Beauty Shop Politics

Download or read book Beauty Shop Politics written by Tiffany M. Gill and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2010-03-03 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Looking through the lens of black business history, Beauty Shop Politics shows how black beauticians in the Jim Crow era parlayed their economic independence and access to a public community space into platforms for activism. Tiffany M. Gill argues that the beauty industry played a crucial role in the creation of the modern black female identity and that the seemingly frivolous space of a beauty salon actually has stimulated social, political, and economic change. With a broad scope that encompasses the role of gossip in salons, ethnic beauty products, and the social meanings of African American hair textures, Gill shows how African American beauty entrepreneurs built and sustained a vibrant culture of activism in beauty salons and schools.