AFRO HAIR:
BEAUTY AND
IDENTITY
FINAL PROJECT
INTRODUCTION
it is suggestive, attractive… It transmits strength and rebellion. We get tangled up in each curl of
Afro hair to break clichés and learn more about its history, what it represents beyond its beauty. A
fascinating expression of the fight against racial discrimination and for civil and political rights.
HAIR AFRO
Fighting against nature, or at least trying to, has been and is part of the lives of many Afro-descendants,
especially in parts of the world such as Europe or the United States. Specifically, fighting the nature of her hair.
Frizzy, curly, voluminous. Hair of great beauty that, however, has remained stigmatized and that for decades has
been denied its reason for being. Reading the novel "Americanah", by the feminist author Chimamanda Ngozi
Adichie, reflections on identity, racial discrimination, classism and feminism are addressed. All this with the
uniqueness of Afro hair in the background.
Unearthed symbol
In a brief review of history, we go back to the 60s of the last century to begin to understand the fact of wearing
Afro hair as a statement or expression with political connotations. While in Africa wearing natural hair was
something that did not involve much debate, in places like the United States it was a deeply stigmatized
subject. Since the days of slavery, the African-American community has embraced the need to hide their hair in
an attempt to integrate, or be accepted, in a society where racial discrimination is the order of the day.
Women, especially, went to great lengths to straighten their hair and appear "equal" to their neighbors.
Beyond exoticism
There is a certain tendency to link Afro hair with exoticism. While it is a form of vindication, of expressing
pride in black identity that is intrinsically linked to the fight against racism, in recent years it has become a
fashion statement. We see it on catwalks or advertising panels and this denotes, in some way, an
achievement by the Afro-descendant community towards the "normalization" of one of its features. But
there is still a deep ignorance of the history behind it, the political and social connotation of Afro hair.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie herself spoke in an interview in the magazine “Afroféminas” about this issue and
part of her own relationship with her hair. "Hair is something we see, but we don't understand what's behind
it with respect to race. It is something that seems simple but is really complicated, ”said the feminist author.
Here too, gender marks
Wearing Afro hair requires technique. Surely it does not cross the mind of many, but delving into the writing
of this report leads us to discover that there are qualifications of the type of curl according to the length,
shape, size, texture of the hair... There is even a trend called "texture" that encourages the idea that certain
types of natural hair patterns are more desirable or beautiful than others. This principle has frequently led to
the aforementioned aesthetic discrimination of black people based on their Afro hair. However, those who
decide to wear natural hair must follow daily routines of hydration, detangling and protection to keep it in
good condition. Nothing is further from the stigma of neglect.
«I would like everyone to be empowered with their afro. Accept it and teach the rest what it is. But it is true
that there comes a time when if it affects you in your social or work life you come to measure it, ”reflects
Anna Isabel. The search for references in this way, in his opinion, can be a good guide and emphasizes the
importance of these references not contributing to maintaining certain clichés. "If we go to the world of
fashion, for example, the black references that are there are completely westernized, they don't have African
features," he says.
At this point, there is another question that appears, however, although we presuppose the answer. In
addition to racial discrimination, are there gender differences in the matter of hair? Anna Isabel resoundingly
answers yes. “To begin with, because the conception of black women and black men is different,” he adds.
Women are hypersexualized in general and with respect to the black community this is even more aggressive.
“The community is very macho. Men systematically discriminate against women and when they arrive in
another country they are hypersexualized. It alludes to her racial features, her hair, her lips, her curves … »,
she says.