Byrd, A., & Tharps, L. (2014). Hair story: Untangling the roots of Black hair in America. Macmillan.
Two world wars, the Civil Rights movement, and a Jheri curl later, Blacks in America continue to have a complex and convoluted relationship with their hair. From the antebellum practice of shaving the head in an attempt to pass as a "free" person to the 1998 uproar over a White third-grade teacher's reading of the book Nappy Hair, the issues surrounding Black hair linger as we enter the twenty-first century.
Tying the personal to the political and the popular, Hair Story takes a chronological look at the culture behind the ever-changing state of Black hair-from fifteenth century Africa to the present-day United States. Hair Story is the book that Black Americans can use as a benchmark for tracing a unique aspect of their history and that people of all races will celebrate as the reference guide for understanding Black hair.
Dabri, Emma. (2020). Twisted: The Tangled History of Black Hair Culture. Harper Perennial.
Stamped from the Beginning meets You Can't Touch My Hair in this timely and resonant essay collection from Guardian contributor and prominent BBC race correspondent Emma Dabiri, exploring the ways in which black hair has been appropriated and stigmatized throughout history, with ruminations on body politics, race, pop culture, and Dabiri’s own journey to loving her hair.
Emma Dabiri can tell you the first time she chemically straightened her hair. She can describe the smell, the atmosphere of the salon, and her mix of emotions when she saw her normally kinky tresses fall down her shoulders. For as long as Emma can remember, her hair has been a source of insecurity, shame, and—from strangers and family alike—discrimination. And she is not alone.
Despite increasingly liberal world views, black hair continues to be erased, appropriated, and stigmatized to the point of taboo. Through her personal and historical journey, Dabiri gleans insights into the way racism is coded in society’s perception of black hair—and how it is often used as an avenue for discrimination. Dabiri takes us from pre-colonial Africa, through the Harlem Renaissance, and into today's Natural Hair Movement, exploring everything from women's solidarity and friendship, to the criminalization of dreadlocks, to the dubious provenance of Kim Kardashian's braids.
Through the lens of hair texture, Dabiri leads us on a historical and cultural investigation of the global history of racism—and her own personal journey of self-love and finally, acceptance.
You are viewing the Standard Edition: Black & White. The Science of Black Hair is the ultimate consumer textbook on black hair care. Technically oriented and detailed throughout, this book was written with the serious hair care consumer in mind. Hair science, research and testimony combine in this carefully written text designed to examine black hair on a deeper level. With its light academic style it is truly the last hair book you ll ever need. The special, salon professional edition of The Science of Black Hair features full-color photographs and color-tab organization to enhance the reading experience. All versions of the book feature special multimedia capabilities that bring the book to life including additional live tips and updated voice messages from the author for the life of the book! Readers will learn how to: * Maintain chemically-treated or natural hair in optimal health. * Stop hair breakage with a novel, protein/moisture balancing method. * Regulate product pH balance for shinier, more manageable hair. * Grow their hair longer, stronger and healthier for life! Additional Features * Regimen Builder with extensive product listings * This powerful book introduces readers to a comprehensive healthy hair care strategy for achieving beautifully radiant hair regardless of hair type.
Robinson, Phoebe. You Can’t Touch My Hair. (2016). Plume.
NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • “A must-read...Phoebe Robinson discusses race and feminism in such a funny, real, and specific way, it penetrates your brain and stays with you.”—Ilana Glazer, co-creator and co-star of Broad City
A hilarious and timely essay collection about race, gender, and pop culture from comedy superstar and 2 Dope Queens podcaster Phoebe Robinson
Being a black woman in America means contending with old prejudices and fresh absurdities every day. Comedian Phoebe Robinson has experienced her fair share over the years: she's been unceremoniously relegated to the role of “the black friend,” as if she is somehow the authority on all things racial; she's been questioned about her love of U2 and Billy Joel (“isn’t that...white people music?”); she's been called “uppity” for having an opinion in the workplace; she's been followed around stores by security guards; and yes, people do ask her whether they can touch her hair all. the. time. Now, she's ready to take these topics to the page—and she’s going to make you laugh as she’s doing it.
Using her trademark wit alongside pop-culture references galore, Robinson explores everything from why Lisa Bonet is “Queen. Bae. Jesus,” to breaking down the terrible nature of casting calls, to giving her less-than-traditional advice to the future female president, and demanding that the NFL clean up its act, all told in the same conversational voice that launched her podcast, 2 Dope Queens, to the top spot on iTunes. As personal as it is political, You Can't Touch My Hair examines our cultural climate and skewers our biases with humor and heart, announcing Robinson as a writer on the rise.
Eley, L. (2015). #Teamlightskin vs. #Teamdarkskin, #Teamnatural vs. #Teamrelaxed: Black Women’s Experiences of Skin Hue and Hair Politics in College. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Maryland Baltimore County: Baltimore, MD.
