1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910780180403321

Autore

Banks Ingrid

Titolo

Hair matters : beauty, power, and Black women's consciousness / / Ingrid Banks

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York, NY : , : New York University Press, , [2000]

©2000

ISBN

0-8147-3945-8

0-585-43463-8

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (x, 197 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates) : illustrations

Disciplina

305.48896073

Soggetti

African American women - Race identity

African American women - Social conditions

Hair - Social aspects - United States

Beauty, Personal - Social aspects - United States

African American women

African American women - Social life and customs

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: Unhappy to Be Nappy -- 1. Why Hair Matters: Getting to the Roots -- 2. The Hair “Do’s” and “Don’ts” of Black Womanhood -- 3. Splitting Hairs: Power, Choice, and Femininity -- 4. Women and Girls Speak Out: Five Hair-Raising Sessions -- 5. Black Hair, 1990's Style -- Conclusion -- Appendix I: Methods, Methodology, and the Shaping of Hair Matters -- Appendix II: Defining Black Hair and Hairstyling Practices -- Appendix III: Interviewee Demographics -- Notes -- References -- Index -- About the Author

Sommario/riassunto

Long hair in the 60's, Afros in the early 70's, bobs in the 80's, fuchsia in the 90's. Hair is one of the first attributes to catch our eye, not only because it reflects perceptions of attractiveness or unattractiveness, but also because it conveys important political, cultural, and social meanings, particularly in relation to group identity. Given that mainstream images of beauty do not privilege dark skin and tightly



coiled hair, African American women's experience provides a starkly different perspective on the meaning of hair in social identity."--National Women's Studies Association Journal "Grab your copy at your local bookseller and get hip to what your hair is saying to others with regards to beauty, culture and politics. Learn about how culture has a love for coifs, because after all, so do you!"-Sophisticate's Black Hair Styles Guide Drawing on interviews with over 50 women, from teens to seniors, Hair Matters is the first book on the politics of Black hair to be based on substantive, ethnographically informed research. Focusing on the everyday discussions that Black women have among themselves and about themselves, Ingrid Banks analyzes how talking about hair reveals Black women's ideas about race, gender, sexuality, beauty, and power. Ultimately, what emerges is a survey of Black women's consciousness within both their own communities and mainstream culture at large.