Home Institution
Hamilton College
Publication Date
Fall 2013
Abstract
This project seeks to explore and understand hair performance by black and coloured females in Cape Town and understand 1) its possible political significance and 2) its social role. This ISP will attempt to explore the construction of hair as a symbol of class and beauty by looking at its historical significance. In this paper, I will investigate how young women in Cape Town, specifically black and coloured women, choose to represent themselves through hair and explore the connotations attached to their particular hairstyle choice. Furthermore, in this paper I will try to answer the following questions 1) Do black women feel societal pressures to straighten their hair, 2) If, so, why? And 3) Do their personal choice in regards to their hair, whether natural or straightened, reflect any political or social stance or movement?
Disciplines
Community-Based Research | Family, Life Course, and Society | Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | Gender and Sexuality | Inequality and Stratification | Race and Ethnicity | Women's Studies
Recommended Citation
Antunez, Carol, "Fros, Weaves, and Kinks: The Social and Political Significance of Hair for Black and Coloured Women in Cape Town" (2013). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 1667.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/1667
Included in
Community-Based Research Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Women's Studies Commons
Program Name
South Africa: Multiculturalism and Human Rights