An excellent, erudite reflection on race and racism. As the title suggests the discussion pays particular attention to the ways in which hair has been (and contibues to be) one of the focal points of racist discourse, but through this it also talks about so much more. A stunning debut.

Thanks to Penguin Books UK and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Full disclosure, I am a white woman and I know this book wasn't written for me. Please excuse any mistakes I may make in my review, I come from a position of almost complete ignorance on this subject.  

To say this is a book about hair would be far too simplistic. It’s part social history, part memoir and explores issues and themes around personal and cultural identity and self-worth. The author comes from a mixed background and spent her childhood in Ireland. There she was faced with negative opinions about her skin and hair that made her feel excluded and ugly. She longed for the kind of hair associated with storybook Princesses aka European Princesses bedecked with long, silky locks. 

Dabiri discusses the pervasiveness of European beauty standards and the negative impact it has on how black women in particular are perceived. Opinions towards Natural (‘bad’ hair), the impact of hair straightening rituals and the damage caused through hot combs and chemicals is also discussed. Dabiri looks at the rise of natural hair movement and the increasing rejection of European beauty standards. The self-loathing towards Natural hair is deep rooted however and even those involved in the Black Power movement weren’t immune to this. The afro is a symbol of rejecting the status quo but there is still a feeling of competition and insecurity towards “Becky with the good hair”. 

Juxtaposed against this is the cultural appropriation of traditional black hairstyles by the likes of the Kardashians and Katy Perry and the scorn placed upon women like Zendaya whose (GORGEOUS) dreadlocks were quoted as looking like they would smell like "patchouli oil or weed" by a television host.  

The book is engagingly written in a snappy yet academic writing style. Here we have an empowering and passionate celebration of a rich cultural heritage that is at best ignored and at worst openly discriminated against. It is never ‘just hair’.

I really enjoyed this book because it was a subject I was pretty ignorant about. Emma takes us through the history of black hair and the movement for natural hair today. Emma ties in history with personal and family anecdotes which makes this a very easy read and educational without seeming so.

A powerful book. An exploration into the history of racist attitudes as well as those that are more contemporary.

The politics of black hairstyling is the topic of this thought-provoking book by social historian and presenter, Emma Dabiri. A mixture of human experience, sociology, economics and persuasive writing, it's a must-read for anyone who wants a closer look at the attitudes which have literally shaped the hair of black people throughout history and which are still impacting on their lives today. I would also describe it as empowering book for women in particular who have what Emma describes as 'kinky' hair. This is a deeply personal subject for her, which she has skilfully weaved with academic research to create a narrative which is part social study, part manifesto. It's an excellent achievement and I learned a lot from the range of topics covered. 

There's also a good selection of illustrations such as cartoons, adverts, historic photographs and even some examples of Emma's own hairstyles.I found the writing style difficult at times, because it was more academic than I anticipated - not a problem as such, but I'm not used to reading this style since I finished at university several years ago. I found it odd that occasionally this was punctuated with comments which included words such as 'lol'. It just seemed weird to me. Although don't quote me on it; the text may have been edited again before publication. My favourite sections of text were the social history and the author's own experiences. She grew up in Ireland, having Irish and Nigerian heritage; it was a difficult time for her, not only as a rare minority in white predominantly Catholic Ireland, but also being made to feel ugly because her hair was 'kinky' and no one understood how to care for her type of hair. She longed for smooth 'princess' hair which grew down instead of out, and devoted much time and pain to make her hair fit the white western ideal. Throughout the book, she explores the damaging attitudes which are promoted but there are also positive moments too, in which she celebrates black hair for its particular qualities and examines the intricate traditional hairstyles of the Yoruba people.

The book title is inspired by Solange's song 'Don't Touch My Hair'.

Thank you to the publisher, Penguin, for the advance copy via NetGalley. This book is published today.