African American Hair Evolution Essay

Imari Allen
AFA2000
July 27, 2013
Evolution of African American Hair
What has made an influential impact of the evolution of African American hair?

Topic Outline: African American Hair I. Introduction
-Good Hair v. Bad Hair
-Cultural Perception
-Natural v. Relaxed (Hair Health) II. History/ Influential Figures
-Black Madonna
-Madame CJ Walker
-George E Johnson
-Angela Davis III. Evolution/ Different types
-Shaved heads
-Naps
-Cornrows
-Pressed/Hot Comb
-Relaxer/Perm
-Weaves/ Wigs
-Afros
-Natural IV. Cultural Perception
-Cultural Hegemony
-“Good Hair”
-Society’s perfect hairstyle
-Ideal Image V. Conclusion
-Historical Influences
-Evolution
-Cultural Perception
-Good Hair v. Bad Hair
-American Influence
“This was my first really big step toward self-degradation: when I endured all of that pain, literally burning my flesh to have it look like a white man 's hair. I had joined that multitude of Negro men and women in America who are brainwashed into believing that the black people are "inferior" — and white people "superior" — that they will even violate and mutilate their God-created
African American hair has social and political meaning. The evolution of black hair has so much meaning and power behind it. Hair along with other things gives African Americans an identity. And depending on how you wear, helps you break from the cultural hegemony of white Europeans. In this paper I hope to talk about the “hairstory” of African American hair and what it represented. Talk about those who were very influential to many African American women and men. I also hope to present the different types of hairstyles and how they came about. And the cultural perception of “good hair” versus “bad hair”, and how white supremacy has influenced these two