I sometimes look at old photos of my mother, who came of age in the 1970s. Her gorgeous afro was a nod to the self-empowerment that spread throughout the black community in the years following the civil rights movement.
By the time I was 12, I was begging my mom to get me a hair relaxer. At the time, there was no beauty in her long, thick hair, which her mother would spend all Saturday mornings washing, detangling, and drying. All my friends at school had loose hairstyles, so I wanted that too. Eventually she gave in and my journey with my creamy crack began.
Black women spend nearly $8 million a year They are knowledgeable about beauty and salon products and services and visit the salon on average at least twice a month. Additionally, Black women spend twice as much on skin care as women in other demographics. This is the result of biased beauty standards and racism that force black women to conform to society’s standards of what is appropriate and professional. These products are often more toxic than those sold to the public.
You may be wondering, “What’s the big deal if it’s just beautiful?” Yes, makeup, skin care, and hair care are powerful tools of expression for Black women. It not only looks good, but also helps you deal with difficult moments in life, such as acne and other symptoms.
We’ve all seen commercials and social media ads about people developing certain cancers and conditions related to the use of chemical relaxants.by file a lawsuit, victims may be compensated and can help with treatment and medical costs. Looking good and feeling good about yourself comes at a high cost.
The disturbing truth is that it is legal in the United States for the products we use every day to contain chemicals linked to breast cancer, hormonal disorders, birth defects, and other chronic health problems. about it. Products that may contain chemicals of concern More than just hair relaxers, they are products we use on a daily basis, such as skin lighteners, anti-dandruff shampoos, hair conditioners, hair dyes, nail polish, and fragrances. The industry has been regulating itself for decades, even defending the toxic ingredients it uses.
Most mainstream magazines are still aimed at white readers. Cosmetic brands put a lot of effort into marketing, but most skin care brands don’t. By featuring only white women in the campaign, viewers and consumers are demonstrating an assumption of whiteness. At most major beauty companies, most of the key decision-makers are white, and that determines what goes into advertising materials. This is the weaponization of European beauty standards against Black women and why it is so important for us to have a seat at the table to make decisions.
The pressure to be neat is often compounded by discrimination in the workplace. In 2020, Duke University researchers found that black women with natural hair are perceived as less professional And they are less capable than straight-haired women or curly-haired white women. These perceptions are based on patriarchy and misogyny, reinforcing the idea that this is the only norm.
In the late 1800s, Annie Malone understood that for black women, appearance and grooming represented more than just personal style. It can also indicate a woman’s class or social status. She realized that improving hair health could also have a positive impact on the lives of Black women. This motivation led Malone to develop products to help women adapt to a society that judges women based on how they meet American beauty standards that exclude most black women’s natural looks. I got an idea. She made her business a success after experimenting with chemistry and developing a series of products that were touted to improve scalp health and promote hair growth. Malone eventually founded Polo College.
Around the same time, Sarah Breedlove was struggling with her own hair problems and experimenting with solutions. She enrolled at Malone’s Polo College and later became an agent. Considering her personal concerns regarding her Breedlove hair and the training she received, she came up with the idea to start manufacturing and selling her own products. She changed her name to Madam CJ Walker and began developing her own line of hair products.
A story of two pioneering black women. They are often at odds with each other. Either way, they both understood the relationship between black women and their appearance, and the importance of safe, high-quality ingredients.
What we put on our hair and skin is a very personal choice. You don’t want to be lectured about what to use, what not to use, and the perceived risks. My current situation is that I have to make choices about how I look based on ingredients that could potentially kill me. I discovered that the foundation and concealer I use contains retinyl palmitate, which is a form of vitamin A. Sounds good, right? But it’s also been linked to skin cancer. So I stopped using both of those products.
When all the information started coming out about the harmful effects of relaxers and other products, many women turned away from them. But as you know, just because a product claims to be a natural alternative doesn’t mean it’s risk-free.
The beauty industry has consistently maintained that product safety is a top priority and puts a lot of scientific research and development into everything they do. It just seems like smoke is being blown when black women are getting sick and dying because they are trying to be beautiful.
The truth is, we are beautiful just the way we are and we don’t need the industry to rely on harmful and dangerous products.
