The Media's Role in the Natural Hair Debate
The media has played a significant role in shaping societal beauty standards and influencing how natural hair is perceived and represented.
They have often portrayed natural hair textures common to Black individuals in a negative or unattractive light, while elevating Eurocentric hairstyles as the ultimate standard of beauty.
However, in recent years there has been a growing movement towards embracing natural hair and celebrating its beauty and diversity. This has been reflected in some mainstream media outlets, which have started to showcase natural hair in a more positive light.
Campaigns by mainstream magazines such as Vogue, Allure and Elle have featured natural hair on their covers and in their editorials, and as a result beauty brands have started to expand their product lines to cater to natural hair textures.
This movement towards embracing natural hair and celebrating its beauty and diversity in the media is slow but it resulted in an increase in representation of natural hair in advertising, movies, television, and other forms of media, as well as the rise of social media platforms that allow individuals to share their own natural hair journeys and experiences.
Mainstream media cannot take sole credit for change.
This increased representation has been driven in part by the efforts of Black creators, influencers, and advocates who have used their platforms to challenge traditional beauty standards and promote diversity and inclusion in the media. These efforts have helped to shift the narrative around natural hair and elevate its visibility and acceptance in mainstream media.
Black women know there is still work to be done to ensure that natural hair is fully represented and celebrated in the media, and that Black individuals are not subject to discrimination or bias based on their hair texture. The ongoing debate around natural hair in the media highlights the importance of representation and the power of media to shape societal attitudes and perceptions (good or bad).
If you found this post useful, share ideas, recommendations and examples of best practice in the comments section below on how mainstream media play a more proactive role in this uplifting this movement.