Melanated Millennials and the Politics of Black Hair

Abstract

Objective This research employs the phenotypic prototypicality framework to makes a connection between African‐American voters' perceptions of African‐American women candidates' appearances and candidate evaluations in contests with limited information. The primary focus is on the candidates' skin tone and hair texture. Methods The data consist of a convenience sample of 672 African‐American students from a Historically Black University in the Deep South. An experimental research design was employed to test whether African‐American candidates who possessed phenotypes that mirrored the prototypical African American were perceived differently when compared to those with more Eurocentric features. Each subject was randomly exposed to a stimulus that consisted of a brief campaign platform and an image of a light or dark woman donning either straight hair, twist outs or dreadlocks. Those subjects in the control group were exposed to an image of a dark male with short hair. Results African‐American students found the dark candidates to be more attractive when compared to their lighter counterparts, regardless of hairstyles. Candidates who possessed the prototypical Afrocentric appearance (i.e., dark skin and/or textured hair) were found to be more supportive of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, progressive policies and were perceived to be more hardworking, when compared to their lighter counterparts. Light‐skinned women, regardless of hairstyles, were perceived to be less supportive of Black Nationalist views. Conclusion The findings here run counter to the conventional wisdom associated with colorism, whereby African Americans have been deemed to possess self‐hatred by possessing a more positive bias toward women with a lighter hue and straight hair. In recent years, due to such events as police shootings of unarmed African‐Americans and the Black Lives Matter movement, Black Millennials have become more aware of the oppression and discrimination faced by many African Americans. This heightened level of consciousness, in tandem with the fact that they were born during an era when natural hairstyles were being popularized, has led them to embrace the aesthetic revolution that includes appreciating their melanated skin and kinky hair.

The Influence of Colorism on the Hair Experiences of African American Female Adolescents

“…Based on participants' statements, African American girls continue to receive messages from family members, peers, and society that contribute to traumatic hair experiences and further perpetuate internalized racism based on the dominant culture's beauty standards and skin tone bias. However, as noted by (Orey and Zhang 2019), millennials are embracing natural hair and choosing to wear Afrocentric hairstyles. It is also worth exploring the experiences of the African diaspora outside of the US.…”

“…They also found that bias exists regarding Black women's job performance based on hairstyle, demonstrating bias towards hairstyles considered professional, which often translates to less Afrocentric and more European. Given policies are often written to suit dominant culture standards, Orey and Zhang (2019) suggest that these stringent policies were in response to the Black Power Movement and an attempt to silence Black liberation.…”

“…However, what has not been as widely discussed is how colorism as a by-product of racism impacts the lives of African Americans. Although various socialization agents contribute to this bias, these beliefs have been primarily manufactured through the media (Orey and Zhang 2019). Colorism essentially operates along the same metrics as race.…”

“…In light of this, research indicates a potential generational shift among millennials (Orey and Zhang 2019), which suggests a trend of embracing natural hair and moving away from a hair hierarchy and texture rating system that perpetuates white supremacy. Researchers propose that with a heightened emphasis on oppression experienced by African Americans and coming of age during the natural hair movement, millennials may be less likely to internalize the negative messages and effects of colorism that have plagued generations before them (Orey and Zhang 2019).…”

The Political Implications of Colorism Are Gendered

“…Black women political elites in particular have markedly different experiences on the campaign trail and in the statehouse based on their skin color (Brown 2014). A recent study found that millennial voters believe that darker-skinned Black women candidates have more Afrocentric and progressive policy preferences than their lighter-skinned counterparts (Orey and Zhang 2019). Therefore, colorism also may impact candidate recruitment or viability (see also Dowe 2020).…”