Why do we Care so much about Hair? An exploration in societal pressures on hair expression

Authors

Pooja Haney, Illinois Mathematics and Science AcademyFollow

Document Type

Teacher Resource

Publication Date

6-2020

Purpose

To create an environment for engaging organic conversation that may result in students learning to:

• transcend the stereotypes we have been taught about hair (including body hair)
• recognize where these stereotypes come from and how they have affected us personally
• recognize where the ideals/standards of how hair “should be” and what type of hair is “ideal” or “acceptable” come from and to challenge that ideology
• recognize which communities are disproportionately affected by hair stereotypes
• learn about instances of discrimination based on hair and recognize the biases deeply engrained in our culture that cause these biases
• delve into the discrimination faced by different populations: men, women, LGBTQ, different races (particularly black hair), different religions

Recommended Citation

Haney, Pooja, "Why do we Care so much about Hair? An exploration in societal pressures on hair expression" (2020). Goal 4: Intrapersonal Intelligence Narrative. 3.
https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/rl_cpg_4/3