Written by Tabitha Jennings
Hair depression is commonly known by black women as the state of feeling sad or not like one’s self when your hair is not done to your own satisfaction. R&B singer India Arie said it best in her 2006 song, “I Am Not My Hair”. However what if our emotions are connected to our hair? What if our hair just adds to the emotional trauma that we experience? Dr. Hermaya Onunwor, is a local social worker from Cleveland, ,OH and she stated that “While I do believe hair depression is real, particularly among Black women, societal factors directly impact the feelings of persistent sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest in one’s own hair, which is how depression is clinically defined.”
Photo of Dr. Hermaya Onunwor, used with permission
For black women, the societal standards of beauty have never been on our side. The pressures as a Black woman in America are exhausting. The task of conforming to societal beauty standards can be physically and emotionally daunting. This inherently forces some of us to abandon some of our historical hair customs such as our afros, corn rows, locs, or extensions, leaving us to be plagued with the pressures of conforming to fit in and succeed in an unnatural environment. This can lead us to overthink and make a multitude of micro decisions when it comes to styling our hair.
Dr. Onunwor added that the microaggressions Black women experience at work as it relates to our hair, not only tells us we are inadequate as Black women, but we are also inadequate because of how people view us based on our hair. If you work in a corporate job dominated by predominantly white men you may reconsider wearing a natural hairstyle such as braids when interviewing for a job in fear that your hair will determine whether or not you are chosen for the position regardless of your experience and skill set. The hassle of maintaining a conforming hairstyle and being physically fit may be another choice that oftentimes seems unfair because water and sweat tend to not be a friend to our natural hair. Our textured hair is just another complexity of genetics that we learn to manage and take pride in having.
But could the stress of society’s beauty standards and unrealistic expectations from our environment play a role in how we view our hair?
In the 2012 Olympics, Gabby Douglas, a gold medal gymnast, was ridiculed because her hair was not styled well enough as she made history. The fact that her hair overshadowed such a monumental moment highlights the emphasis everyone else has on black women’s hair. The plight of trying to be physically active while maintaining the straight styling on our innately curly hair is one many Black women know too well. Depending on when you get your hair done you may have to skip a workout for the day or be devastated by the disastrous outcome of sweating. Exercising improves your mood but for Black women, we have to think about our hair before participating in something vital for our physical health.
I surveyed 40 women from Cleveland and one surveyor stated that she wears her hair in a silk press because it works for her job and is most flattering. The surveyor also stated she is not able to keep her hair done as much as she would like due to the cost being ‘ridiculous.’
The Crown Act is a movement that protects Black people against discrimination based on race-based hairstyles that allows us to wear our natural hair and protective styles in the workplace and public schools. At this time Ohio House Bill 178 is one step closer to becoming law.
Currently with no protections some of us may fall at the mercy of our employers when it comes to possible discrimination based on how we choose to wear our hair. Forcing us to comply or run the risk of losing our employment. Yet another unfair decision, that adds additional weight on our mental health, especially when there are many other factors that hinder our ability to do so.
We will discuss this topic further in this series so be sure to stay tuned.
Tasheika Johnson & Dorian Johnson photo provided by Tasheika Johnson
Tasheika Johnson is a wife and mother of two boys in Maple Heights. She said she is tired and does not have enough money to get her hair done as much as she would like. The ability to afford the luxury of simply grooming our hair has become a burden for many Black women in this economy. This includes the ability to be able to afford hair services, products, and more. With the rising costs of beauty services, many are scrambling to find ways to afford the semi-optional upkeep.
Akilah is a kindergarten school teacher from Cleveland who wears her hair in a short natural style often dyed a non-traditional color. If her hair is not styled she stated “ it makes me feel somewhat insecure, but also empowered that I’m not conforming to society’s or others’ standards.” Finding freedom with our hair as Akilah has done is just a start to releasing the weight off our shoulders. If society’s standards do not change then we must continue to challenge the system and be our authentic selves from our hair to our toes
Black women’s hair has many layers physically and theoretically speaking. Dr. Onunwor expressed the importance of discussing these feelings with a trained professional because we may unknowingly be experiencing distress that can lead to more serious concerns.
Stay tuned for more from our Complexity of Coils series as we continue to dive deeper into the multifaceted discussion of Black women’s hair in the CLE. Take this survey and tell us more about how much you spend on your hair or hair care products or let us know about your hair experiences.