In the third installment of our four-part series, we'll have a look at texturism and its impact on many Black and Latino hair types. We'll also have a look at ways to more appreciate your naturally beautiful curls and locks.
December 1, 2022 – It's your first day at a brand new job and also you're a bundle of nerves full of excitement. Your hand hits the “join meeting” button. As you are taking a breath, that pesky thought fights to deliver a punch to your stomach. Self-esteem.
“What message does my hair convey to my new colleagues?”
If you are usually not of African descent, you might not know what I’m talking about. Historically natural hair Texture was seen as unattractive, unprofessional and, perhaps most annoyingly, “unkempt.” Fortunately, the natural (afro-textured) hair movement has gained popularity Swing (with interruptions) within the last a long time.
In our recent docuseries, “Color by WebMD: WebMD's Exploration of Race and Mental Health,” we explore what's referred to as texturism and the way it affects many Black and Latino people. We also discuss how we are able to more appreciate our naturally beautiful curls and locks.
The 4 predominant hair types
Texturism – or discrimination based on the similarity or distance of 1's natural hair from European (tremendous, straight) hair – will be widespread in lots of communities of color, says Dr. Vanessa Gonlin, assistant professor of sociology on the University of Georgia. To explain where and the way texturism works, she analyzes the 4 predominant hair textures.
- Type one: Straight hair
- Type two: wavy hair
- Type three: Curly hair
- Type 4: curly or coarse [afro-textured] hair
According to Gonlin, not only may you be treated poorly by people inside your ethnic group due to your Afro hair texture, but people outside your ethnic group might also view Afro hair in a negative light.
“I have type 3 hair and have never been worried that my natural hair would cause me to have trouble at an interview,” she says. “But I know other people with type 4 frizzy hair have this concern.”
It starts early
As someone who was born with afro-textured hair, I actually have a powerful connection to texturing—as does my sister Liz Davis, a trained marriage and family therapist in Kansas City, KS. Liz traveled to WebMD's Atlanta office, and we talked about how texturing affected our self-image without us being fully aware of it. Liz says a few of her earliest, most traumatic experiences with hair happened after we went to beauty salons to get our hair straightened, or chemically straightened.
“All I remember is that my scalp was burning and scabs were forming in various places,” she recalls.
Many people don't consider the psychological aspects involved in straightening hair, nor the message it sends about what hair type is taken into account “attractive,” Liz says.
“I don't think I had the awareness to understand that the structure of my hair was changing.”
Liz and I also talked about what it was like growing up in predominantly white communities and the way Eurocentric beauty ideals influenced our view of our hair. Liz recalled how in college she would show a friend (who was white) different photos of hairstyles and ask her which one she should get.
“I remember her saying to me, 'Liz, they're all white. Don't you want to choose a hairstyle that represents you, your skin color and your culture?'” Liz says.
Liz began researching social media for Black content creators with natural hair who discuss their experiences with natural hair and share how they take care of their afro locks.
“I wanted that for myself. I started to build my self-confidence and my culture,” she says.
Facial features
Featurism is commonly less talked about, however it still plays a big role in how people of color are treated in their very own communities and might have damaging effects on self-perception, says Dr. Radhika Parameswaran, associate dean of the Media School at Indiana University in Bloomington. Featurism is about how similar or far removed an individual's physical features are from typical Eurocentric features (narrow nose, thinner lips).
“If your facial features deviate from the 'European ideal', then you are not considered beautiful. Therefore, you have Eye surgery In Japan and other parts of the world, people undergo cosmetic surgery to give them facial features that are closer to this 'European ideal,'” she says.
This phenomenon is common in many Latino communities, says Dr. Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas, a licensed clinical psychologist and professor at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
“For example, if a person has light skin and a wide nose, there is still this stereotype with comments like, 'Your skin color is beautiful, but look at your nose,'” she says.
Effects of “-isms” on mental health
The mental health impact of texturing will be seen in “the most subtle of ways,” Liz says. Statements like “I don’t like my skin. I don’t like my hair. I hate Social Media because everyone there is so much more beautiful than me” are commonplace for lots of her black and brown therapy clients, she says.
When Liz asks for examples of those “exceptionally beautiful” people, they are frequently images of individuals with lighter skin, looser curl patterns, and Eurocentric facial expression.
“It's incredibly painful when someone is suffering and suffering due to who they’re,” she says. “There's nothing incorrect with their hair, their skin or their facial expression. There's something incorrect with our society that favors a Eurocentric standard of beauty.”
Next, we’ll have a look at what’s being done to ColorismFeaturism and Texturism. WebMD traveled to Dallas to go to the May family, two millennial parents with Afro-Latino triplet girls.
Her example is an important lesson for people of color and folks of color alike on the way to take care of these harmful thought patterns that children often learn at a young age.