Over the past two decades the presence and visibility of Black women's natural hair has increased, along with Black women's conscious decision to vocalize social experiences related to hair texture, styling, and the way those aesthetics and associated politics are inextricably linked to skin hue. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore with a group of Black, undergraduate women their perceptions of the ways hair and skin hue politics manifest within the campus culture of a predominantly White institution (PWI) of higher education and how such politics work to influence the women's overall college experiences. The primary finding of this study is that, while skin hue and hair politics are not perceived to significantly influence participants' academic success, they do impact social, emotional, and psychological wellbeing. Additional findings highlight the power of mainstream and social media as contributing factors to hair and skin hue politics, as well as the resulting burdensome onus placed on Black women to educate others regarding their physical attributes and personal appearance. A more deeply informed perspective on these students' lived experiences as Black women in college is vital to those who care about Black women's successful journeys through higher education in the U.S. A critical understanding of the women's stories could inform development of improved programming and practice for student affairs professionals, faculty, staff, school counselors, campus leaders, and the women students themselves, with the aim of enriched and more meaningful educational experiences. This study might also be of benefit to Black women as they transition from high school to and through college and find themselves in safe, brave spaces for honest, critical discussions and opportunities to learn together how to actively negotiate and improve campus communities.
Hargro, B. (2011). Hair Matters: African American Women and the Natural Hair Aesthetic. (Unpublished master’s thesis). Atlanta, GA: Georgia State University.
This thesis addresses the negative cultural and social connotations of natural hair for African American women. This issue is examined throughout history from slavery to present day with a visual analysis of hair care advertisements. Presently, natural hair is gaining more positive implications; which can be affected by creating more positive images with natural hair. Using art as the vehicle for social change and using research to inform art has a positive impact on teaching and learning in the art classroom.
Eley, L. Black Body Politics in College: Deconstructing Colorism and Hairism toward Black Women’s Healing. In L. L. Martin, H. D. Horton, C. Herring, V. M. Keith, & M. Thomas, M. (Eds). Color struck: How race and complexion matter in the “color-blind” era (pp. 77-122). Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Macon, A. (2015). “Hair’s the Thing: Trait Discrimination and Forced Performance of Race Through Racially Conscious Public School Hairstyle Prohibitions.” University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law, 17(4), 1255-1281.
The article discusses should state funded primary and secondary schools legally ban natural African hair and African ethnic hair styles in the U.S. Topics discussed include social and psychological harms caused by these regulations, importance of sheltering African children from forced acquiescence to White social norm, and law regarding public schools' regulation of boys' hair length discrimination and cultural discrimination.
Onwachi-Willig, Angela (2010). “Another hairpiece: Exploring new strands of analysis Under Title VII.” The Georgetown Law Journal, 98(4), 1080-1131.
This Essay re-examines antidiscrimination case law that allows employers to enforce hair grooming policies that prohibit natural hairstyles for black women, such as braids, locks, and twists. In so doing, this Essay sets forth an intersectional, biological - as opposed to cultural - argument for why such bans are discriminatory under Title VII.
Specifically, this Essay argues that antidiscrimination law fails to address intersectional race and gender discrimination against black women through such grooming restrictions because it does not recognize braided, twisted, and locked hairstyles as black-female equivalents of Afros, which are protected as racial characteristics under existing law. The claim here is that, based on current rationales, natural hairstyles for black women should already be protected under antidiscrimination law and are currently excluded only because of courts’ incomplete understanding of the nature of black women’s hair. Additionally, this Essay argues that courts should extend the application of the special “undue burden” test from gender discrimination cases to race discrimination cases and apply the test intersectionally in hairstyle-related grooming code cases brought by black women. Specifically, this Essay argues that antidiscrimination law fails to address such intersectional race and gender discrimination against black women because it does not recognize the undue burdens that such policies impose on black women to either hide or change a natural, phenotypical characteristic. Overall, this Essay explains the dangers of implicit racial bias in the workplace as demonstrated by raced and gendered norms in grooming codes that place a ban on hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists.
Johnson, A. M. et al (2017). ‘THE “GOOD HAIR’ STUDY: EXPLICIT AND IMPLICIT ATTITUDES TOWARD BLACK WOMEN’S HAIR.” The Perception Institute.
This report presents preliminary findings from the “Good Hair” Study, an original research study conducted by Perception Institute in 2016 that examined attitudes toward black women’s hair and created the first Hair Implicit Association Test (Hair IAT) to measure implicit bias against textured hair as well as an online survey to gauge explicit attitudes about how natural textured hair is perceived. Bias has been shown to correlate with discriminatory behavior such as rejection, avoidance, and abuse. As a result, the concern of this study was to determine the risk of discrimination against black women who wear their hair naturally.
