TIME: Why Michelle's Hair Matters

[question everything]

Monday, Sep. 07, 2009
Why Michelle's Hair Matters
By Jenee Desmond-Harris

When the First Lady attended a country-music event in July without a single strand of hair falling below her jawline, the blogosphere exploded with outbursts ranging from adoration to vitriol. Things settled down only when her deputy press secretary clarified that there had been no First Haircut. In the aftermath, a didactic post on MichelleObamaWatch.com proclaimed that anyone "familiar with the amazing versatility of black hair" would have known that the new summer look was simply "pinned up."

Many Americans have dismissed this hair hubbub as simply more media-driven noise — like the chatter about Michelle Obama's sleeveless dresses, J. Crew cardigans, stocking-free legs or, for that matter, recent (shocking!) decision to wear shorts in the Arizona heat. But for African-American women like me, hair is something else altogether — singular in its capacity to command interest and carry cultural baggage. The obsession with Michelle's hair took hold long before Inaugural Ball gowns were imagined, private-school choices scrutinized or organic gardens harvested. It's not that she's done anything outrageous. The new updo wasn't really all that dramatic a departure from variations we've seen on her before (the "flip-out," the "flip-under," the long-ago abandoned "helmet"). Still, her hair is the catalyst for a conversation that begins with style but quickly transcends outward appearance and ultimately transcends Michelle herself — a symbol for African-American women's status in terms of beauty, acceptance and power.

(snip)

The choice many black women make to alter their hair's natural texture has undeniable historical and psychological underpinnings. It has been attributed to everything from a history of oppression and assimilation to media-influenced notions of beauty and simple personal aesthetics. But one thing is certain. For the many who wear straightened styles like Michelle's, the decision is deliberate, and the maintenance is significant. A stylist hypothesized in the Inquirer article about the steps taken to attain her look, and a firestorm of online comments followed, including these two: "Chemicals, hot comb, round brush and dryer ... same effect, different methods. I could see it being a big deal or inspirational if she were natural and wore it in natural styles." "Girl, ain't no braids, twists, afros, etc. getting into the White House just yet ... LOL."

This could have been read as a lighthearted exchange about beauty and style. But it actually reflects a serious and clamorous debate. A growing community on sites like Nappturality.com urges black women to reject curl-relaxing methods, calling them "taking the easy road" and "conforming" to white aesthetics. Meanwhile, talk-show host Tyra Banks just announced via Twitter that she will abandon her weave and don "no fake hair at all!" for her show's season premiere. Mixed in with the supportive response to the former supermodel's decision was skepticism about whether she could be attractive with what she describes as her "out and free" look.

For black women, hair has classification power (witness the connection Don Imus made between hair and sexual promiscuity when he referred to the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos"). Just as blond has implicit associations with sex appeal and smarts (or lack thereof), black-hair descriptors convey thick layers of meaning but are even more loaded. From long and straight to short and kinky — and, of course, good and bad — these terms become shorthand for desirability, worthiness and even worldview.

(snip)

Some black women note that Michelle's choice to wear her hair straightened affirms unfair expectations about what looks professional. On Blacksnob.com a reader empathized with Michelle's playing it safe in the White House and outlined her own approach: "Whenever I start a new job I always wear my hair straight for the first three months until I get health care. Then gradually the curly-do comes out." Another echoed the practice: "I wait about four to six months before I put the in and wear it curly ... I have to pace myself because it usually turns into a big to-do in the office."

(snip)


http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1919147,00.html

[lapfog_1]

1. Hopefully, someday, we can simply get beyond this

and not read deep psychological meaning into how anyone (even a black woman) wears their hair. Perhaps it will simply be ascribed to "personal preference" and left at that.

Hopefully.

[aquart]

2. It's HER hair.

She isn't hesitant about style the way Hillary was in the beginning. Even with occasional fashion mistakes, I find I trust Michelle to know what to wear. She isn't as stiff as previous first ladies and that occasionally startles people. But it's up to the First Lady to set her style, not anyone else.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

3. THIS is what Time now publishes?

No wonder the print media is croaking.

