Hair

I found Carol Delaney's article "Disentangling the Meaning of Hair in Turkish Societies" really interesting. Hair has been on my mind ever since I witnessed a massive argument between friends over- of all things- Uhura's straight hair in the new Star Trek movie. Uhura, my friend argued, was supposed to be the epitone of black beauty, so why did she have to have unnatural, chemically straightened hair? Then I heard about Chris Rock making a documentry about the depiction of black women's hair in the media and as well as everyday life. Before hearing these things, I'd never really thought about hair like that. It appears Turkish women have their own drama assosciated with hair as well.

I've heard about hair as being sacred, or particulrly feminine or being cut off for mourning, but I'd never heard or thought of the human head as phallic before this article. It was really fascinating to think of hair as being a metaphor for discipline- with young boys and men having well-groomed, "disciplined" hair and girls having crazy, tangled hair. It was also really interesting to me that up until the age of two, children are clothed the same regardless of gender. How strange to think of in this society! Here children are often born with a supply of pink or blue clothes waiting for them! I also never knew of Trkish people who remove all their body hair! How painful!

I thought the notion of girls being forbidden from wearing headscarves in school horrible on several levels. I do believe it is a matter of freedom of religion, but worse than that it can be used as means of discouraging girls (and their fathers who decide how long they stay in school) from continuing on past primary school! Since it is seen as being "dirty" for girls to show their hair past this age, it makes sense many families would not be okay with girls continuing to be educated where they would forced to. How is this more Western? How is this more modern??