Synopses & Reviews
Dr. Althea Prince follows up her earlier collection of essays (Being Black) on Black cultural life with this important new collection. This book sensitively charts Black women's journeys with their hair: how it is perceived, judged, and graded on the yardstick of mainstream society's standards of beauty. Relying on the tradition of the personal essay, and conversations with several Black women, Prince delves into the politics of Black women's hair, specifically examining the impact on the emotional lives of Black girls and women. Incorporating her own voice as a mother and a sociologist, and memories of her own childhood experiences with her hair, Prince provides an understanding of how some Black women use rituals surrounding hair to create positive bonds with their daughters. She suggests that something beautiful can be nourished in the realm of Spirit between a woman and her daughter when they sit in quiet to attend to hair combing and hair grooming. Including interviews with women from Canada, the Caribbean, England, the United States of America, and South America, Dr. Prince brings an international perspective to this very personal subject.
Synopsis
Sometimes, hair is just hair. Sometimes, it's much more.
In 1905, Madame C.J. Walker invented a metal comb that, when heated, transformed black women's hair from tight curls into smooth, straight tresses. The iron comb made her a millionaire, but many black people criticized her for creating a product that made black women's hair imitate white women's long, straight hair.
From Madame Walker to First Lady Michelle Obama, this series of essays by Althea Prince and others explores the role of hairstyle in black women's relationships with their mothers, their peers, their self-image, and society as a whole.
Althea Prince's books include Being Black, Loving This Man, and Ladies of the Night. She teaches at Ryerson University in Toronto.
Synopsis
From furious debate on the Web about Michelle Obama's straightened hair to keen interest in model Tyra Banks's revelation of the hair she usually hides under wigs and weaves, Black women's hair has taken a prime place on the pop cultural agenda. More than just a fashion statement, a Black woman's choice of hairstyle can reflect her self-image, childhood experiences, and personal beliefs as well. Using interviews, memoirs, and personal essays, this book sensitively charts Black women's journeys with their hair: how it is perceived, judged, and graded on the yardstick of mainstream society's standards of beauty. Women from Canada, the United States, Britain, and the Caribbean discuss their lives through the medium of their hair. Unhappy childhood struggles with the comb, adolescent experiments with identity through hair, and adult decisions for or against natural hair are all expressed with honesty, some wry humour, and the poignant realization that hair can be another social battlefield.
Synopsis
Sometimes, hair is just hair. Sometimes, it's much more.
About the Author
Althea Prince has published short stories and essays in numerous publications. Her books include Ladies of the Night, Feminisms and Womanisms: A Women's Studies Reader (co-edited), Being Black and Loving This Man. Prince lives and writes in Toronto.