Nasjah Alexis Hall

CAS 137, Section 003

Professor Henderson

18 October 2017

Analyzing The Nature in Which Individuals Viewed the Afro over the Years

Over the years, hair trends in the African American community have risen and

fallen, but the most noticeable hair trend was the popularization of the afro. In the 1960s,

members of the Black Panthers wore the afro as a political statement in an effort to show

their support of an Afrocentric look. However, in the early 1980s as well as in 2012,

individuals began to trade in their afros for a relaxer, or a perm, as the afro no longer

functioned as a political statement. Instead, it worked as a fashion statement.

Before I can discuss the topic at hand, allow me to briefly explain what it means

to be “natural.” To be natural is to embrace one’s true hair type. It is to deny the

traditional European standards of beauty and embrace one’s true identity. It can be firmly

stated that black identity is grounded in hair, so to participate in the natural hair

movement is to find out what lies beneath the façade of the relaxer, or perm. The Black

Panthers created a paradigm shift in the 1960s as they encouraged the popularization of

natural hair. Despite America’s attempts to cling on to its discriminatory past, more black

models emerged, and within the black community, darker skin began to gain appreciation

(Kwateng-Clark). Along with these changes, African Americans also reverted back to

their roots, setting aside their relaxers to achieve a natural and undeniably Black look.

As the Black Panthers helped set a precedent for the second movement, the

questions at hand are what caused the second natural hair movement in 2012, and what
message is the afro attempting to impose this time? To answer these questions, we must

first dive into African American history as well as general American history.

Hair has been an important aspect of Black culture for centuries. This importance

can be traced back to the 15th century in African history as hair displayed “a person's

marital status, age, religion, ethnic identity, wealth and rank within the community”

(Thompson). Hair has always been centrally placed within the black community, and

these values have survived hundreds of years of hardships such as slavery and racial

tension found within American history. Interestingly, black hair trends have a

complicated past. Before slavery, women would spend hours grooming their lustrous

manes and intricately styling their hair. However, with the initiation of slavery, hair did

not have the importance that it once had. Survival became the primary focus as the harsh

conditions of slavery did not allow African Americans neither the time nor the proper

tools to do their hair as they used to.

African American women began to hide their hair under head wraps due to the

unavailability of proper hair care, and house slaves were forced to wear wigs that closely

resembled their master’s hair. Before, an African American’s source of pride was her

hair, but soon, it became a source of shame. Denial of their heritage became acceptable as

African Americans simply wanted to fit in and feel as if they belonged. Most importantly,

African Americans wanted to be safe. Through rejecting their culture, they avoided

becoming potential targets. Not only, did African Americans want to fit in and be safe,

but society also placed a pressure on them stating that traditionally European features

such as pale skin, thinner lips, a narrow nose, and straight hair were picturesque--and

conventional African features were not.

 This acceptance of Eurocentric beauty in the black community carried from the

beginning of slavery (in roughly 1619) to the late 1950s, early 1960s. In 1966, Bobby

Seale and Huey Newton formed a group named the “Black Panthers” in an effort to

protect themselves and their community from violent, racist individuals in Oakland,

California. The formation of the Black Panthers alone strengthened many Black

individuals. For the first time, African Americans did not feel helpless. The Black

Panthers were extremely influential in the black community. When the leaders of the

Black Panthers began to wear their afros to symbolize the rejection of societal beauty

standards, America followed, despite the ever present need for individualism and a

distinct look.

America has always been individualistic. Common individualistic views, such as

“fight for what you want,” and “fight for what is yours,” catalyzed the creation of the

United States. This can be proven if we were to observe specific historical moments in

time such as the Boston Tea Party, the American Revolution, and the Civil War. The

purpose for the formation of the Black Panthers was similar to that of the Sons of Liberty.

The Sons of Liberty actively fought against British rule as they knew that discussion

would not be enough. They were fearless as they battled tax collectors often using

forceful means and protested the control of the British Government. Again, the Black

Panthers functioned in a similar manner as their intention was to protect members of the

black community. They were advocates for equality and solidarity. To symbolize this

need for solidarity and equality, the afro became a popular image. The afro represented

black power and unification, and it was something that all African Americans shared. The

afro became the embodiment of the conjecture known as conspicuous counter-culture.

 The afro is a large aspect of African American lives that was rejected by

European beauty standards since the beginning of slavery. When the Black Panthers

showed acceptance of their afros, they were openly rejecting the beauty standards

imposed by the majority. The afro functions as conspicuous counter-culture because it

showed that an individual did not have to have straight hair to be considered beautiful. It

denied the common ideals enforced by society. The afro taught African Americans to

accept themselves for who they truly are. Wearing an afro works in the same way as

electing to not wear makeup, it forces an individual to bear her true self to society. It

allows an individual to feel vulnerable with an undertone of empowerment. However, it

is important to stress that having relaxed hair does not indicate one’s amount of support

for the African American community. Being natural is a bold and complicated choice as

of today, but in the 1960s, being natural was a dangerous decision because it showed

support for the Black Panthers. In the sixties, the Black Panthers had the reputation of a

being a radical and “vicious” group, and any association with them made an individual a

potential target (CBS News). Despite the potential danger, individuals continued to wear

the afro as it celebrated African American’s “cultural and physical distinctiveness...and

[it rejected] practices associated with emulation of whites” (Craig).

Many sources report that the decline in the 1980s occurred because the afro

became more mainstream. The message behind it diluted over the years, and the passion

for natural hair slowly died out. The afro was no longer a political statement. Instead, it

became a fashion statement. It was considered mainstream instead of its original edgy

and rebellious image.

Graph Provided by Google Trends Tracing the Interest in Natural Hair

 After the decline, there was a resurgence of natural hair in 2012; women began to

reject relaxers once again, electing for a more natural look. With Barack Obama’s

presidency, America became more accepting of black culture, and natural hair was

considered acceptable. Using data provided by Google Trends, it can be seen on the

graph above that from 2004 to 2008, the interest for natural hair was fairly constant but

low, suggesting that only a small percentage indicated that interest. It is was only until

August 2009 did we see a true, steady increase in the curiosity for natural hair. It would

be fair to assume that President Obama’s election helped peak America’s attentiveness

towards natural hair. With the political success of President Barack Obama in 2012 (and

his second inauguration in 2013), interest in natural hair spiked from 62% in November

2012 to 86% in July 2013 (trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q= natural hair).

The Black community began to wear their afros in an effort to show support for not only

the first Black President but also the first Black President to be re-elected. However, the

question remains: why do the Obamas have relaxed hair?

It is an undeniable truth that First Lady, Michelle Obama, has permed hair as

well the Obama’s daughters, Malia and Natasha, not to mention that President Obama has

a “number one,” or a low, clean cut (Thrasher). For years, the afro has been regarded as
unruly and “unkempt,” and despite the Black Panther’s attempt to change this perception

of the afro, President Obama would most likely not have been viewed as professional as

he is today (Thrasher). According to Steven Thrasher, President Obama kept his hair cut

low in an effort to look more polished.

Steven Thrasher mentioned that Martin Luther King Jr. kept a low, clean cut and

often encouraged other Black men to do the same. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s opinion,

the best way to solve the issues of racism and discrimination was to win over the

majority, which he thought were “reasonable, middle-class white people,” by “[looking]

and [dressing] like them” (Thrasher). However, “by the '60s, young black activists

deemed King's techniques too slow and too accommodating,” which is why the Black

Panthers gained support quickly (Thrasher). The Black Panthers offered fresh, new ideas

that appealed to the younger crowd because they were more confrontational. I believe

that that is why the afro caught on so quickly; it offered a promise of rapid acceptance

and equality.

The afro had a political message in the sixties that faded by the early eighties, but

as the afro became popular again in 2012, it is easy to wonder what exactly did the afro

state politically from 2012 until now. The new political message behind the afro was that

the Obamas’ image did not truly portray the Black community and their roots. President

Barack Obama was incapable of wearing his natural hair, or his afro, due to his important

political position, and because he was the first Black president, his every action was

scrutinized and judged. The afro showed America what real African Americans looked

like. They do not have perfect, straight hair. Instead, they have curly, kinky hair. Not all

African Americans possess a naturally refined look, instead, they hold a wild look with
untamable curls that not even society can control. This was the new political statement of

the afro. However, the media is “attempt[ing] to whitewash the afro,” lessening its

intended effects (Gabbara). Once again, the afro is becoming more mainstream and is

steadily becoming average. The present is slowly mirroring the past as the afro’s original

political statement is transforming into a fashion statement. The afro is no longer

exclusively Black.

Men and women of all races are craving to have curly strands. I frequently see

various types of individuals perming their hair to achieve an Afrocentric look. As curly

perms are now trending, I noticed that a lot of Black women are opting to relax their

curls, leading me to believe that the second natural hair movement is declining. Wearing

the afro is no longer rebellious or unique. Similar to the eighties, I expect to see the

individuals in the Black community who were not truly passionate about being natural

move on to find a new hair trend. I am incapable of predicting what will be the next hair

movement, but I can declare that the afro will return when a new political statement must

be asserted. Because if there is one thing for certain, it is certain that the afro always

returns.

Word Count: 1927

 Works Cited

Chinwe. “The Natural Hair Movement in the '60s and '70s; How It Began and Why It

Ended.” Black Girl with Long Hair, 12 Jan. 2015,

blackgirllonghair.com/2015/01/the-natural-hair-movement-in-the-60s-and-70s-

how-it-began-and-why-it-ended/.

Craig, Maxine Leeds. “History of the Afro Hairstyle.” LoveToKnow, LoveToKnow Corp,

fashion-history.lovetoknow.com/body-fashions/afro-hairstyle.

“Explore Search Interest for Natural Hair by Time, Location and Popularity on Google

Trends.” Google Trends, Google, trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=

natural hair.

Gabbara, Princess. “The History of the Afro.” EBONY, Ebony Media Corporations, 14 Mar.

2017, www.ebony.com/style/the-history-of-the-afro#axzz4wT1yulpH.

Kwateng-Clark, Danielle. “The (Black) Power Of Fashion.” HelloBeautiful, HelloBeautiful,

13 Apr. 2016, hellobeautiful.com/2854283/the-black-power-of-fashion/.

News, CBS. “Power to the people: The rise of the Black Panthers.” CBS News, CBS

Interactive, 3 Sept. 2017, cbsnews.com/news/power-to-the-people-the-rise-of-the-

black-panthers/.

Thompson, Cheryl . “Black Women and Identity: What's hair got to do with it?” Black

Women and Identity: What's Hair Got to Do With It?, Ann Arbor, MI:

MPublishing, 2008, hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.ark5583.0022.105.

Thrasher, Steven. “A Personal And Political History Of The Afro.” BuzzFeed,

BuzzFeedNews, 5 Nov. 2013, 8:56 a.m., buzzfeed.com/steventhrasher/a-personal-

and-political-history-of-the-afro?utm_term=.bvvv5KK3EL#.yr94r00Gzp.