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Learning to Braid

The simplest way to say it is that I have gained a new respect for seemingly simple tasks such as braiding hair. To learn, I asked my mom and sisters to make, “friendship bracelets” with me and show me how it is done with pieces of string. I had seen braiding done before and was not thinking that it was going to be as difficult a task that it ended up being. The task requires a great amount of patience as it is easy to lose track of your progress and actually can be quite tedious work with many strings to deal with and requires a lot of patience. I found myself getting frustrated and had to undo many portions so that I did not make a mess of the bracelet. After completing the bracelet, I came to the conclusion that it was not a difficult process, but there are many things that could become difficult when transferring the skills I learned, to actual hair. My mom asked if I wanted to attempt on my sister’s hair. What resulted cannot even be shared in this blog via picture because it was such a mess. During the process, I asked my sister why she thinks that many guys do not know how to do a simple braid. Her response was not surprising, and she said she thinks it’s just a part of male vs female culture. Similar to many girls who would not know how to build something such as a bookshelf or other simple construction. I laughed at this but ultimately agreed. Overall, this was an eye-opening experience for me and I am glad I was able to take the opportunity to learn a skill that both my mother and sisters use frequently in their daily lives.

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Braids Around the World

-       Africa

o   The origin of the braids was discussed in an earlier blog. Cornrows are considered to be the earliest style of braiding. French ethnologists have found evidence, courtesy of a stone painting in the Tassili Plateau of the Sahara, which depicts a woman with cornrows feeding her child in 3500 BCE. In another example, this time from the Nok civilization on a Nigerian sculpture, a figure has cornrows etched onto its head. Cornrows often ranging from linear to complex geometrical patterns helped to articulate certain aspects of culture such as kinship, status, age, religion, and ethnicity.  

-       Braid like an Egyptian

o   Egyptians, who were typically disdainful of body hair, enjoyed styling the hair on their heads in a variety of manors. These included wigs, braids with jewels and braids, and sometimes even extensions. Braiding kept these women cool in the scorching Egyptian climate and often prevented lice from having places to shelter. We are probably all familiar with the famous “Cleopatra Style” which many women adopted to indicate wealth. We have indications of the power of braids in Ancient Egypt as we have discovered examples such as King Tutankhamun, where facial hair was braided. Although facial hair was generally frowned upon in Ancient Egypt, beards were seen as a symbol of divinity.

-       Mongolia

o   As the Mongol Empire grew in the 13th century, so did the culture of elaborate hairstyles and headpieces. As photography rose to popularity in the 19th century, the rest of the world was revealed to these elaborate styles of Mongolian women. The “winged” style of these women is easily identifiable and was to be reflective of a “mythical beast”  

-       China

o   The Chinese culture of braids is a little different than other cultures. In China, braids were exclusively worn by men. Men typically shaved all the hair above their temples and the rest was pulled back into a pigtail that fell down their back. This style was called the Queue and it was considered treason to not wear the Queue. Men who refused often faced execution.

-       Europe

o   During Medieval times in Europe, modesty was valued and unless you were a girl or woman, long flowing hair was typically forbidden. It is interesting that older women often kept their heads covered in fear of being accused as a witch. Because of this, the popular braid styles such as the double braid, the braided crown, and the fishtail braid were each covered by headpieces.

-       Native American

o   With more than 500 Native American tribes in North America, it is nearly impossible to identify one style. Each tribe had their own styles that included different meanings. Cayuse and Kiowa tribe women traditionally wore two long braids, although some Kiowas wore their hair loose. Wisconsin women traditionally adorned one long braid with ribbons tied in. For the Quapaw women, if you were married, you would wear your hair loose and single women wore their hair in braids signifying that braids played a large social role. In some tribes, such as Plains Indian men would wear two long braids, while the women cut their hair shorter than the men. Today’s Native Americans continue to wear their hair in a variety of hairstyles, often braided.

