Azle Malinao-Alvarez Emerald
Natural hairstyles such as twists and braids are common among African-American women. Although they can take much time to
achieve, these hairstyles are significant to many people as a reflection of their history and culture.
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Hair-dos
continued from page 1A
ucts that create them sound as for
eign as Swahili.
Hair is a part of any culture, but
in African-American culture it
takes on a unique role, a role that
many never have the opportunity
to experience.
“Just how white people have dif
ferent types of hair — some have
curly hair, some have red hair,
blonde hair—black hair is just as di
verse,” said Etopi Fanta, a freshman
biology major whose parents are
both African. “Black hair comes in
different shades and textures. ”
Brandy Alexander, a sopho
more pre-journalism major, said,
“In the new century, it’s all about
style.” Alexander, who claims
ownership to many of those 27
hair products, wears her hair
straight. Dig around in her bath
room drawers and you will also
find flat irons, hot combs, curling
irons, hair dryers, rollers and any
thing else she and her roommates
need to get a desired style.
More than fashion
But to African-Americans, it is
not — and has not always been —
only about style.
Hairstyling can act as a psychia
trist's couch, a family photo-al
bum, a gossip tabloid and a center
for political debate. Today, many
African-Americans have the lux
ury of thinking of hair in terms of
fashion and nothing more. The
historical importance of hair, how
ever, cannot be so easily ignored.
Edwin Coleman, professor
emeritus in English and folklore,
tells his students that in the days
of slavery, white slave-owners
would perform a “comb through”
test to determine if a slave had
“good” or “bad” hair.
Good hair was generally also as
sociated with lighter skin, and
those who had light skin and hair
that could be combed through
were assigned more favorable
tasks, such as work in the house
instead of the field, he said.
Dr. Vivian Barnette, staff psy
chologist at the University Coun
seling Center, said women today
have a lot more flexibility with
what styles they can wear than
they had in the past.
Even today there are cases
where women face discrimination
on the job because of the hairstyle
they wear, Barnette said.
“If it looks conservative — well
groomed — that’s how America
would like you to look,” she said.
“It would be lovely if everyone
thought you were acceptable how
you are, but it’s not always that
way.”
Getting the look
In parallel with the civil rights
movement, there was also a move
ment for African-Americans to cut
off their perms and wear natural
hairstyles. The slogan “Black is
Beautiful” came out of this move
ment, as did a surging popularity
of the Afro.
There may still be some social
pressure to conform to main
stream concepts of beauty, but in
the new century, women are find
ing more freedom than ever to be
who they are. Fashion and beauty
magazines geared toward African
American women, such as So
phisticate’s Black Hair and Hair,
stress beauty that is uniquely
black. The magazines also high
light the wide variety of styles
women can choose from.
“I think your hair, at least from
the black perspective, tells you a
lot about someone's character,”
Fantasaid.
Women strive to have hair they
can be proud of. “Hair is so valued
in black culture,” Alexander said.
Having hair to be proud of is not
always easy. Maintaining most
styles costs money, and often
women bum themselves with their
heated hair tools. It also takes time,
especially if the hairstyle is braided.
Playing with plaiting
Braiding a full head of hair takes
time, there is no way around it.
But the time spent braiding passes
quickly by watching TV, talking
and relaxing.
When African-American wo
men wear braids, they often hear
comments such as “I could never
be that patient. ” But they say wear
ing braids is not only about achiev
• ing a hairstyle.
“Braiding is so much more,”
Fanta said. “You don’t just sit
there — you talk about stuff. That
is the time your mother tells you
stories or your grandmother teach
es you lessons.”
Amber Starks, a University
freshman, whose mother braided
her hair until she was in seventh
grade, takes a more practical ap
proach to wearing braids. She
braids her own hair, a process that
takes her eight hours to braid and
eight hours to take down. Wearing
braids is her trademark, she said.
Difference matters
Another major difference that
sets African-American hair apart
from other types of hair is how fre
quently it is washed. Most black
women wash it two to four times a
month.
“A white person's hair works
better when it’s clean—ours is the
opposite,” said Kim Jabbie, whose
hair is braided with extensions. “It
works better, not necessarily when
it’s dirty, but when it has more
products in it. It’s easier to deal
with, and it’s not -all tangled.
That's why we don’t wash our hair
as often.”
The availability of hair products
and services can also be problem
atic. In predominantly white com
munities the prices of products
designed for black hair are higher
because they are so scarce the re
tailers who do carry them can
charge more, Fanta said.
When Alexander lived in the
dorms she said people asked her a
lot of questions and she felt like she
had to represent all black people.
“You become the social con
sciousness of all black people when
you calk about hair,” Alexander
said. “You meet some white people
and they want to ask you everything
about being black, and their num
ber one question is about hair. ”
But Jabbie, Fanta and Alexander
all said they don’t mind anger
ing questions, and for Fanta, talk
ing about hair helped her become
closer with her roommate.
“It opens doors; it is something
to talk about that is not as tense as
racial diversity.”
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