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I'm Just black af feat Amber Curry
Black women and the relationship we have with our hair is complicated. Madam CJ Walker gave us the earliest hair products that were for us, by us. There is the pressing comb that most of us flinch just thinking about it. In the 70s everyone was natural, and by the 80s everyone was letting their soul glow with the Jheri curl. In the 90s we had asymmetric cuts and box braids.Sales of hair relaxer dropped from $206 million in 2008 to $152 million in 2013 as more black women embrace our curly, kinky hair, The new challenge is the rest of the world understanding that what grows out of our head is acceptable and appropriate.
As more black women have gone natural, the argument of whether or not specific workplace styles are acceptable, there are actual studies that show that there is a bias towards women of color. The "Good Hair Study" was conducted by Perception Institute, which describes itself as "a consortium of researchers, advocates and strategists" that uses emotional and psychological research to identify and reduce bias in areas such as law enforcement, education, civil justice and the workplace. The Good Hair Study asked over 4,000 participants to take an online IAT, or implicit association test, which involves rapidly-changing photos of black women with smooth and natural hair and rotating word associations with both. According to the study, "a majority of people, regardless of race and gender, hold some bias towards women of color based on their hair." But the results also indicate that this bias is learned behavior, and can be unlearned. (Source: NPR)
On this week’s episode, we are joined by a licensed cosmetologist and natural hair educator Amber Curry. Along with our usual foolery, Amber gives her perspective on the idea that black hair has to be tame to be acceptable, what black women are missing in a salon experience, and finding spaces that welcome alternative black and carefree black girls. You can follow her on Instagram and Facebook at @bespokecurry! Booking information is provided on her profiles.
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By Ashley Autumn & Ashley MonaeBlack women and the relationship we have with our hair is complicated. Madam CJ Walker gave us the earliest hair products that were for us, by us. There is the pressing comb that most of us flinch just thinking about it. In the 70s everyone was natural, and by the 80s everyone was letting their soul glow with the Jheri curl. In the 90s we had asymmetric cuts and box braids.Sales of hair relaxer dropped from $206 million in 2008 to $152 million in 2013 as more black women embrace our curly, kinky hair, The new challenge is the rest of the world understanding that what grows out of our head is acceptable and appropriate.
As more black women have gone natural, the argument of whether or not specific workplace styles are acceptable, there are actual studies that show that there is a bias towards women of color. The "Good Hair Study" was conducted by Perception Institute, which describes itself as "a consortium of researchers, advocates and strategists" that uses emotional and psychological research to identify and reduce bias in areas such as law enforcement, education, civil justice and the workplace. The Good Hair Study asked over 4,000 participants to take an online IAT, or implicit association test, which involves rapidly-changing photos of black women with smooth and natural hair and rotating word associations with both. According to the study, "a majority of people, regardless of race and gender, hold some bias towards women of color based on their hair." But the results also indicate that this bias is learned behavior, and can be unlearned. (Source: NPR)
On this week’s episode, we are joined by a licensed cosmetologist and natural hair educator Amber Curry. Along with our usual foolery, Amber gives her perspective on the idea that black hair has to be tame to be acceptable, what black women are missing in a salon experience, and finding spaces that welcome alternative black and carefree black girls. You can follow her on Instagram and Facebook at @bespokecurry! Booking information is provided on her profiles.