‘In the contemporary globalised world, fashion and lifestyle media are central to cultural diversity.’

Discourse of the media’s role in the representation of afro hair in the contemporary globalised world.

This is a throwback to an “A” grade essay I wrote in second year about the representation of afro hair in the media. There are some elements I would rewrite looking back now and ideas I would explore further, but this was only a 1500 word assignment and I was proud of it at the time.

This essay contributes to the discourse of the media’s role in the representation of afro hair in the contemporary globalised world. “The meaning of hair for individuals within any given society varies according to their particular social position, gender, race, and age, just as the meaning of hair more generally in a particular society may differ in others, in both place and time.” (Biddle-Perry, 2021, loc c2) This essay will therefore focus on media in the western world and its portrayal of afro hair on women of colour in particular. In order to fully provide an in depth response, the essay will focus on British Vogue’s position as a leading fashion publication which is central to cultural diversity. This discourse includes the lack of representation as well as the mediation of the afro in media in order to facilitate capitalist western society. Alternatively, this also brings into question the idea of the other and ways in which its representation has progressed which will be explored in this essay. 

British Vogue aims for heterogeneous covers but often fails to fully encompass representation in regards to afro hair on black women. Figure 1 is the February 2022 cover which displays nine women of colour in what is now known as the Black issue. Despite the attempt at racial diversity, the cover fails to portray black women in a way that their readers can identify with since each model is seen in elaborate wigs. “Ideology is first a matter of representation” (Lassen, Strunck, Vestergaard, 2006, loc pp29) meaning that if this cover was an attempt to represent black women during a time where the social landscape called for greater diversity, it is therefore necessary to produce images that include aspects of black womanhood such as afro hair. Ford may contest that blackness is subjective since the “apparents [sic] of servitude” for one might be liberating to another” (Ford, 2015, loc pp 51). Some studies acknowledge that black women in precolonial Africa practised forms of hair straightening which makes the appearance authentically black (Ford, 2015, loc pp50).

Given the title, there should be an offering of black that is accessible to the readers. Having The Black Issue as a title of the cover of such an influential magazine in the fashion media landscape, it sets a standard of what black is in fashion, hence the reason why it could be argued that this cover has failed to use its position, being central to cultural diversity. Edward Enninful, as a person of colour leading the fashion industry would arguably have the expectation to be able to reflect what blackness means through fashion. However, this assumption can not be justified as even though he has a leading position, he can not be expected to represent what blackness means for all readers. Moreover the readers could have influenced the decision to avoid the afro as the preexisting reader of British Vogue is middle class white women who don’t necessarily identify with representations of afro hair.

As a publication, British Vogue lends itself to capitalism as it must create what sells, which is essentially what the audience desires. Afro hair has been historically, and arguably currently, looked down on; Therefore neglecting to use opportunities like The Black Issue to change the narrative around afro hair could indicate why myths surrounding afro hair are still prevalent. These myths stem from a history of White supremacy, colonialism, and imperialism that have been used to uphold stereotypes of Black inferiority (Brown, Lemi, 2021, loc pp26). Therefore given the preconceived notions surrounding the place of afro hair in fashion, it is evident that fashion and lifestyle media media are central to cultural diversity as those ideas in fashion, continue to exist in the western social landscape.

Lack of representation also constitutes mediation of culture when considering the ways in which afro hair is currently being portrayed in the media. This essay follows Siapera’s definition of mediation which involves “taking the risk of simplifying a complex reality” (Siapera, 2010, loc 102) through the following three practices “Taking the risk of simplifying a complex reality” (Siapera, 2010, loc 102). Mediation of culture results in the commodification of afro hair. Figure 2 displays Naomi Campbell, a model of colour instrumental to early representation in fashion during the 90s, in a long afro. This portrayal of the afro, while a step towards representation, symbolises the mediated afro. “The processes and relations of mediation are processes and relations of recontextualization, which specifically involve relations between the field of media and other social fields” (Lassen, Strunck, Vestergaard, 2006, loc pp28). Dating back to the 60s, there has been an image of the socially acceptable afro circulating in the media which had to be curly, not coily and a length longer than what the majority of black women could achieve.

