Cultural Appropriation, Feminism, Hair, and Hip-Hop

After reading Joan Morgan’s From Fly-Girls to Bitches and Hos, I realized that there are a number of conflicting issues for black feminists.  Morgan writes, “[Black women] desperately need a space to lovingly address the uncomfortable issues of our failing self-esteem, the ways we sexualize and objectify ourselves, our confusion about sex and love and the unhealthy, unloving, unsisterly ways we treat each other” (538).

This made me think of a YouTube video from Amandla Stenburg about cultural appropriation of African American hairstyles (and the importance of hair in the music industry as a symbol of empowerment).  She then challenges the complications with pop culture’s perpetuation of stereotypes.  I’m interested in looking at the intersectionality of these issues:  gender, race, hair, entertainment industry, and cultural appropriation.  I even think I may go to the following “Natural Hair and Cultural Expression” event to hear the panel discussion about some of these complexities.