Hair and beauty choices of African American women during the Civil Rights Movement, 1960 1974
This research examined the Civil Rights Movement, specifically focusing on hair and beauty choices of African American women who were emerging adults (ages 18 25) between the years 1960 1974, which bridges both the classical period of the Civil Rights Movement and that of Black Power politics (Wilson, 2013) The specific time period corresponds with the adoption of African American hairstyles that were more Afrocentric, following the social climate of Black Pride (Walker, 2007) To achieve understanding of African American women's perspectives, seven participants were interviewed using Seidman's (2013) protocol for which a three part, in depth interview series was conducted. The successive interviews concentrated on the themes of: 1) hair history throughout their lives, 2) details of experiences during the Civil Rights Movement years 1960 74, and 3) creating reflections on the meaning of hairstyle choices in the participant's life. This dissertation followed a non traditional format that allowed for the completion of two scholarly articles related to African American women's hair. Article one: Ages and stages: African American women and their lives through their hair, examines participants' presentations of self. Communication of meaning and values associated with dress were negotiated between the participants and others, which resulted in their choices of presentation. Goffman's (1959) discussion of the presentation of self was used to explain how marginalized groups strive to act appropriately or ideally to dominant standards and power groups. Participants described how they chose their hairstyles and dress for varying audiences and settings. Their presentation of self was highly influenced by the intersectional subject positions held by the participants, reflecting larger hegemonic norms in U.S. society.