This contributes once more to ideas of capitalism as the discourse surrounding afro hair in the media capitalises on the curated insecurities of afro hair (Brown, Lemi, 2021, loc pp38) which encouraged the consumption of products or wigs to achieve the idealised afro. Fashion and beauty industries capitalise on the neglect of afro hair in the media by promoting straight or slightly curly hair as more desirable. For those familiar with the model in Figure 2, this cover could start speculations around what is considered a natural afro. At face value, having a supermodel in a version of afro hair on the cover of a mainstream publication could be an attempt at cultural diversity.

However, according to Lassen, one must consider what is possible in contrast with what is actual (Lassen, Strunck, Vestergaard, 2006, loc pp24). Given the number of times an afro has been portrayed on the cover, which is very few times, one must also delve deeper to unpack the context in which these portrayals exist. It could be said that Figure 2, aids in reinforcing the standard of what is and what isn't socially acceptable when it comes to an afro in a contemporary globalised world, indicating to what extent diversity is permissible. Consequently the view that fashion and lifestyle media are central to cultural diversity is indeed proven by the mediated afro curated by mainstream publications such as British Vogue.

Nevertheless, fashion and media lifestyle does have the capacity to impose positive change on the contemporary globalised world when considering the progression of ideas surrounding The Other. Figure 3 portrays two similar British Vogue covers which have varying meanings. Both individuals on the cover demonstrate alternative styling methods for afro hair. This in turn illustrates ways to normalise textured afro hair in everyday life. Previous attempts such as Figure 2 can intend on glamorising the afro but in turn, also ostracises it as a daily occurrence in fashion and lifestyle media. The 2020 cover in Figure 3 portrays Lupita Nyong’o in her natural hair which is stylised in a way that is also natural and therefore attainable for the readers. Whereas although the 2021 cover also focuses on styling textured hair, the added length raises questions once more on the portrayal of afro hair.

Between the two covers there appears to be a tension between afrocentric and eurocentric beauty norms. Had these two been on one cover, it could reinforce Ford’s idea that women should be given the choice to decide how to display her blackness (Ford, 2015, loc pp51) through providing alternatives to the representation of afro hair. However, the cover instead was published alongside several other covers with women of colour sporting the same stylised hair. The hair stylist Palau described the hairstyle as “as the modern way to do real hair which can be “easily translated to wearable styles that work for day or night”(Coates,2021)  It can however also be contested, as the hair used for the covers is artificial and therefore supporting unattainable afro hair standards. The covers have the word “texture” highlighted, but once again there is no range in texture. The textures that are not represented make it difficult for those to exist as part of a community. “Naturally kinky hair on women was considered shamefully unkempt when women returned to straightening their hair, they returned to conformity.”(Craig, 2002, loc pp126). Nevertheless, this proves that fashion and lifestyle media are central to cultural diversity because of its power to shape communities within a culture, defining what is socially acceptable.

In conclusion, the presentation of afro hair in fashion and lifestyle media through British Vogue has proven the extent to which it affects cultural diversity. From the exploration of the lack of representation and potential mediation to the discourses around the notion of otherness, media can be seen as a key component to the regulation of cultural diversity in the western contemporary world. Its impact can be evidenced through the commodification of the afro by profiting from the beauty standards enforced by the media. Therefore, this essay concludes that despite the acknowledgment of a version of an afro in the media, the lack of true cultural diversity, through the example of the afro, is the result of the capitalisation of the media.

WORDS: 1515

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Biddle-Perry, G  (2021), A Cultural History of Hair in the Modern Age, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, London. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [19 November 2023].

Brown, NE, & Lemi, DC (2021), Sister Style : The Politics of Appearance for Black Women Political Elites, Oxford University Press, Incorporated, Oxford. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [19 November 2023].

Coates H. (2021) ‘How Guido Palau Crafted Happy-Making Hairstyles For British Vogue’s April Issue’ British Vogue (March) Available at: https://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/article/guido-palau-hair-british-vogue-april-2021 (Accessed 19 November 2021)

Craig, ML (2002) Ain't I a Beauty Queen? : Black Women, Beauty, and the Politics of Race, Oxford University Press, Incorporated, Cary. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [19 November 2023].

Ford, TC (2015), Liberated Threads : Black Women, Style, and the Global Politics of Soul, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [19 November 2023].

Lassen, I, Strunck, J, & Vestergaard, T (2006), Mediating Ideology in Text and Image : Ten critical studies, John Benjamins Publishing Company, Philadelphia. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [19 November 2023].

Siapera, E, (2010) Cultural Diversity and Global Media : The Mediation of Difference, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [19 November 2023].