Hair Matters: Beauty, Power, and Black Women's Consciousness

Notes

Notes Notes to the Introduction 1. Esi Sagay (1983) also argues that in African societies, hairstyling practices are associated with ceremonial or ritual practices, to denote age, and, like in many other societies, hairstyles also speak to fashion trends. This point is important because Sagay illustrates the importance of viewing hairstyling practices as part of adornment rituals. Hair is just another way of expressing style and fashion, much like clothes, nails, and makeup. In essence, unlike Grier and Cobbs (1968), Sagay argues that hair is very much like a symbolic body of its own that women use for esthetic purposes. 2. Morrow (1973) notes that the comb was carved from wood and the designs were intricate. The comb in African society was designed to accommodate the texture of tightly coiled hair. 3. Morrow (1973) explains how hairstyles were used in competition between tribes. The more lavish the hairstyle, the more prestige bestowed upon tribes and individuals. 4. See Grier and Cobbs (1968). 5. Relaxed is another way of stating “straight.” See Appendix II, table 3, for definitions of terms relating to black hair and hairstyles . 6. Also see Rooks’s (1996) criticism of Brownmiller’s (1984) treatment of “good” hair and “bad” hair. 7. See Butler (1993). 179 8. Bordo (1993) defines altered bodies as “plastic” bodies. 9. See Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing),” the Fugees’ “Nappy Hair,” and The Lost Boyz CD, “Love, Peace, and Nappiness.” 10. See Paulette Caldwell’s (1991) discussion of these cases. 11. One focus-group session was conducted in September 1998. 12. I do not identify which women. Notes to Chapter 1 1. This is a point that also surfaced in various forms during the focus groups sessions. 2. Through hair. 3. Through internalized notions of beauty. 4. Raine’s usage of the term “measly” can also be seen as a generational issue. Raine grew up in the 1950s when hair-care advertisements in black magazines such as Ebony and newspapers blatantly castigated tightly coiled black hair. Although the oppressive messages and terminology are subtle today in hair-care advertisements that sell products to African Americans, this was not the case in the 1950s. 5. The most common usage of the term denotes a relationship to measles. 6. Funk and Wagnall’s New Comprehensive International Dictionary of the English Language. 7. See Morrow (1973); Rooks (1996); and Craig (1997). 8. Many white women fall outside of what is considered beautiful, but it’s not because they are white women. In contrast when black women fall outside these categories, it is precisely because they are black women. In essence, racism and constructions of race are embedded in mainstream notions of beauty, which in general is an advantage for white women because of white privilege and a disadvantage for black women. 9. Charlene used this term to describe the company she works for. In a very general sense, her usage of the term relates to the recognition and celebration of African roots, particularly those within ancient Egypt. See Asante (1988) for a discussion of Afrocentrism and its relationship to ancient Egypt and cultural pride among people of African descent. Notes to the Introduction 180 Notes to Chapter 2 1. Madame C. J. Walker invented the straightening comb or pressing comb in 1915. 2. Nia described herself as holding Afrocentric views. 3. This point surfaces later in the chapter. 4. Although Isha does not explicitly note the relationship between spirituality and hair here, she does elsewhere in the interview. 5. In this context, whiteness is used in relationship to mainstream standards of beauty, particularly in relationship to straight hair. Notes to Chapter 3 1. Per Semple’s request. 2. See Memmi’s (1965) discussion of how oppressed people take on the beliefs and behavior of the oppressor. 3. Earlier in the interview, Laurie discussed the negative reaction elicited by cutting her hair. 4. Unless they hate their style, as many women often share with friends after a haircut, for example. 5. This is apparent when Semple says, “There isn’t very much that we think, say, or do.” 6. This was the official newspaper of the United Negro Improvement Association, which Garvey founded in 1916 in Harlem. The masthead of the weekly proclaimed, “A Newspaper Devoted Solely to the Interests of the Negro Race.” 7. For example, poor and working-class women, regardless of race, were not viewed as “true...