Turn on- Tune in and Tune out! Afro Hair Zero Respect In 2021

Turn on the television at any time of the day and you will find a plethora of hair adverts for women and men whose hair texture is NOT afro in origin or appearance. Currently in the UK there are ZERO TV adverts which focus positively and exclusively on cleansing and shampoo rituals, hair products or general styling traditions for Global Majority people. Yes, that’s right, the Melanated family are a majority and not a minority. The media like to perpetuate our invisibility daily with such an illusion. We are bombarded with images from multi-billion pound hair care industries which showcase a dominant hair type that has zero relevance or relatability to natural, kinky, afro crowns. Is this a trivial and over-hyped issue? Well, let’s look at the evidence:

Sandra and her guest were reviewing a Dooney & Bourke handbag and as soon as the camera went onto the model, Sandra was heard saying: “You might look back and think, ‘Why’d I wear my hair like that? but you’ll still like your purse“. To which the guest replied: “That’s right, you won’t look at your hair in the picture- you’ll look at your handbag“.

Ruby Williams: No child with afro hair should suffer like me

Then we find TV adverts which mock afro crowns such as those below:

Notice how the little boy has been deliberately dressed up in a suit, dicky bow and exaggerated afro hair style just like the racist caricature of the Golliwog in Florence Upton’s The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls (1895). In the latest ‘Bingo like a boss’ advert let’s look how Afro hair is being portrayed in 2021:

Here, we are presented with a family portrait which platforms the nonsensical depiction of afro hair styled as animals. We then view ‘Gloria’ through a sequence of shots cutting her boyfriend’s hair with no attention, care or respect for the outcome. This advert not only mocks the distinctive texture of afro hair, i.e. that it can be formed, and shaped simply because of its uniqueness and beauty and is the strongest in terms of tensile strength and the amount of water it can hold (Afrocenchix, 2018, p.2). But this advert, fetishizes afro hair for entertainment, gross caricature and with a deliberate contamination of ancient traditions and understanding of the animal domain.

It is time that we understand the importance of our history and how it cultivates the truth of who we are, and how we carved our own adverts of self with its beauty and maintenance of afro hair.

So, remember the wise words of Listervelt Middleton: “Minute by minute, hour by hour, when you lose your history you lose your power. So sharpen your eyes and tune your ear so you’ll know what you see and understand what you hear“.

Until next time- KU AMSHA (to awaken).