This article is so dumb, it's painful. It's so badly reasoned and written, it should be taken out back and put down.

This is news?

I'm embarrassed for having even read it ...............................

[question everything]

4. No, it is not news. Does not even pretend to be news

only one woman's - an African American woman's - opinion.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

7. Time, last time I looked,

was a news magazine.

The First Lady's hair and its cultural significance in a news magazine? But it's not news.

Well, you're right about that - it's hardly news. This piece contains every cliche ever coined about the significance of black hair.

What year is this?

Talk about beating a dead horse........................

[kwassa]

15. It isn't news, it is commentary.

Which Time magazine has always carried, and continues to carry, commentary of many different kinds.

What is the problem with that?

And exactly why does this bother you so much?

As you are not a black women, the significance of black women's hairstyles clearly has no relevance to your life. Why deny the relevance to the lives of others?

[appleannie1]

5. Her hair is not her. Women bleach, cut, perm their hair all the time. I have mine foiled to cover

the gray. People that are petty enough to comment on Michelle's hair or bare legs don't have a life and probably look like shit. Who cares?

[tularetom]

6. Jesus effing christ - what planet are these assholes on?

There are a few other things going on in the world that they might want to look into - torture, politicization of the justice department to name a couple.

That is the shallowest piece a shit article I ever almost read.

Added on edit - I'm a guy. An old guy. A lot of people think I'm a hardass, a cranky old misanthrope. But I'd really like to know. Do women really give a shit about this kind of crap? I mean real wpmen not yuppie airheads. My wife doesn't.

[question everything]

16. Sigh. TIME, like LIFE, is a magazine that covers stories about politics and wars

about life styles, the arts and many commentaries.

As a matter of fact, it has very little raw news now since, like the dailies, by the time we get them at home - or on the news stand - news would be... yesterday's news. So commentaries about, say the life of Kennedy, or Obama's vacation, is what you find between the pages. Perhaps you may want to leaf through the pages to find out.

That you don't like their selections of stories, well, you are not the managing editor now, are you? Or a subscriber?

Based on the article apparently women do care about it. Have you read that comment about professional black women getting their hair straight when go for job interview and when first start their new jobs? Don't you remember Don Imus' comment? We had many threads then, about "nappi" and hair styles and hair of African American women that neither I nor you can even begin to appreciate.

[Divine Discontent]

8. I had to click to see why her hair mattered....

and, unfortunately, they didn't persuade me in explaining how it does.


Her hair is a personality choice, and dictates nothing about the quality of a person she is - sames goes for the rest of us.

TIME has come and went on this magazine.

[Hekate]

9. Pfft. Michelle's girls wear a wide variety of hairstyles, more than making up for their Mom's...

... conservatism when it comes to her hairstyle. At their age, I would bet dollars to holes in donuts that Mom and Grandma are in charge of what goes out the door on those girls. Let that be a statement -- of something or other. :eyes:

Hekate

[ProgressiveProfessor]

14. All that is true, but part of me wishes that more middle and upper class black women wore their hair

more naturally. If FLOTUS did it, I believe it would help acceptance of those styles within the A-A community as being acceptable for the well to do. My wife did it off an on, alternating with braids

[bliss_eternal]

17. just fyi...

...but it isn't a matter of what is acceptable to the "AA community." The AA community did not make the rules of what was deemed "acceptable" for one's appearance in this country, nor in many corporate environments. They merely conformed and did their best to fit in, to what the standards were. The standards, weren't based on "ethnicity" but on "caucasian" or eurocentric looks and ideals.

If you check w/women that don't wear their hair naturally, many will state a variety of reasons (i.e. what is deemed acceptable and/or appropriate in corporate environments, manageability, personal preference, etc.). For some it's about fitting in to their work environment. For others, it's about what they like on themselves...others still, it's about what they consider easiest to work with day to day.

