hair story, chapter 2: Pam Spaulding, blogging about hair
August 20, 2007
Pam Spaulding runs the blog on pamshouseblend.com, and is a passionate writer and social justice activist. She has included her hair journey on her own website, and I interviewed her in 2005 about her story. Pam’s unique perspective brings to light the intersections among race, hair, and politics; her decision to stop straightening her hair provided her with a sense of freedom and authenticity. The politics of hair is a topic about which I’m learning. It seems in some ways to represent an area of potential control by employers or other groups with an interest in defining who really belongs and who can be excluded.
Entry Filed under: hair and ethnicity, video. .
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1.
Pam Spaulding | August 20, 2007 at 6:37 pm
Hi, thanks for the video. It came out great. I’ve linked up to your Hair Stories project from my blog.
2.
Julie | August 22, 2007 at 4:58 am
Great video. My cousin certainly has been on a long journey with her hair and it looks more beautiful and vibrant today than ever. It’s amazing what hair will do when you stop fighting it!
What a surprise for me to see the picture of Pam with my first baby. I think it’s great, and am honored that she chose to mention the choices I’ve made with caring for my daughter’s hair. It seems that everyone has to go through their own hair travels. Now 8 years old, and with a younger sister with a very different hair, my daughter has some of her own ideas about hair. While I work to teach her to love her hair, the influence of her friends, classmates, and society at large have influenced her to the point that she has already started to actually request much of the same “hair torture” that Pam endured.
3.
Heather Barnes | August 22, 2007 at 4:38 pm
Julie, thanks for your note! It is such a sweet photo. I loved hearing about your approach to your daughter’s hair, and it’s interesting to know that she’s encountering pressure from others to make her hair conform. I guess we all get that pressure to varying degrees. There probably are not enough messages of acceptance…I bet some strong and beautiful women in the public eye could do lots to help change that!
best to you,
Heather’