YOUR EASTER WORK

CREATIVITY and REAL MEDIA CONVENTIONS

Ola,

Below is the table for the second of your 1a essay plans. It will prove too hard to do creativity on it's own as it's impossible to write about without combining with one of the other concepts, so I've made both remaining areas into one question.

When we come back I'm going to get you working on applying creativity to the other three areas so all eventualities are covered.

Please print out the table, finish it and write the essay for the first lesson back. If you want to type and email me that's fine.

Nearly there...have a good break :-)

Sheena's hair essay plan

In 2010 African hair seen as "ugly" but since the doc brought the issue to the mainstream what was actually a social taboo(women didn't talk about WHY they wanted straight hair), the debate has come to the fore. Women are now starting to explore why they want their hair to be long, straight, light, soft and flippable.

Use GH and Tyra notes to frame start of case studies THEN go into Bell Hooks and link to Revlon and Al Sharpton's exploitation quote; Hooks says the hair pressing ritual she grew up with was a positive bonding experience for black women- to be allowed to take part in this ritual meant you were old enough to listen to and join in with conversations about men, listen to the soul music, learn about their culture. In 60s wearing hair natural was seen as a political statement, and in the 70s mass produced hair relaxers started selling, almost corrupting the "ritual" of getting your hair pressed with your mum, sisters, friends, aunties... "sound of the blow-dryers drowned out conversation" and it became all about chasing a artificially constructed ideal. Advertisers started selling images to make women feel insecure, thus any good that came out of this cultural ritual was eroded.

Link to Butler and gender- female heterosexual gender, no matter your creed, is spoken through hair. We are taught that it should be soft, shiny, long, touchable, tousleable...in short, it should be there to entice the audience to play with it.

Link to Mulvey and male gaze; since our media is largely owned by "Eurocentric" males these are the ones who construct our ads, and by repetition, our values and ideologies. The camera "is" male, so it follows that what is shown on the screen is pleasing to the camera, and non- threatening..."black" is considered threatening because it is "unknown" Tracie Thoms "if you see black hair in its natural state it can be frightening. If you don't understand black hair you are afraid of it."

Maya Angelou "hair is a woman's glory" the message is the same but the meaning has become tainted. Link to weaves, Beyonce, Tyra, young girls saying you are supposed to get a perm.

 

Link to HEGEMONY

 

Those who create the male gaze like being at the top of the pile and want to maintain this hierarchy. One way of doing this is by perpetuating messages and embedding them in the social psyche so audiences keep chasing fake ideals and spending money. Those who are being oppressed do not know they are being oppressed, in fact they may even believe that they're supposed to think,feel, act this way. The oppressed don't know they are oppressed, this is the easiest way to maintain control.

BUT: reframe- since 2010 there has been a growing trend for women wearing their hair naturally- removing the wigs and weaves and growing their hair. With women like Naptural85 on YouTube broadcasting and amplifying positive representations through social media, black women are starting to connect and lend each other support. To grow one's hair and care for it is becoming a means of creating and strengthening self esteem, by nourishing one's hair- by touching it, treating it with patience and learning to care for it, black women are in turn beginning to care for themselves and see that they do not have to present as "white" in order to be considered beautiful. This is new.

Link to Media 2.0

Black celebs spreading the message- Kelly Rowland, Viola Davis, Esperanza Spalding. By attending high profile events and posing for pictures they are starting to send the message that you will still be accepted by mainstream society with natural hair- all these women appeared on red carpets wearing $1000+ dresses, shoes, jewellery, accessories. Their sponsors and fashion houses did not shrink away. The message that African hair is dirty and unhygienic is starting to lose power.

Esperanza Spalding at Oscars 2012 with an afro

Esperanza Spalding is an American jazz-singer and instrumentalist. In 2011 she won the Grammy for Best New Artist- the first time the award has been given to a jazz artist. She is renowned for her hair, which she always wears natural. Along with women like Viola Davis and Naptural85, black women are now being given the message that natural hair CAN be considered beautiful by a mainstream audience.

As a commercially viable artist (i.e. someone who can make money for record companies, sponsors etc), can we predict that soon advertisers and beauty companies will jump on this trend and start selling products that claim to bring you closer to your new "ideal self"? 

Hairstyle File: Esperanza Spalding: http://photos.essence.com/galleries/hairstyle_file__esperanza_spalding

Natural hair at the Oscars 2012!

Why Viola Davis Ditched the Wig at the Oscars

Allison Samuels
Feb 27, 2012 8:57 AM EST

Viola Davis looked stunning with a natural Afro at the Oscars last night. Allison Samuels on how The Help star's bold statement blew the lid off the complicated politics of black women’s hair.


Whether she knows it or not (she does), Viola Davis made Sunday night at the Oscars a teachable moment, giving the world a crash course in the ever-complicated politics of African-American hair.


