Black women and our beauty, from our hair to our nails, is something that we heavily identify with from childhood; getting our hair braided, sitting in the salon for hours, our first full set. It’s also d something that the world continuously tries to use against us; from not being hired for jobs because of the way our hair or nails look to those same styles being worn and praised by women who don’t look like us. It was only in 2019 that the CROWN Act (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) was passed in California and New York, a law that prevents workplace discrimination against natural and protective hairstyles. This means that up until two years ago, Black people could be discriminated against simply because of the way we wore our hair.
It’s exactly why Black women found safe spaces in places like the beauty salon, where you can be your full self with other women who look like you and walk out feeling like a million bucks. In other spaces like beauty supply stores and nail salons, there has often been deep-rooted tension and anti-blackness amongst the owners of the shops and their Black customers, with few Black women having ownership in the spaces. And, while many black women wear protective styles such as braids or weaves, there aren’t many that own the hair that’s used to create the look.
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