As was briefly mentioned in one of our documentaries, the Afro became a lasting symbol of civil rights resistance during the 60s and 70s. Prior to its emergence, most people wore their hair by the strict guidance of European beauty standards, which called for straightened hair. Those who had naturally curly hair and didn't straighten it suffered criticism, hearing terms such as "nappy," "woolly," and "unruly."However, as the 60s rolled in, political and social rebellions began to emerge, starting with hairstyles. Musicians such as Abbey Lincoln, Melba Liston, Miriam Makeba, and Nina Simone all appeared on stage with short, unstraightened hair. Although such a hairstyle unsurprisingly faced criticism from most whites and rejection from many blacks, its debut set the seed that would later sprout into the popular 'fro.
Thus, with the progression of the civil rights movement in 1960s America, the popularity of the Afro sky-rocketed. It was protest and rebellion from a personal level. It was evidence of black self-acceptance and the epitome of the Black is Beautiful movement. It was "Black beauty personified without White validation and it did not care about critics."
Although simply proudly wearing an Afro did not solve the deeply entrenched prejudice of this country, it was nevertheless a bold and significant step towards a final resolution. Towards whites, the Afro showed defiance of "racist beauty norms." Towards non-violent protestors such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it expressed not only support in their stance against oppression but frustration in its failing effectiveness.
As more people began wearing the Afro, it was further popularized by advertisement from large companies. In the late 1960s, both Kent Cigarettes and Pepsi-cola printed advertisement posters featuring people proudly wearing a large Afro. Afro wigs materialized themselves on mannequins in stores. As more and more magazine companies and television series published content involving the Afro, it emerged in the 70s as a new definition of beauty. The Afro has since become an enduring reminder of "Black beauty, liberation, and pride."
Sources:
https://fashion-history.lovetoknow.com/body-fashions/afro-hairstyle
https://www.ebony.com/style/the-history-of-the-afro/
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-31438273
This was such an interesting blog post! I previously did wonder why African American women straighten their hair back in the early 1900s, and I suspected that it was because of the stigmatization of Afros and wanting to appear “socially acceptable.” Even Rosa Parks straightened her hair, but I think that it’s so empowering that people displayed their Afros openly and exposed themselves to potential backlash in doing so. I was curious about the company that supplied shampoo to condition and maintain their Afros, and I found one that was extremely prominent during the 1960s: the cosmetics company Johnson Products (no, not the baby one) located in Chicago. Joan Johnson, an African American woman, really proved that the real pioneers are the people who are able to make a path where none exists. Now, Johnson Products is one of the nation’s largest black-owned companies!
ReplyDeleteSource:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/10/business/joan-johnson.html
I really enjoyed how you detailed the impact of a haircut and its larger significance in the history of Civil Rights. As someone who has a haircut similar to an Afro, it was very interesting seeing the origins. However, as you mentioned in your blog, curly hair and other styles typically associated with African Americans can lead to the greater issue of race. This can be seen last year when an African American high school wrestler in New Jersey was forced to cut his dreadlocks in order to participate in a wrestling match. Despite the gap in times, it is interesting to see how our culture remains to discriminate based off ones hair.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/sep/18/wrestling-referee-dreadlocks-suspended-alan-maloney
I enjoyed this post as it showed the reasoning behind why African-Americans began to change their hairstyle and ignore the social norms. Just like how African-Americans began to change their hairstyle to the "Fro", people today do it all the time with dying their hair. One of the main reasons behind this may because it gives the individual a way of expressing themselves, similar to how the from allowed people to represent that they were part of the civil rights movement. Even though a lot of people don't dye their hair, I think that it is a way of putting yourself out there and letting everyone else know who you are.
ReplyDeleteSource:
https://dailytimes.com.pk/67605/the-surprising-psychology-behind-people-who-dye-their-hair/