair when relating to Black women. For decades the controversy of Black hair has been the highlight of our society and has led me to ponder how do Black women embrace their natural hair with the pressures of society constantly pricking the idea that natural hair is flawed.

The revenue of chemical relaxers has plummeted 34 percent since 2009, and natural hair care products increased exponentially (Norwood, 2017). This is evidence that the trend Black natural hair is spreading throughout the African American community. Yet, the trend isn’t favored amongst employers. There have been numerous stories of employers asking Black women to straighten their hair or to cut their dreadlocks. Just last year the army finally allowed women to wear dreads and twists. Before the style was deemed as “unkempt” and “matted.” In our society the rejection of natural hair is prevalent, evident in the recent study “Good Hair Study” conducted by the Perception Institute. Researchers randomly selected 4000 participants to do an online implicit association test. From this test, they concluded the majority of people have biases against women of color natural hair. What I found most interesting is the test indicated this bias is a learned behavior. Discrimination against Black hair has formed a stigma against Black women.

A social experiment conducted by Brittney Ray, an African American college student, explored the impact natural hair have of hiring decisions. In the experiment, the general public was asked which hairstyle was more presentable in the workforce. Some of the women had straightened hair and the others had natural hairstyles. The majority of the people chose the woman with straightened hair. Some of their responses included, “her hair should be less distracting,” “straightened hair is a corporate persona,” “straightened hair is presentable and put together.” Because of this perception of natural hair, there have been studies that prove Black women have more anxiety about their hair than White women and spend more time engaging in hair care than White women. Due to the beauty myths and stereotypes surrounding Black women and our hair, society has rejected us, and this has caused a chain of discrimination and self-hatred within our community.

In the social experiment mentioned previously one of the women interviewed stated: “going natural is a big part of a black girl’s journey.” The pressure of society adds on to the self-pressure of accepting and loving Black hair. Representation of natural hair has been missing in corporate America and pop culture for a long time, but we must stand up against the stigma. Many Black women are pop culture has started showcasing natural hairstyles. The TV show ‘Black-ish’ showcases a dynamic curly headed mother and daughter duo. Amandla Stenberg recently teamed up with Teen Vogue a created a video documentary that shares the hair stories of Black women. Lauryn Hill and India Arie have always been outcasts for wearing their natural hair and writing music about loving their hair.

Just this year, Netflix premiered ‘Nappily Ever After,’ a film that completely captures the beauty yet curse of Black hair in corporate America. The main character Violet Jones has had straightened hair all her life. It is obvious her hair consumes her life, so one chaotic night she decides to cut all her hair off. Initially, she was devastated with her decision and the people around her wasn’t so accepting. Yet, she found beauty in her natural self and her confidence about her hair; which led to her finding a way to manage the pressure of society. If you haven’t yet seen “Nappily Ever After,” feel free to read Black Ink’s review on the critically acclaimed film.

Reflecting back to the time I first went natural, I wish I had the confidence of Violet, Yara, Lauryn, and India because I hated my natural hair. I began transitioning in the eighth grade. This phase of my life was AWKWARD awkward just like how the roots of my hair coiled while the ends remained straight. Going natural made me an outcast in my family. I didn’t love my natural hair because I didn’t know how to. There was no representation in my household nor in the world around me. It wasn’t until was the spring of freshman year in high school when I realized the curls that grew out of my head were magical. I finally cut loose the decades of perms that clung to end of my curls. Yes, it scares me to know I might be denied job opportunities just because of my hair. But my hair is my crown and I refuse to ever demote myself because of what God gave me. Black hair is magical, and though society may never fully understand the curls or kinks of our hair, society must learn to respect it.

Why do you Love Your Black Hair?

The societal pressures for Black women to change their appearance just to fit in the narrow margin of what is considered desirable can take its toll. But when I look on campus, I see curls, coils, and kinks of many textures. I see locs, twist, and braids. I see hair that society has deemed unacceptable on some of the most brilliant women you’ll meet. So, I couldn’t help but wonder what makes some of these women love their Black hair when people constantly tell them not to. Here’s What they told me:

Sydni: ” I love my natural hair and black hair because of its visual representation of the strength and determination it takes to be an African American woman. Black hair defies gravity and displays its strength to anyone willing to witness its glory. My natural hair allows me to have a connection with my roots that explain a story of resilience beyond words. My hairs get me closer to the sky.”

Brianna: “I love my natural hair because it’s so versatile.

Crystal: “I love my black hair because it shows that natural is still beautiful in a society that focuses on the artificial.”

Jamya: “I love my black hair because it always pushes me to do different things whether I want to or not.”

Makayla (me): “I love my Black hair because my hair is an expression of my boldness. It symbolizes the beauty and perseverance of the women before me. It anchors future generations to self-acceptance. I love my hair because it speaks the loudest when the room is silent, it breaks all barriers, and always initiate the first move. I love my hair because it is perfect!”