What is the Significance of Hair?
Black Sunrise is dedicated to creating hats, clothing and accessories that support your natural hair. Being a part of the natural community, we feel like it is important that we do our part in providing you with the beneficial supplies to look after your hair. It isn't common to find products like ours in your local store!
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It’s fascinating to know that hair can create such a huge impact on our identity. Across time and cultures, hair has played a significant role in society. As the one part of our body that we can change whenever we want without causing permanent damage, it gives us the opportunity creatively express and define our own identities.
Hair is most often the first part of a woman’s beauty that will be noticed. It can set the tone for your whole look. And as history has unfolded and cultural stigmas and interpretations developed, hair has also become tool to determine of social and professional status.
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Whether intentional or not, hair has formed its own story and message. Representing movements of freedom and celebrating times of outstanding expressions of individuality. Here are a few examples of hair being such a key aspect of us:-
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The black panther party. E.g. Black women and men began wearing their natural afro hair out was a form of protest against oppression and western beauty standards. It represented being proud of who you are and where you came from. Therefore, movements like this have paved the way for black women to feel more comfortable in collective environments to wear their natural hair.
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(Elaine Brown and the Black Panther Party: The first and only woman to lead the black power movement - The Washington Post)
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In the 60's, mainstream society unrightly turned natural hair into a symbol of aggression and rebellion in the workplace. This led to women of colour being pressured into straightening their hair to mimic western hair standards for the opportunity to even get a"look at the table".
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Pictures via Unsplash
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Even today, corporate and education industries are still having to have laws and policies such as the Halo Code implemented to stop the discrimination of natural hair. As often such places don't see natural hair as "professional". A large part of what inspired Black Sunrise is seeing so many individuals reclaiming the definition of natural hair meant to the individual. Creating hats that allowed them to comfortably and confidently wear their natural hair in the workplace and school environments without stigma or bias.
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The Rastafari movement, another example, the long dreadlocks symbolise the Lion of Judah. According to the old testament (Leviticus 19:27) Rastas believe one should not cut their hair as it is where the strength lies.
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(Photos via Unsplash)
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Yao women, a tribe from China believe the length of their hair is the symbol of prosperity, longevity, wealth and good fortune. The different style of their hair represent the different landmarks of their life such as marriage. The significance of hair can even extend into the animal kingdom where hair determines one's age, beauty and superiority.
(Pictures via 365 Gorgeous)
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Hair is one of those topics that people wouldn’t make a huge deal over since it is literally a hanging collection of dead skin cells, when really, it’s one the most powerful parts of our body. We are all individual people and the physical appearances we are able to control allow us to express to the world who we are and what we stand for.
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(Pictures via Unsplash)