Opinion | Anthea Butler: The Penn State hair letter shows being black and proud is still political - NBCNewsTHINK
extensions in her hair, natural hairstyles were and remain sites for white society to police and control what is deemed “unacceptable” grooming and presentation by Black people. While the pushback is a new phenomenon, the criticism is steeped in American history:and other natural hairstyles were considered to be dirty, unkempt and unfashionable by some, while less kinky or even straight hair on African Americans was prized as “good hair,” even when it was nearly impossible to obtain.
With the advent of hot combs and relaxers in the 20th century, anyone with money could attain “good hair” for a price both monetary and physical — the latter from the pain of the lye products designed to change the structure of coarse hair. For many, this was an aesthetic choice: The fact remains that, in the American context which positions whiteness as the standard of beauty, flowing straight hair for women and short, straight hair for men is the racial norm.
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