Full Description
The body is the canvas upon which women paint their secrets, their hopes and dreams, pain and disappointments. Hair has long played a role in the struggles for power, self-determination and autonomy--serving as a nonverbal language that represents women's lives. However, pain, anxiety, racism, sexism and rigid beauty standards can too often underlie these stories. Modern events like the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic have exposed societal barriers that prevent the free and equitable expression of hair.
Although countless books and articles address body image, the personal psychology and the meaning of hair have been missing. This work empowers women to understand complex hair-head-heart connections, and pressures. Above all, the text emphasizes that hair is never just hair.
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
Hair Matters: Untangling the Universal and Unique
1. Every Woman's Issue
2. Women and Hair: A Love-Hate Story
History: The Roots of the Past
3. It's Never Just Hair
4. Hair Throughout History
5. Hair, Sexuality and Gender Politics
6. Hair Economics
Hair Stories: The Realities of Hair Today
7. Hair and Me
8. Our Mothers: Our Hair
9. "Hair doesn't get fat": Hair and Body Image
10. Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
11. What's Age Got to Do with It?
12. Tangles, Snarls and Transitions
13. "Good hair": The Dilemma of Non-White Hair in a White-Powered Culture
14. From the Roots to the CROWN
15. Hairapy or Therapy? Stylists as Essential Workers
Conclusion: Connection, Connection, Connection
Appendix: Questions and Exercises
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
