Essay On Hairitage

Superior Essays
“Hairitage”
What is the relevance of Black Women and their hair?

“I am not my hair, I am not this skin, I am not your expectations, no I am not my hair, I am not this skin ,I am a soul that lives within.”

All women can relate, when it comes to hair, it doesn’t matter your race or ethnicity; every woman has a battle with her hair. These battles can range from deciding on a color or cringing at the thought of just getting a trim. Visually, Black women’s hair is thicker, curlier, and frizzier than Caucasian hair. Black women’s hair is also more sensitive to a lot of manipulation, and more styling techniques are required. Although Black women have similar hair experiences, all Black women‘s hair is different. For a long time the image of Black women has been scrutinized because of the choices made for their bodies and hair. Black women have been through many hardships that have shaped their hair. Many African American women view the way they style their hair, relaxed or natural, a personal statement rather than for politics. Many people fail to realize there is so much rich history in the hair of Black women. As an African American woman, I decided to learn the history of my hair, so the value I saw in myself would increase, so I looked into the “hairitage” of Black women. During the 1400’s and 1500’s ,West African women were known for having many different beautiful hairstyles. The main reason for this was because they had access to many different healthy oils and good combs. When African women were taken from their homeland, their hair was cut off, which was a way to erase their culture identity. This is the beginning stages of the “hairitage” of Black/African American women. (Byrd & Thorps 2014) The purpose of this study was to determine how Black women in America feel about Black hair and how it has affected America. The research covered how it affects the economy, Black men, Black women, and white society. This research allowed those that were interviewed to have a moment to actually think about these affects. This study was done through research of secondary resources and interviews. The secondary sources were chosen based on their relevance to the research question. Ten women identified as either Black or African American were interviewed. The women were place in one of three age groups eighteen through twenty-five, twenty-five through forty-five, and fifty through eighty-five. All the women in the study were chosen because they have an affinity for hair. Three were natural; one was bald; one had locs; two were permed; one was transitioning to natural; and two were weaved. (Eight of the interviews were completed over the telephone , one interview was done through email and another one was completed through video conference call.) Seven questions were asked during these interviews. The interviewees’ were asked various questions about their views on Black hair. Most of the interviewees’ asked follow up questions after each question. Before
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Black women still take pride in their hair, no matter what their age is. They believe their hair is a part of their heritage or rather “hairitage”, although it will never define who they are as individuals, it defines them as a culture, as Black women. It lets people know where they come from and people are able to see the struggle they went through. Black women take pride in the versatile ways of their hair, they love to have the freedom to style it anyway they want to. Whether it be relaxing hair, wearing a weave, cutting it all off, locking our hair, braiding hair, or just wearing it in its natural …show more content…
Presently, Black women have found this new thing with loving themselves. Of course they have always loved themselves, but history made it very toilsome to do that. Now that Black women are starting to become more secure in themselves, and loving who they are and where they come from, needing someone else, a man specifically is no longer needed. Although having a man to love you, and care for you will always be nice and forever appreciated. Women today are saying, they don’t need to find acceptance within men anymore to find their beauty. Black women look for validation within themselves first, and everyone else comes

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