“Should I Straighten My Hair?”: Narratives of Black College Women with Natural Hair

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative meta-narrative was to explore the experiences of Black college women with natural hair on a predominantly white (PWI) college campus using intersectionality theory. Six self-identified Black college women with natural hair participated in this study. Three major findings emerged from this study: (a) interpersonal dualism: participants’ ability to make their own choices and control their own destiny despite white supremacist expectations of compliance; (b) negotiating external expectations: participants’ management of natural hair stereotypes and (mis)perceptions by and from others; and, (c) sense of community: participants’ community and kinship with other Black natural haired women. We offer implications for research and practice.

Acknowledgment

We dedicate this article to Kim Love (LuvNaturals/ Kimmaytube) as well the late YouTube Stars Domineque Banks (LongHairDontCare2011) and Meechy Monroe (MeechyMonroe) for their role in advancing the natural hair movement for and among young college women.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.