Beauty as violence: ‘beautiful’ hair and the cultural violence of identity erasure

ABSTRACT

Curious observations of hair and hairstyles worn by many women of Black African descent reveal the triumph of a Eurocentric dominant ideology of beauty. I assert in this study that the process of attaining the hegemonic ideology of ‘beautiful’ hair, often defined as a European and Asian texture and style of hair, is a violent journey. This study draws largely from Johan Galtung's seminal theoretical works on violence, particularly his articulation of cultural violence as a creation of ideology through psychological process of indoctrination and brainwashing, and the internalization of this process. From this theoretical framing, and a demythologization of the multiplicity and flexibility narrative of postmodern self and identity, this study examines the attitudes of young Black South African women toward their natural hair and their perception of ‘beautiful’ hair. Through a survey of 159 Black female students in a rural South African university with a predominantly Black student population, and face-to-face conversations with five female students, the study asserts that many Black African women's relationship with their hair is shaped by violence. The physical and cultural violence perpetuated in the quest for ‘beautiful’ hair is consequently creating a generational cycle of identity erasure.

KEYWORDS:

• African women
• cultural violence
• hair
• identity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Sources of hairstyle images

Image 1: Screen grab from http://www.buzzfeed.com/maycie/watch-100-years-of-black-hairstyles-in-less-than-a-minute#.kiqPdj160L

Images 2, 5, 11, 12, 14, 16: Okhai Ojeikere, J. D., Magnin, A. & Oyairo, E. A. (2000). J.D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere: Photographs. Scalo Publishers.

Image 3: http://www.misssa.co.za/Pages/default.aspx

Image 4: http://philmphela.blogspot.com/2014/10/khanyi-mabus-new-dance-film-gains.html

Image 6: http://www.youthvillage.co.za/2014/09/10-things-didnt-know-thuli-madonsela/

Image 7: https://twitter.com/glowmaven

Image 8: www.youthvillage.co.za

Image 9: http://www.gov.za

Image 10: http://thirstyroots.com/galleries/cornrows-designs

Image 13: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2143282/

Images 15 & 19: Random Internet search.

Image 17: https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/siba-mtongana__140402042002.jpg

Image 18: http://grupoquadoo.com/7-beautiful-low-cut-hairstyles-for-black-women/low-cut-hairstyles/

Image 20: http://teeveetee.blogspot.com/2014/07/khanyi-mbaus-successful-talk-show-katch.html

Notes

1. In South Africa, Coloureds refers to individuals of mixed parentage or descent.