Public Art Meets Private Appreciation

Image: Glowing by Aminah Muhammad

By Saida Heywood
7 min read

My step mother has been a cosmetologist for over 40 years. Growing up in the hair salon, I've always been privy to the beauty of the Black women's hair experience.  Being exposed to the smell of perm and hot curling irons is part of a rite of passage. I could easily see the beauty in others and how nice their hair always turned out yet, found difficulty in seeing the beauty in my own strands.  I recall picture day in first grade my mom sent me off with two braided ponytails and during the course of the day one came loose.  When pictures were printed I looked like I had been in a physical fight with a professional wrestler.  My parents displayed the picture anyway and I hated everything about it for years.  There was the time I was convinced I  could do my own hair and laid each strain of my ponytail down with Luster's Pink hair lotion with just a little Murray's pomade (yes the small orange tin container)  for the sides.  Before discovering the safety of the Muslim head scarf, for a girl like me  the laid back ponytail did not complement my large forehead.  It took years to become comfortable with who I am and become educated about hair types while gaining acceptance of my forehead and developing an appreciation for how I look.  My early hair memories used to create negative feelings about my self image. When I looked at childhood photos I didn't yet see the special beauty in that young Black girl.  By the time I was 18 the salon would be a place I would find confidence, and begin to let stylists use my hair as a canvas and a means of expressing my personality.  

 My experiences have allowed me to see both sides of the coin as a client searching for the right hairstylist that is not only creative but respects my religious identity, searching for a professional that I could be comfortable with to remove my hijab (religious head scarf) for.  As well as watching my mother do the hard physical work, continue the education of hair, and witness the effort hairstylists put into their craft.  I learned very early on the relationship between stylist and client is complex and personal.  Just think about it; the foundation for good relationships is trust, mutual respect, and communication.  When clients sit in the hair chair, they demonstrate they trust the stylist with something as precious as their hair. It takes time to build that trust and a relationship with the hairstylist and a level of comfort to share individual hair journeys and occasionally stories about the joys and disappointments in our lives.  I never imagined my career as a licensed clinical social worker would allow me to talk about the dynamics of the relationship between hairstylist and client.  I am trained to meet people where they are, even if that takes me to the local beauty salon.  It is not uncommon to hear, "My hairstylist is my therapist."  Historically in communities of color, Black women and men spend more time with their hair stylists or barber than they do with mental and behavioral health professionals.   During the 1990’s researchers recognized the importance of providing culturally relevant information to Black communities and collaboration with hairstylists and barbers would be an optimal way to promote community health education.   The development of salon-based health initiatives were early efforts to encourage Black women to become informed about issues that impact wellness in hopes there would be an increase in women of color accessing care.  Brown, Naman, Homel et al.(2006) stated, “Most Black women have a regular source of haircare, but not medical care.”  Because Black women distrust mental health professionals and the medical community this strengthens relationships with our hairstylists.  That relationship is not unlike all other interpersonal relationships or acquaintanceships we nurture. Hairstylist and barbers satisfy a need, this mutual relationship often provides encouragement, boosting self-esteem and self-worth for the client and stylist. Respect and appreciation are fostered in Black communities because stylists are culturally and socially informed about the day-to-day challenges of those they service.  The salon chair is an informal and non-traditional therapeutic place.  Dr. Afiya Mbilishaka’s  PsychoHairapy model and others like it continued to be needed because society often thrust Black women into roles of saviors or we are overly sexualized; the hair salon is a space where black women can receive non-sexual touch through combing and head massage that creates connection, relationship building and supports a place of networking. 

Like any other relationship, conflict can arise.  Imagine the genuine feelings when a client receives services from another hairstylist or a hairstylist who communicates they are unavailable.  Or when a Hijabi (Muslim woman who covers her hair) covers the "piece of art" the stylist just created.  This is sometimes interpreted as disrespectful, even a professional betrayal by both parties. We spend hours in the salon, hundreds of dollars on hair care products, and if you're fortunate, years with the same stylist. I can imagine how this may create a feeling similar to a sense of ownership on the part of the stylist and client.  I believe hairstylists are creating a form of visual art.  From innovative ways to cut and curl to the creative blend of colors that complement the skin, hairstylists like other art forms are inspired by the world and can envision the final piece before the first snip of the scissors.   The unique relationship between the Hijabi and her stylist is the importance of valuing modesty and privacy in a time where the expectation is that we unveil it all.  Including Muslim women in the dialogue also challenges us as a society to admire the public art of hair but also respect the private appreciation women who choose to cover their hair share.  When Aristotle said, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” An Artist's work creates thoughts and feelings. This is what I mean by public art and private appreciation. The inward significance is the services hair stylists provide are valuable.  When our hair appointment is over we look in the mirror and process thoughts and feelings about what and who we see.  This resembles mental health therapy because these interactions can help boost mood and encourage confidence, the time in the chair may be the only time a client may have felt heard or had undivided attention all day.  A sense of community and bonding that happens in the salon or barber shop may affirm belonging, social identity and membership in ways traditional forms of group therapy do not.  For the young Black girl the salon is a place she learns  skills and sisterhood from her community aunties that empowers her and others that will follow.  

References

Browne R. C. (2006). Most Black women have a regular source of hair care--but not medical care. Journal of the National Medical Association, 98(10), 1652–1653.