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/44603

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My Mom, The Hairdresser

I am extremely lucky to have been able to call my mom a hairdresser while growing up. When my peers ask me what my mom does for a living, I always get a strange look when I tell them that my mom is a part-time hairdresser at a local salon. There must be some sort of stigma about a parent that only works part-time or maybe it’s simply the occupation itself. Though I typically get a strange response, I have long had a great deal of respect for my mom and the work she does. My mom is the type of person who would never work a desk job and she loves to be social and talk with people. She could talk to anyone about anything, and she does. I often laugh when people judge her for her occupation, because, until college, I had never paid for a haircut, and it is truly a luxury. I did the math on this one too. Let’s say that a person gets their hair cut once a month (many people get it done more often), and the price of the average men’s haircut is about $28. This means that if a child begins haircuts at the age of two when they turn 18 years old, they would have spent approximately $5300 on haircuts in their lifetime. Pretty remarkable if you think about it. It isn’t all about the money though. When my sisters and I were young and could not support ourselves, it was important that our mother was around during the week. She would take care of us and often other neighborhood kids while their parents were at work. Essentially, she would run her own business out of our kitchen inviting neighbors, friends, and family to come to get their hair cut for a lower price than a professional salon. She didn’t just do haircuts either. I distinctly remember the smells of the dye that is used to do highlights and full-color changes. She also would make house calls to elderly people and those dealing with sickness in our neighborhood. Most recently, she has been cutting the hair of a child with autism that lives nearby. She doesn’t charge this family because she does not see this as a service, but an opportunity to make a difference. I have a tremendous amount of respect for her and not simply because she is my mom, either. She has been able to work a part-time job to help provide for our family, she took care of us when we were young, and she even handles all the things around the house that my dad doesn’t have time for. My mom also taught, “Sunday School” at our church and each year she hosted an activity where she handed out three pieces of string to each student and taught us how to do a simple braiding technique. This braiding technique helped us create colorful bracelets and taught us a valuable skill (while trying to tie it in with scripture). It was also something that helped the students do something with their hands and truly get something out of the lesson. I truly do not know why I would get strange looks when people find out my mom is a hairdresser. I suppose it has something to do with the fact that hairdressers do not make a hefty wage, or do not work full-time or even the fact that it is a primarily female-driven field. I have nothing but respect for hairdressers, barbers, and other cosmetology related professions because I am a firm believer that their work is a craft. It is my hope that others can see the value that these professionals provide to the community just as I do.

https://www.angieslist.com/articles/how-much-does-haircut-cost.htm

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History of Braids

It is no secret that braids have been around for Centuries. Some historians have traced the origins back as far as 5000 years in African culture to 3500 B.C. “The discovery of ancient stone paintings depicting women with cornrows in North Africa shows that braids date back thousands of years” (Dirshe). The exact origins are unknown, but many have attributed the origins to the Himba people of Namibia. According to Zinga Fraser, an assistant professor at Brooklyn College in New York, “African women have a rich history in terms of the ways they adorn their hair”. For a long time, before the emergence of the transatlantic slave trade in the fifteenth century, African women would go to great lengths to present their hair beautifully. These women used accessories and turned their braids into an art form. It is a common misnomer that the origins of braids can be traced back to France. It is likely that this misconception was due to the French presence in North Africa in the early to mid-1800s. Braids were introduced to North America via enslaved African Women. Fraser says, “it is impossible to understand the history of braids, and Black American hair culture in general, without looking at the impact of slavery on African Women”. She goes on to explain that in some cases when captured, traffickers would shave their heads in a brutal attempt to strip them of their humanity. It is possible that these traffickers recognized the value of the art that these women had created for themselves. When these women were enslaved, their braids served an alternate purpose. “They became a secret messaging system for slaves to communicate with one another underneath their masters’ noses” (Dirshe). This was shocking to me. The intricacy of communication simply to have a chance at freedom is astonishing. It was not until the Black Power Movement took shape in the 1960s that the African roots of braids began to be honored. Today, braids are seen in many places in popular culture and artists such as Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, and Solange Knowles have all been lauded for their pride in their braids.

https://www.byrdie.com/history-of-braids

DIRSHE, SIRAAD. “Respect Our Roots.” Essence, vol. 49, no. 2, June 2018, pp. 42–47. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=asn&AN=129735821&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

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Culture of Hairdressing

In today’s society, there are countless examples of occupations that are traditionally seen as, “a woman’s job”. One of the main examples that comes to mind is the career of a hairdresser. Stereotypes that have been enhanced over the course of history continue to limit the expansion of the art of hair. When getting a haircut, men will typically choose a barbershop before they will choose a salon. This seems to be for no apparent reason other than the fact that they think it’s where their gender “belongs”. There are also other stereotypes that exist inside a salon itself. In my life, I have heard things like, “if a man works in a salon, he is probably gay”, which is a wild thing to assume regardless of the topic being discussed. There is also the stereotype that exists that salons are for gossip time. This is most likely because at a salon, (or barbershop) you talk because you feel comfortable. All my life, I have gone to my mother’s salon to get my hair cut and have never been surprised by the diversity of people working there. Ideally, these stereotypes will be diminished as the culture of hairdressing continues to grow.