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In a time when image is indeed everything, our personal appearance has a tremendous effect on nearly every aspect of our lives on a daily basis. Our choice of hairstyle can mean the difference between acceptance and rejection by groups and individuals. The choices made by African Americans are particularly charged, often affecting the wearer and the viewer in unique and sometimes life-altering ways. Good and Bad Hair features sixty evocative photographs of African-American men, women, and children, documenting contemporary Black hairstyles and their role as a feature of African-American culture. On one level, the photographs present readers with a variety of popular and personal approaches to wearing one's hair. On another level, they isolate what amounts to a bold, assertive departure from the common definition of American beauty that excludes the physical features of many people of African descent. This narrow definition of beauty has created a race-based measurement for what is considered "good" and "bad" hair. Gaskins's pictures identify African Americans from different regions of the United States who expressively symbolize their sense of self and often their sense of an African or Black identity through their hair.

Good Hair is more than a guide to having good hair without relying on harsh treatments and chemicals; it is a funny, folksy, personal, and very wise reflection on the powerful role that hair can play in creating a positive self-image. 33 black-and-white photographs.

"Introduces the audience to consider the value of the insider/outsider relationship in another's culture" — National Women's Studies Association Journal Long hair in the 60s, Afros in the early 70s, bobs in the 80s, fuschia in the 90s. Hair is one of the first attributes to catch our eye, not only because it reflects perceptions of attractiveness or unattractiveness, but also because it conveys important political, cultural, and social meanings, particularly in relation to group identity. Given that mainstream images of beauty do not privilege dark skin and tightly coiled hair, African American women's experience provides a starkly different perspective on the meaning of hair in social identity." --National Women's Studies Association Journal "Grab your copy at your local bookseller and get hip to what your hair is saying to others with regards to beauty, culture and politics. Learn about how culture has a love for coifs, because after all, so do you!" — Sophisticate's Black Hair Styles GuideDrawing on interviews with over 50 women, from teens to seniors, Hair Mattersis the first book on the politics of Black hair to be based on substantive, ethnographically informed research. Focusing on the everyday discussions that Black women have among themselves and about themselves, Ingrid Banks analyzes how talking about hair reveals Black women's ideas about race, gender, sexuality, beauty, and power. Ultimately, what emerges is a survey of Black women's consciousness within both their own communities and mainstream culture at large.

This entertaining, historical, and anecdotal exploration of the history of black hair takes a chronological look at the culture and politics behind the ever-changing state of black hair from 15th-century Africa to the present-day United States. 50 photos throughout.

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From the Publisher:
The first book of its kind and easy-to-follow, It's All Good Hair teaches how to style and care for black children's hair

Do you want to style your daughter's hair as neatly as your mother used to style your own? Or does your daughter prefer cornrows, but you don't want to spend all that time and money at braiding salons maintaining that look? Learn the tricks and techniques to becoming your own kitchen beautician with the easy to follow steps found in It's All Good Hair. Featuring hair care and styling tips from a variety of experts, you'll learn all the secrets to straightening, waving, and braiding, and discover many other creative styling ideas. Say good-bye to those disastrous attempts at doing it alone. Here's the support you need to help your daughter look good and feel good about herself.

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In this hands-on guide, hairstylist Deborah Lilly shows parents the best ways to style and maintain African American boys' and girls' hair from infancy to the preteen years. Easy-to-follow instructions, photographs, and illustrations get parents up to speed on hair care basics (washing and combing), braiding, and relaxers for older girls. The book includes hair care guidelines for the three different types of African American hair-wavy, curly, and kinky-accompanied by author recommendations for the best products and tools for each hair type. Helpful tips, photographs of finished styles, and a question-and-answer section make this guide both clear and comprehensive.