Power of the Afro Comb

When doing my research on a hair culture i was reading 'Hair: Styling, culture and Fashion' by Biddle-Perry and Cheang, i came across chapter 10 'Resounding Power of the Afro Comb' i found this very interesting to read having read previously about Hindu's relationship towards hair in Indian culture i was keen to learn what hair means to other cultures.
The afro hair style today is seen as a style adopted by many world wide celebrities for example Beyonce, Naomi Campbell, Rihanna and Diana Ross, a style many of us can't replicate or carry off on our own heads.
-Cheang, S. and Biddle-Perry, G. (2008) Hair: Styling, Culture and Fashion. New York: Berg Publishers.

Johns, M. (2012) Pintrest. Available at: http://uk.pinterest.com/milliejohns/wig-wonderland/ (Accessed: 6 October 2014).

Flag Days (no date). Flag Days. Available at: http://flag-days.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/rihanna-afro-red.html (Accessed: 2 October 2014).

(no date b). Saturday, February 4, 2012. Available at: http://finefettleguide.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/blog-post.html (Accessed: 6 October 2014).

I was very interested to read that in the late 1960's self image was a fundamental part of the success of black power witch would unify black americans and produce an era of which black people would set there own standards of beauty. They wanted to erase the impact of the american beauty 'a milk-white skin and long, straight hair.' The curly nature of black hair had been a target of racial steortyping of the black body since slavery there hair texture often referred to by the derogatory term 'wool' referencing both the texture of the hair but also suggesting the animality of slaves.
This hair history was a step into a direction of black power replacing shame with pride. The image below used on t-shirt's to promote black power references the power in the practice of afro hair creation, using the tool that in theory would liberate black hair into a hairstyle that encompassed black self determination and self definition.

Cheang, S. and Biddle-Perry, G. (2008) Hair: Styling, Culture and Fashion. New York: Berg Publishers.

I find this so interesting that the history of the fight for black people to become equal to whites in america was influence through such a simple but defining self object, there individuality of there hair. Afro hair today is seen as a style that many of us want to recreate it is used in high fashion, art, music and film i feel that being aware of the history of black hair inspires me to look at afro hair in more depth as its not just a style again but symbolises so much more the afro is a symbol for empowerment in black culture.