Napturals85

As a direct result of media texts like Good Hair and the My Black Is Beautiful campaign, there is a growing trend among young black women reverting to their natural hair and learning to care for it.

With the advent of new media technologies audiences and social groups become more able to create UNMEDIATED representations of themselves. This in turn leads to the repetition and reinforcement of new values and beliefs. As positive comments are made between members of the audience, new behaviours are encouraged and new rituals emerge.

David Gauntlett proposes a new model of communication called "Media 2.0". He states that, as new media technologies and our capacity to communicate grow. the "media" becomes "democratised". This means that audiences are now able to create media representations and texts without the input of a major company; the audience are equal to producers, and USER GENERATED CONTENT can be just as valid as content made by big studios and conglomerates. This is proven in the trend for internet memes and videos going "viral", and also in our new habit of using social networking sites.

Napturals85 is an American woman who has become a role model for young black women worldwide through her hair tutorials. She uses YouTube as a means of communicating with people like her that she would not be able to access without these technologies. In making these tutorials she is creating a new, unmediated representation of young black women; one that is not mired in body shape, appearance or status in relation to a man, but one that is independent, intelligent and comfortable with herself.

YouTube tutorial
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=GB#/watch?v=UlqdBltyxRU

Interview on "GoodHairBlog"
http://healthyghb.blogspot.com/2010/12/captured-curls-whitney-aka-naptural85.html

Interview on UK blog (a bit annoying but it's good for seeing the social implications of social media on international trends.
http://slimtingz18.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/everyday-inspiration-naptural-85/