The Hair issue in America: From an Historical retrospective (Part 2)

The part 1 of the Hair issue in America was about the evolutionary retrospective, this part will go a little back in history to shed the light on the hair texture and skin tone impact on African American  mentality, and how it reflect on their daily behavior and attitude, the post is mostly an accumulation of extracts from PDF texts treating the subject, the title of the paragraphs represent the PDF source of the text. 

At the end a Video that I made years ago, but never published until this post, Part 1 being deleted from YouTube...

All cultures make the distinction between "us" and "other." Persecution of "others" has long been a human behavior pattern. However the unique form of racism seen in the western world developed as part of a struggle between classes (nobles versus serfs; royalty versus commoners; Northern Europeans versus other Europeans; all Europeans versus non-Europeans). In nineteenth century United States, Europeans were seen as superior to Black slaves, and a relation developed that was different from servility. The slaves were converted into a pariah group, outsiders who were banned from society and the major institutions of social structure.

The Relationship of Skin Tone and Hair ~~Stefanie R. Snider

The impact of skin color in the African American community has been heavily documented. Light-skinned persons are viewed in a more positive manner—as more attractive, more competent and successful, and having greater social status. Perceptions related to African Americans' hair texture have not been studied as systematically, but evidence suggests hair is perceived in a similarly biased manner.

For hundreds of years, skin color or skin tone has played a significant role in the lives and social status of African Americans. “Black history provides considerable evidence that the skin color of African Americans has exerted powerful and persistent influences on societal attitudes toward and treatment of Black persons—within both White and Black cultures”(Bond & Cash, 1992, 879). The treatment of African Americans created for some a skin color bias or made them color conscious. Skin color determined how African Americans were treated and what jobs they were given.

Slaves who were considered lighter-skinned were given jobs and chores that were more respectable inside the house, such as cooking, cleaning, and attending to the children. On the other hand, the darker-complexioned slaves were given more menial jobs, such as working the fields, picking cotton, and laboring manually. After the abolition of slavery, the impact of skin color influenced the lives of African Americans in reference to status and achievement. Social clubs were segregated during this time, which led some prosperous African Americans to organize “blue vein” societies in the early 1900s. They were called this because, to join, the individuals had to be light enough for their blue veins to show through their skin. The requirements to become a member of the club were, thus, certain Caucasoid features. There were other tests that potential members had to pass in order to be accepted into this elite group. An African American had to be lighter than a “paper bag” and be able to pass the “comb test” for what was called “good hair.” To pass this test, the person had to have hair texture straight enough for a comb to pass through it easily (Bond & Cash, 1992).

The privileged treatment given to African Americans who had light skin and other Caucasoid features suggested to many Blacks that “the more they physically conformed to the White, majority standard of beauty, the more rewarding their lives would be” (Gatewood, 1988, 15).

While the majority of the girls do not seem overly concerned with their body image, particularly their weight, they do seem to display a moderate degree of appearance dissatisfaction regarding their hairstyle and skin color.

Perceptions and Preferences for Skin Color ~~PATRICIRAA SKIN

While African American women have been able to successfully ignore the weight ideals advocated by the larger culture, this does not mean that they are immune from eating disorders. In fact the opposite is true. Wilson and Russell (1996, p. 101) found that the rate of obesity among Black women was twice that of White women, especially among poor, working class single black mothers. They suggest that some Black women may use binge eating as a way to cope with poverty. Diabetes and hypertension also become prominent medical risks associated with obesity. Job loss is another related risk factor as well (Wilson & Russell, 1996, p. 101; Thompson, 1996).

As more and more African American communities are becoming exposed to White culture and White norms of beauty, eating disorders are going to grow more and more rapidly.

Skin Color and Body Image Dissatisfaction ~~Sharlene Nagy Hesse-Biber

Another body image issue that affected the girls in our study was that of skin color. Among African American women, skin color is connected to feelings of self-worth, self-esteem, and attractiveness (Thompson & Keith, 2001). Research has found that most African Americans are partial to skin color that lies somewhere in the middle of the light-dark color spectrum (Clark & Clark, 1980; Robinson & Ward, 1995). This becomes particularly relevant for Black women in that often those who have darker skin feel devalued for not living up to the American standard of light skinned beauty, while those who have a lighter skin tone feel ostracized for being too light, which is synonymous for too White.

Hair and Body Image Dissatisfaction ~~Sharlene Nagy Hesse-Biber

Perhaps hair, more than any other physical attribute serves to exemplify the beauty struggles faced by African American women. On one hand, hair represents one's assimilation into the popular culture, while on the other hand, it can serve to reject all cultural norms surrounding beauty.

What makes someone ‘Whitewashed?’

Priscilla: The hair

Alright so if you see her wearing her hair too White…

Priscilla: I'll tell her.

What will you say to her?

Priscilla: I'd say, 'Jackie, you're getting a little confused.

Right so when you say they're confused what does that mean? What do they do?

Jackie: Our hair is different than your hair. You need to do different things to it. And some [African American girls] just don't understand that. They think that their hair is White hair and so they can do whatever they want to it.

Like what do they do?

Jackie: Say for instance my hair is like the kind of texture that it is, washing it twice a day would kill it. But some people wash their hair everyday with Pantene.

What makes you have a high self-esteem and what makes it bad?

Teresa: I don't know what makes me have high self-esteem but I know what makes me have low self-esteem.

What's that?

Teresa: People make fun of you.

What do they make fun of?

Teresa: My hair

As the data indicates, hair becomes the symbol for the paradoxical worlds in which African Americans exist. It becomes a venue for displaying their place in both cultures. In this regard, hair that is straightened often becomes the compromise for African American women (Gregory, 1992; Leeds, 1994). African American women when styling their hair must attempt to do so as a means of verifying their roles in both Black and White cultures. Scholar Veronica Chambers (1999, 2001) illustrates this phenomenon by asserting that she has “two relationships with the outside world: One is with my hair, and the other is with the rest of me… Because I am a black woman, I have always had a complicated relationship with my hair (2001, p. 212).” The personal experience Chambers generalizes to the larger African-American female community also came through in our sample.

      

Jen: …these days if you don't have your hair done people are going to laugh at you…because it’s a part of life. You got to maintain your hair, your body, your clothing. You can't be going around looking like a bum.

Why is that? Is your hair more important than your weight?

Jen: For me it is yes. Because your weight is your weight. You were born with it, it's your metabolism. But your hair….God gave it to you but God gave it to you for it to be done. You shouldn't walk around with your hair all over the place because it doesn't look right.

How much time do you spend on your hair?

Jen: As long as it takes… to get my hair braided it takes six, seven hours.

Can you tell me what that's like?

Jen: Like they say you have to go through pain to have beauty, to get your hair braided you have to go through pain…She (HAIRDRESSER) takes some hair and she starts braiding it into your own and she has to make it thick to the edge so it won't come out. She has to braid it tight. It feels like someone hitting your head with a mallet…

Where do you think the idea for braiding comes from?

Jen: I don't know. They say it comes Africa but I really don't know.