Wow! eBook
Hair Matters: Beauty, Power and Black Women's Consciousness
Author(s): Ingrid Banks (Author)
- Publisher: New York University Press
- Publication Date: 1 Jan. 2000
- Language: English
- Print length: 197 pages
- ISBN-10: 081471336X
- ISBN-13: 9780814713365
Book Description
Hair is one of the first things to catch our eye, and can convey important political and cultural meanings and group identity. This text examines how black women talk about their hair and what this reveals about race, gender, sexuality and how they perceive mainstream culture.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Long hair in the 60s, Afros in the early 70s, bobs in the 80s, fuschia in the 90s. Hair is one of the first attributes to catch our eye, not only because it reflects perceptions of attractivenes 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
About the Author
Ingrid Banks is Assistant Professor of Black Studies in the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies at Virginia Tech.
