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Trauma, Tresses, and Truth: Untangling Our Hair Through Personal Narratives
A Library Journal Best Social Science title of 2022 Black women continue to have a complex and convoluted relationship with their hair. From grammar and high schools to corporate boardrooms and military squadrons, Black and Afro Latina natural hair continues to confound, transfix, and enrage members of White American society. Why, in 2022, is this still the case? Why have we not moved beyond that perennial racist emblem? And why are women so disproportionately affected? Why does our hair become most palatable when it capitulates, and has been subjugated, to resemble Caucasian features as closely as possible? Who or what is responsible for the web of supervision and surveillance of our hair? Who in our society gets to author the prevailing constitution of professional appearance? Particularly relevant during this time of emboldened White supremacy, racism, and provocative othering, this work explores how writing about one of the still-remaining systemic biases in schools, academia, and corporate America might lead to greater understanding and respect.
256 pages, Paperback
Published November 8, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 17, 2022
My book blurb: Trauma, Tresses, & Truth is abundant with important messages, historical truths, and acts of everyday heroism and defiance in the face of the worst kind of racism, the kind that refuses to recognize itself. Contributor Dr. Raina León asks, “what is freedom? is there a peek of it in this history?” Through a weaving of deeply honest, emotional stories, these survivors of cultural trauma provide an intellectual and emotional “laying on of hands” so that the next generation can heal and find their freedom. This powerful collection is an important addition to minority studies and a necessary contribution to the process of Black women taking back their crowns.
October 12, 2022
What an idea, for such a book!!! With care, passion, honesty, and insightfulness, Trauma, Tresses, and Truth take readers on a beautiful journey about Black women's hair. A mystery for all the rest of us, but how many stories behind it! Each chapter in this thought-provoking and at times heartbreaking collection invites the reader to learn about Blackness, white supremacy, class, and surveillance. The book incorporates personal stories, historical research, and discussion questions to guide readers into untangling their own personal hair narratives.... A must-read for all invested in understanding what the ongoing subjugation of Black women looks like in our days.
January 22, 2023
A compilation of essays about the prejudice and racism black women face in the school, work force, military, and in their own families. Each essay is well written and interesting, although a little repetitive, which I think just highlights how extensive and pervasive the trauma women face, no matter what country they are from. They are still facing Euro-centric beauty standards that tell them to change in order to be pretty or fit in. I loved hearing about their journeys.
April 16, 2023
Amazing! Thank you, thank you so very much! I feel heard. I knew I wasn’t alone but reading Trauma, Tresses and Truth just confirmed it for me. It’s a must read for everyone.
August 27, 2026
tldr: an anthology of memoir-style essays, poetry, and artwork that touches upon racism and white supremacy all through the lens of black women's hair.
I had the opportunity to meet Lyzette Wanzer in person when I attended her panel. She was talking more about the writing process in general, which is a bit of a bummer because, after reading her book, I realise that she has so much to say about more pertinent and (dare I say) important issues. I bougth this book, literally straight out of her hands, through Venmo, but for whatever reason the payment bounced back a few days later. If you're out there, Lyzette, I owe you $20!
First off, Lyzette Wanzer's introduction, an academic essay in its own right, lays out the stark facts: In this society, there is only one way to be beautiful and that is to be white. Therefore, Afro Latina natural hair, which is antithetical to Cinderella's golden locks, is not only a source of trauma but also a symbol of resistance.
All of the following personal essays detail the shift from chemically-treated (aka damaged) hair to embracing natural hair. As hair is both a form of self-expression and a beauty standard, women with non-Caucasian-passing hair are subject to the double whammy of being both coloured and female. These essays untangle that process of rediscovering one's own beauty and self-worth as well.
A couple experiences repeat across essays, but as these are not fictional short stories, these share memories, rather, reflect the pervasiveness of discrimination and trauma that an entire generation, indeed an entire people, continue to endure. Here are some of them:
-The mother-daughter "wash day" may be a painful (for the daughter) chore (for the mother), but it is a rite of passage, a "black baptism," and a way to pass down tradition and resistance from one generation to another.
-Hair is still discriminated against. If you have natural hair, good luck finding a job. Now, if you don't want natural hair, be prepared to invest time and money into putting pungent and oily chemicals into your hair. You will still continue to be discriminated against. This is a feature in the system, not a bug.
-Most girls have at some point in their lives wanted to have white-people-hair, or even just wanted to be white. Talk about hegemony.
-Even older generations of Black people have swallowed the white worship koolaid. In a language of their own making, black-people hair is called "pelo malo" (aka bad hair). No need to guess what "good hair" refers to. Some older generations pressure their younger ones to assimilate with whiteness. This white worship sentiment is so pervasive that it exists even on the African continent.
-Pushback against this white-dictated beauty standard is only in its infancy stage. The CROWN act (ensuring protection against hair-based discrimination) was founded in 2019 (so recently!) and decreed in only 30 states.
-There are so many -- so many!!! -- natural hairstyles. And as long as these styles exist, there will always be resistance, always be self-reflection. One day, may there also be freedom.
