African American culture at that time as well as society based on a racial system.…
Coming of age in these two worlds, the two men would later reflect on their departure from the will of God yet praise his Divine Presence in each of their lives. Malcolm Little would move to Boston and begin taking pride in his assimilation into white culture--wearing zoot suits and conking his hair--while beginning to reject his childhood faith. In his autobiography, he would glorify Allah for this dark period in his life saying, “All praise is due to Allah that I went to Boston when I did. If I hadn’t, I’d probably still be a brainwashed black Christian” (36). LaMothe writes that “Malcolm X’s withdrawal from and rebellion against the white world and its concomitant expectations of African-American submission included his rejection of Christianity...…
The historian Jonathan Kingsley analyses the ways in which the dual facets of Malcolm X 's character is received in contemporary American society and history in the 1990s…
Both Brent Staples and Malcolm X’s essays touch on the subject of racism. The authors are similar in the sense that they discuss the problems they face as African Americans living in America, where white people are often considered “superior” and African Americans are often considered to be “inferior.” This is a strong subject that has existed for hundreds of year and has caused several African Americans to be forced into facing hardships. They often use trial and error to figure out how to overcome their uncertainties. Because of this both Staples and Malcolm X use different types of strategies to change their appearance in order to fit in with society. Both authors have a similar foundation of what they believe is the right way to deal with living in a world where they are often put in situations where they have to compromise the way they live, act, and perceive themselves.…
There’s a saying that “Experiences builds the character”.... or maybe it isn’t a common saying. However, it is a saying that is proven to be true. In a sense as this, looking at historical figures, experiences made them of whom they were or are. Looking at one specifically, Malcolm X, a activist for social, economic and political rights whose experiences transformed him to an ‘’altered’’ person from time to time. Upon reading the book ‘’The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley’’ Malcolm X, as explaining before, make these baffling transformations in different points of time in his life. His anti white views may be daunting of how which he expresses his opinions about these so called ‘’devil race’’[Whites]. However, an ‘’aesthetic…
He wanted to live with Ella because he felt he would have a better opportunity there. People in Lansing, where Malcolm was from, always idolized living in big cities such as Boston and New York. When Malcolm X first arrived in Boston, he realized how different the black culture was there compared to Lansing. Black people from Lansing dressed completely differently compared to the ones in Boston. In Boston, they would wear business suits and they all dressed professionally. Whereas X didn’t, Malcolm X says, “…wearing my green suit. If someone had hung a sign, “HICK”, around my neck, I couldn’t have looked much more obvious…” (Page 35). This scenario shows racial identity between the two groups of black people. The author uses style and imagery to help the reader visualize Malcolm’s experience in Boston and how oblivious he was to the world outside of Lansing.…
African American hair has social and political meaning. The evolution of black hair has so much meaning and power behind it. Hair along with other things gives African Americans an identity. And depending on how you wear, helps you break from the cultural hegemony of white Europeans. In this paper I hope to talk about the “hairstory” of African American hair and what it represented. Talk about those who were very influential to many African American women and men. I also hope to present the different types of hairstyles and how they came about. And the cultural perception of “good hair” versus “bad hair”, and how white supremacy has influenced these two…
Although, some black women alter the texture of their hair it's because of fearfulness of the economic compulsion, and the unknown, it’s due the heavy influence America's Eurocentric society has. But, taking charge and deciding for themselves on what hairstyle fits them best, whether it's cornrows or big afro, black women are resisting against the white beauty standard. Challenging America's image of beauty and black women worth, I've decided to go natural to challenge the view, and I couldn't be more proud. Nowadays, a daily motto I go by is: "Relaxer? If my fro makes you feel uncomfortable then you are the one who needs to relax" –…
The fashion for women contained three remarkable adjustments. The first involving short hair. Prior to this time women did not cut their hair into bobs but instead wore long “manes” that would be kept up in buns to uphold a very proper atmosphere. Short hair, “was enthusiastically defended on the grounds that is was carefree and less troublesome to care for...”(Fass 4). Women of the time were trying to fit in with their new roles in society. As they became more equal to men they wanted to become more of a “companion in work and play” and to do so they took on a “boyish” look (Fass 3). Despite the positive attributions of having short hair, “bobbed hair was often attacked as a symbol of female promiscuity, of explicit sexuality, and of a self-conscious denial of respectability and the domestic ideal” (Fass 4). This however did not stop young women who found their short hair attractive and more manageable as they worked or studied.…
This, according to Malcolm’s criticism, was how white imprisoned the Blacks mentally, and that this was even worse than the physical nature of slavery itself (47-48). In order to combat this, Blacks have to learn to love their own appearance. For the African-Americans today, they still struggle with the same concept of beauty, body image, and hair of the past. Although some of them straighten their hair, it does not necessarily mean they are mimicking features of European hair styles. As Jones and Shorter-Gooden argued, “Not every woman who decides to straighten her hair or change the color of her eyes by wearing contacts believes that beauty is synonymous with whiteness” (178). Basically, black women are experimenting, even with hairs that are associated with European styles, to spark an expression of creativity or for employment reasons (Tracey, Owens Patton,…
Thesis Statement: Through history, African Americans have changed to fit the times and so their hair has developed a statement about those historical changes.…
Slaves would use scarves as an alternative to showing their kinky or curly hair. Not only did they use scarves but they also found other ways to alter their hair to be socially acceptable at the time. One development they came up with was called the “sheep fleece carding tool” (Byrd and Tharps 2001, 13) which they used like a modern day comb to detangle their hair. They also used things like “bacon grease and butter to condition and soften the hair, prepare it for straightening, and make it shine. Cornmeal and kerosene were used as scalp cleaners, and coffee became a natural dye for women” (17). Back in these days the hairstyles the slaves wore was determined by the work that they did. If they were field slaves and worked outside, the women would wear head scarves and the men would cut their hair extra short and wear things like straw hats to block them from the sun. If they were a house slave, they were expected to keep their hair nice and presentable or they would have to face the wrath of their masters. They often tried to imitate the styles of the white woman or they would wear tight braids and cornrows. Black male slaves, like upper class White males, chose to wear wigs in the eighteenth century or “styled their own hair to look like a wig”…
I will demonstrate that Taylor's critique of the Dark & Lovely hair care brand is flawed for multiple reasons (105-106). First, Dark & Lovely products provide black women with the opportunity to indulge in personal aesthetics. The brand offers an array of stylistic options for black women, including products suited for damaged hair, dry hair, breaking hair, braided hair, and natural hair. With an exceedingly wide variety of products, and an abundance of options, black women have an increased flexibility of style. Such flexibility allows black women to establish an individual and unique sense of style.…
In Malcolm X’s excerpt My First Conk, He describes the process to get a conk. He talks about how his friend will do it for free instead of paying for it. He then goes on to list the items they need to buy to make the “congolene” to make the conk. They need “Red Devil lye, two eggs, and two medium- sized white potatoes… and a large jar of Vaseline, a large bar of soap.” Then the drugstore clerk comments about the Malcolm X getting a conk and Malcolm proudly says “Right!” He later goes on to describe the way the mixture is made and how the Red Devil lye makes the mixture burning hot. His friend tells him “it burns bad but the longer you can stand it, the straighter the hair.” He then proceeds to start to comb it into Malcolm X’s hair. Malcolm X says he did not go without a conk for many years. He says he comes to a realization in his later years. He says the conk is one of the most self-degrading looks any black man can have. He also says he is not exempting himself from that category. He does not understand the fascination of black men both rich and dirt poor conking just to look like white men. He states “if they gave the brains in their heads just half as much attention as they do their hair, they would be a thousand times better off.” At the time this was written many black men regularly conked their hair. Malcolm X may have had different reasons for getting a conk than another person who conked their hair; this paper will exemplify the reasons for conking, why Malcolm X’s views changed so drastically towards it, and why people change their appearances to “fit in”.…
In my teenage years, it has been difficult to find a personality into which I can settle, as I am always transitioning from phase to phase. However, there is one aspect about me that will always characterize me and that I will always adore, my hair. My hair is my armor, not only because it is a representation of my strong, determined, and go-getter badass chic personality, but also because it protects me from the sorrows of the world. Growing up as an Afro-Latina kid, I was taught to abhor my kinky Afro-textured hair. According to Eurocentric beauty standards, my hair was not the epitome of beauty.…