Strands of Thought, Strands of Work: The Politics and Economics of Black Beauty-Supply Industry

• In Event: 130 - Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Roundtables (one-hour). Table 01. Identity and Presentation

Abstract

This research uses the beauty industry as a site of investigation to consider how race, gendered beauty ideals, and class mutually impact black women’s ability to “do” gender as customers and operate financially viable businesses as entrepreneurs. Through interviews and ethnographic participant observation, I theorize how the beauty-supply trade impacts women’s relationships with their bodies, with their labor, and with each other. This research explores how the personal and the political are mutually manifested through black women’s presentations of self and economic decisions. My findings suggest that many black women continue to associate straight hair with respectability and acceptability to whites, and that double-consciousness informs black women's decisions about self-presentation. Second, in contrast to the 1960s and 1970s, a contemporary natural hair movement might be more connected to the Green Movement as opposed to black nationalist activism. Third, my interviews point to a greater desire for a mixed-race appearance than a white beauty ideal. Lastly, businesses owned by blacks tend to be structured differently than traditional middleman minority businesses.

Author

• Chelsea Mary Elise Johnson, University of Southern California