Rating: 5/5
Read time: 5 hours
I had the opportunity to meet Lyzette Wanzer in person when I attended her panel. She was talking more about the writing process in general, which is a bit of a bummer because, after reading her book, I realise that she has so much to say about more pertinent and (dare I say) important issues. I bougth this book, literally straight out of her hands, through Venmo, but for whatever reason the payment bounced back a few days later. If you're out there, Lyzette, I owe you $20!
First off, Lyzette Wanzer's introduction, an academic essay in its own right, lays out the stark facts: In this society, there is only one way to be beautiful and that is to be white. Therefore, Afro Latina natural hair, which is antithetical to Cinderella's golden locks, is not only a source of trauma but also a symbol of resistance.
All of the following personal essays detail the shift from chemically-treated (aka damaged) hair to embracing natural hair. As hair is both a form of self-expression and a beauty standard, women with non-Caucasian-passing hair are subject to the double whammy of being both coloured and female. These essays untangle that process of rediscovering one's own beauty and self-worth as well.
A couple experiences repeat across essays, but as these are not fictional short stories, these share memories, rather, reflect the pervasiveness of discrimination and trauma that an entire generation, indeed an entire people, continue to endure. Here are some of them:
-The mother-daughter "wash day" may be a painful (for the daughter) chore (for the mother), but it is a rite of passage, a "black baptism," and a way to pass down tradition and resistance from one generation to another.
-Hair is still discriminated against. If you have natural hair, good luck finding a job. Now, if you don't want natural hair, be prepared to invest time and money into putting pungent and oily chemicals into your hair. You will still continue to be discriminated against. This is a feature in the system, not a bug.
-Most girls have at some point in their lives wanted to have white-people-hair, or even just wanted to be white. Talk about hegemony.
-Even older generations of Black people have swallowed the white worship koolaid. In a language of their own making, black-people hair is called "pelo malo" (aka bad hair). No need to guess what "good hair" refers to. Some older generations pressure their younger ones to assimilate with whiteness. This white worship sentiment is so pervasive that it exists even on the African continent.
-Pushback against this white-dictated beauty standard is only in its infancy stage. The CROWN act (ensuring protection against hair-based discrimination) was founded in 2019 (so recently!) and decreed in only 30 states.
-There are so many -- so many!!! -- natural hairstyles. And as long as these styles exist, there will always be resistance, always be self-reflection. One day, may there also be freedom.
Rating: 5/5
Read time: 5 hours
November 15, 2023
2023 and The Crown Act is not yet Federal law? Incredible.
June 5, 2024
This collection of personal narratives, all of which were crushingly honest and emotionally raw, brings up much needed discussions around Black hair, particularly Black women’s hair, and the prejudices and racism faced in school, in society, at work, in the military, and at home.
This is one of the most eye-opening and brilliant works of nonfiction I’ve had the privilege of reading, and I insist everyone get their hands on a copy immediately. Below are a few powerful quotes from the text.
“As a sacred, uniquely beautiful part of the African diasporic experience, our hair is an entry point into our world. In America, it represents centuries of fighting to be seen as human rather than other, to exist without policing, and to live without conforming. Our hair, like our lives, makes others uncomfortable, and that is a burden we have carried for too long. It is not our job to make others feel comfortable.” -Jasmine Hawkins
“It’s essential to realize that white American society hasn’t had to live as racialized beings, making it difficult for that sector to acknowledge race as an inherent part of systems. Mainstream American society considers whiteness to be the typified barometer. The Caucasian standard is, implicitly, the baseline against which all other standards are measured. And this is precisely the type of metric that problematizes our natural hair.” -Lyzette Wanzer
“It’s no wonder Black and Brown people’s self-esteem remains fragile, constantly swinging on an internal pendulum that wavers between self-hate and a fixation on other’s standards. Either we’re invisible or we’re hypervisible. Hair shouldn’t define any person, nor should it be seen as an extension of someone’s spirit in need of taming.” -Lyndsey Ellis
This is one of the most eye-opening and brilliant works of nonfiction I’ve had the privilege of reading, and I insist everyone get their hands on a copy immediately. Below are a few powerful quotes from the text.
“As a sacred, uniquely beautiful part of the African diasporic experience, our hair is an entry point into our world. In America, it represents centuries of fighting to be seen as human rather than other, to exist without policing, and to live without conforming. Our hair, like our lives, makes others uncomfortable, and that is a burden we have carried for too long. It is not our job to make others feel comfortable.” -Jasmine Hawkins
“It’s essential to realize that white American society hasn’t had to live as racialized beings, making it difficult for that sector to acknowledge race as an inherent part of systems. Mainstream American society considers whiteness to be the typified barometer. The Caucasian standard is, implicitly, the baseline against which all other standards are measured. And this is precisely the type of metric that problematizes our natural hair.” -Lyzette Wanzer
“It’s no wonder Black and Brown people’s self-esteem remains fragile, constantly swinging on an internal pendulum that wavers between self-hate and a fixation on other’s standards. Either we’re invisible or we’re hypervisible. Hair shouldn’t define any person, nor should it be seen as an extension of someone’s spirit in need of taming.” -Lyndsey Ellis
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews