T
his is a book by a grown-ass woman written for other grown-ass women,”
Brittney Cooper, aka Professor Crunk, writes at the beginning of her new
book Eloquent Rage. “This is a book for women who expect to be
taken seriously and for men who take grown women seriously. This is a book
for women who know shit is fucked up. These women want to change things but
don’t know where to begin.”
“This is not a one-comb-fits-all nation,” Cooper quips as she dives into
the politics of black women’s hair and American beauty standards. “The
ability to have a world centered on the prerogatives of white femininity is
so far from the truths of so many Black girls’ lives.” Cooper’s mother’s
worries about her daughter’s hair go beyond the superficiality of fashion
and presentation. The norm in America is whiteness, and this extends to
hair salons, products, and styles. Black girls and women don’t have the
luxury of walking into any given beauty salon, in any given neighborhood,
and knowing there will be someone equipped to style their hair. Black girls
and women live in a world where they have to spend a great deal of time and
money either modifying their hair to be more like their white peers or at
least keeping it clean and kept, as Cooper’s mom aimed to do.
By Brittney Cooper (St. Martin’s)
