Another group that I enjoyed was the one that talked about the terms “good hair” or “bad hair.” I find these topics to be very interesting because they really relate to some of the issues concerning in the black communities. The group spoke about how a lot of black woman try to fit into society’s definition of beauty, which is lighter skin and long hair. They claimed that this is due to a type of self hatred that some black woman suffers from. They said that by black woman express their desire to alter their appearance by doing things such as wearing weaves, or perming their hair, or by bleaching their skin. They proved these theories in a number of ways. They mentioned that when little girls are asked to choose between barbies with thicker hair or straighter hair, they often choose the Barbie with the straight hair. The group pointed how this issue is a concern of low self esteem among the black community. However, the group did take the time to point out famous woman who chose to go against the stereotype like Erykah Badu and Jill Scott.
I not only enjoyed this presentation, but I was also interested by the argument and discussions it caused in class. Some students agreed with the theory that the group presented and some were totally against it because they felt not all woman who perm or put in their hair are trying to alter their reflection. They believed that it was just particular preference on how to wear their hair. At some points I did agree with the group because I do believe there is a ridiculous stigma of beauty among the black community but at the same time I do not necessarily that every black woman is ashamed of their appearance. This topic always seems to be an interesting discussion among woman of color because it is all based off opinion. I like how the group was open to comments or questions and I also liked how they pointed out beautiful black woman who choose to wear their hair natural. Overall it was a really good and thought provoking presentation.
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