Actress Viola Davis arrives at the 84th Annual Academy Awards held at the Hollywood & Highland Center on February 26, 2012 in Hollywood, California. , Michael Buckner / Getty Images


Davis, a Best Actress nominee for The Help, arrived at the awards ceremony in a stunning emerald-colored gown and a natural, curly Afro, instantly lifting the lid from the bubbling pot of anger, judgment, and debate often directed toward African-American women and the varying states of their textured tresses.


Through most of the awards season, Davis had donned a dizzying array of wigs and hairpieces to complement her tasteful choice of vibrant-hued cocktail dresses and elegant evening gowns. Many were attractive enough, but some of the follicle support had appeared stiff, ill-fitted, and aging to her lean frame and glowing ebony skin.


“She looked younger and more vibrant on Oscar night,” says Karen Mitchell, owner of New York’s popular True Indian Hair. “Her wigs weren’t that great, and it was clear she needed a custom-fitted wig and style that worked better for her face.”


The actress’s long, public journey with her hair is certainly a familiar story in the African-American community. In fact, it’s so familiar that in the days leading up to the Oscars, black Hollywood found itself actively debating whether Davis would in fact “de-wig” and go natural for Hollywood’s biggest night.


Like many women and most African-American women, Davis learned long ago that hair can be either a tremendous source of pride and confidence or an all-too-frustrating beauty burden that chips away at one’s self-esteem over time.


In a mainstream environment and entertainment industry that has well-defined rules of what beauty is and how it should look, long, silky, and flowing locks rate at the top of the list of nonnegotiable requirements. As a rule—and in sharp contrast—African-Americans have a more coarse and curly hair texture.


And while the tone of one’s skin, the shape of one’s nose, or the fullness of one’s lips aren’t so easily altered without invasive medical procedures, additional hair of any type can be purchased online or at a high-end beauty-supply store in a flash. The relative ease of buying such enhancements and the instant transformation they can bring has made the sale of wigs and human hair extensions a nearly $900 million global business.


“People like to say that hair is no big deal in the black community, but it is,” says R & B singer Mary J. Blige, who’s worn her share of wigs and weaves since first appearing on the hip-hop scene in the early ’90s. “Black women get judged unfairly on many things, and how long your hair is or if it’s your hair just happens to be one of those things. You buy some hair, and you’re considered fake. You don’t have any hair, and you’re not cute. You can’t win.”


Davis seemed to struggle with that very conundrum just a few days before her big Hollywood night. In early February she graced the cover of the Los Angeles Times Magazine sans wig and then last week appeared at several pre-Oscar industry events with her natural ’do as though it were a test run.


I think it was a bold move, but she is truly content with who she is,” said celebrity stylist Damone Roberts, who’s worked with the likes of Beyoncé and Madonna. “She was making a statement about having power to just be Viola.”


Others felt the reasoning behind Davis’s short new ’do may have gone just a bit deeper.


“She’s using her hair to say, ‘Don’t be confused. I am not who I play on TV or movies,’” says race and cultural writer Rebecca Walker. “‘I have left the plantation and wait for no one to tell my story.’”


While many applaud Davis’s decision to ditch the wigs and hairpieces last night, experts in the hair industry say they aren’t very worried that the wig and weave industry will take a big hit as a result. They admit that Davis’s hair trajectory may indeed deepen the conversation on the cultural meaning of hair in the African-American community—but ultimately the power and popularity of wigs and weaves will prevail.


“Wigs and weaves give women confidence and the chance for an ever changing alter ego,” says Joshua Brown, a celebrity hairstylist who works frequently for VH1. “I love that Viola didn’t wear a wig to Oscars and did her own thing, but she’ll have one back on again soon. It’s a woman’s greatest accessory. Almost like a great pair of pumps or great handbag. Every woman needs good wig in her closet.”


Brown and True Indian Hair owner Mitchell both insist that the number of celebrities and regular consumers wearing wigs and other hairpieces continues to grow by leaps and bounds each year. They also stress that the list of famous wig wears is by no means limited to just African-American women. Stars such as Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, and Lady Gaga all regularly sport wigs and hairpieces for their film roles, videos, commercials, and other media appearances.


“Celebrities wear wigs for the versatility it allows them as well as to protect their natural hair from the constant abuse of over-styling they endure for work,” says Mitchell. “Celebrities like Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé, and Jennifer Hudson alternate between wigs and extensions. They love wigs because they take less time to style, and today there are so many more options for them to choose from.”


Mitchell says that wigs like the True Indian Hair piece Blige wore in last October’s issue of Elle magazine are often custom-made to fit the exact shape, head size and face of the owner. The best quality wigs made from the finest human hair usually cost between $3,000 to $6,000 dollars each and can last for years with proper care. Celebs such as Serena Williams, Blige and others often buy wigs in bulk and treat them as they would their own hair with high priced shampoos and conditioning treatments to ensure longevity.


“The key is having options,” says Mitchell. “As a woman and as black women the key is having the opportunity to wear your hair however you like, wherever you like, and have it look good. That’s what Viola did [at the Oscars], and she looked wonderful.”