FLOTUS doing it, wouldn't change many corporate environments that women (and men), have to deal with on a daily basis, (imo). Nor would it change some's personal bigotries and issues around tightly curled/coiled hair.

for example:

Dillards says "ethnic" hair harder to clean...
http://news.findlaw.com/court_tv/s/20060425/25apr2006174352.html

Police Appearance Policy Raises Racial Sensitivity Issues
http://www.wbaltv.com/news/10470167/detail.html

Some discussion of this on a black woman's blog:
http://nubiano.activeboard.com/forum.spark?forumID=95700&p=3&topicID=10277141

[ProgressiveProfessor]

19. Disagree somewhat, leadership matters and prior FLOTUS have made significant fashion inroads

Colored shirts with white collars were not considered business attire until Lee Iacoca wore them on 60 Minutes and elsewhere. Jackie Kennedy had tremendous impact on what womens styles. Leadership matters.

Chris Rock's documentary is coming out soon on this. The trailers etc have been great. It may have some impact as well.

[bliss_eternal]

20. you're certainly entitled to your opinion...

...and beliefs.

unfortunately, you fail to realize (or acknowledge) that African American's hair is more profound than merely "fashion." for example, you seem to ignore the links i provided, and simultaneously gloss over the issue of AA's facing discrimination based on how they wear their hair. there are many other examples of this, i provided a couple.

when a non-ethnic person makes the news, because they are their employers in court due to discrimination they faced due to how they wore their hair (or it's texture, appearance, etc.) ....we can talk. until then....;)

oh and yes, famous people can influence fashion choices.
beyonce knowles, oprah winfrey, tyra banks and other prominent african american women have influenced women's choices to a degree, and will continue to do so. take a look at how they wear their hair. ;)

on edit--re: chris rock's film:
aa women will start "taking fashion and hair cues" from chris rock, the day he stops making them the punch line of his jokes. :)

...but again, you're totally entitled to your thoughts and beliefs on this. :hi:

[question everything]

21. Whoopi Goldberg's skit

from more than 20 years ago that I saw on TV and all of a sudden remembered:

She was wearing a long white towel over her head, the towel gently covered her head, neck and back. She was playing a young African American girl pretending that she was wearing long, straight blond hair. Hair that swayed with her movement, that she could "flip" and gather into a pony tail..

[pansypoo53219]

10. wait!

it wasn't a fro they went nuts about? not even jerri curl?
(i ain't black, so forgive me if mispelled)

[Liquorice]

11. Nah, they did the same stupid crap with Hillary's hairstyles. People went

crazy talking about Hillary's hair when she was the First Lady.

Here's a ridiculous article from '96 in which people were voting on Hillary's best and worst hairstyles. Jeez.
http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/03-96/03-02-96/1hair.htm

[madrchsod]

12. tyra banks had a show about this very subject

there is a divide between different ages on what is acceptable for a hair style.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

13. My youngest daughter is a big Tyra fan, who has also stated no weaves

I'll have to remember to see what she thinks.

[DeadEyeDyck]

18. Normally I don't pay attention to the whole affair

but as a biracial american (dad is black Army Green Beret and Mom is white German), I take umbrage with anyone that tries to hide their race. I thought Michael Jackson was a coward. Even the Obama thing has me questioning who he stands behind.

Forgive me >> drunk

[Elmore Furth]

22. I think personal style reflects the inner person

If Michelle Obama creates a pleasing, approchable style, good for her. But I hope it also reflects a personal comfort with who she really is. She's never going to please everyone so she should please herself.

Sometimes it's just fun to try on different styles, like whe we were kids and would try things on from our parent's closets.

[bobbieinok]

23. Chris Rock wrote a book about black women + hair

He heard his daughter moaning about her 'ugly hair' and thought something should be done, that something needed to be done about the negative self-image black girls had developed and were developing.

There was a segment with him on CNN and an article on black women and hair in Essence magazine. This was about the same time as Tyra's program on hair; Oprah also did a program on the topic of black women and hair.