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A Senior Seminar Editorial by Emily Jo McKnight, MHS 2010
After reading Jenee Desmond-Harris’ article “Why Michelle’s Hair matters,” It’s safe to say that Americans spend a little too much time focused on hair. Not that hair isn’t important or time consuming- especially for African American women, as Desmond-Harris points out- rather that Americans think too much about it and place too much significance in its ‘meaning’. From blogs and websites to stereotypes of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ hair, maybe it would do US citizens good to think less about Michelle Obama’s hair and more about her work and role as first lady.
The first proof of America’s over obsessive-ness comes from the sheer number of media sources available to view and discuss it. Desmond-Harris mentions at least three such sites, like Blacksnob.com and Nappturality.com that focus on African American hair alone! She mentions also an article in the Inquirer that addressed the debate over how Michelle Obama’s curls were done during her husband’s Denver speech. The culmination of hair tension seemed to come when Mrs. Obama wore her hair differently than she normally does in July and everyone thought she cut it. Her deputy press secretary actually had to publically clarify this! People’s prioritizing hair has reached a point a new level of obsessive-ness, and with such a broad array of media to observe and discuss it with, it’s not hard to see why…
Of course all this prioritizing hair isn’t a good thing, especially when you consider the stigmas it causes. African American women in particular seem to suffer from this effect. Desmond-Harris writes about one woman who has her styles planned out by how long she’d been working at a certain place so as not to risk losing her position simply because of her hair. Her basic plan is to wear it straight for the first few months until she gets health care coverage, then she lets the curls loose. Seriously, how sad is that? African American women feeling so insecure with society’s perception of their hair that they feel intense planning is necessary for them to feel safe. Because of American obsessions with hair preconceived notions of what ‘professional hair’ should look like form. These ideas are often difficult, particularly for black women, to attain when they’re already spending more on their hair than on anything else they wear (according to Chris Brown).
The sad truth under all the hair mania is that despite increased interest, people’s opinions and perceptions of it are as closed as ever. Several times within her article Desmond-Harris alludes to the ides of the American people not being ready for nappy hair in the White House, as if despite all the advances and barriers crossed in the past year one of the biggest things we have yet to overcome is…hair.