Into the Future
Hair discrimination has transformed through the years. One law was put into place to prohibit hair discrimination and it has aided in lessening the policing around natural hair. The Crown Act prevents black women from being fired or punished for the way they style their natural hair. California was the first state to pass the CROWN Act in 2019 (2022). In the late 1800s more people of color were joining the working class which put pressure on them to conform to the “sleek” hairstyle worn by white women (2021). This is when Black women like Cj Walker used that opportunity to create revenue off of products like the hot comb (2021). This became controversial seeing as she was a black woman who was fueling the narrative of black women conforming to the boxes white America was trying to place them in.
Another major reason hair discrimination has transformed through the years is because of the widespread knowledge that social media was able to spread about natural hair. The natural hair movement has educated people from all over the world to “love, protect and style the curls that grew naturally from their scalps” (McLeod). The impact of the natural hair movement became relevant when it also caused a shift in the hair care industry, Where sales of relaxers dropped 34% since 2009 (McLeod).
Social media has given young black girls representation that was lacking in the media for a long time. Without proper representation it can cause young black kids to internalize Eurocentric beauty standards and lower their self worth. Once again this idea that the closer you are to achieving whiteness (skin tone, hair texture, facial features) the more you receive from the invisible package of white privilege. Some ways we have seen new representation for young black kids is not only in movies and TV shows but books as well. One book in particular written by Ain Drew is Ari J. 's Kinky, Curly Crown which depicts the journey of a Black girl's journey with her kinky, curly hair (Lavoie). These forms of representation have curated a new love and understanding for natural hair. This allows future young black girls to accept and embrace their hair in all it's shapes, textures, and lenghts.