Permanent Waves: The Making of the American Beauty Shop
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.52 (772 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0814793584 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 262 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-03-01 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
After Permanent Waves, getting your hair done will never be the same again—nor will the study of the shopfloor, professionalization, or the culture of consumption."-Eileen Boris,University of Virgina"Refreshing to read a history so firmly historicized and grounded in working-class and Afro-American history." -Journal of Social History. ”Combines an evocative portrait of the world of small town beauty shops with a provocative analysis of the hairdressing industry's racial, class, and gender faultlines. Julie Willett explores both the promises of a skilled profession for individual women, white and black, and the realities of low wages, long hours, se
Julie A. Willett is Assistant Professor of History at Texas Tech University.
Throughout the twentieth century, beauty shops have been places where women could enjoy the company of other women, exchange information, and share secrets. Yet despite their differences, black and white hairdressers shared common stakes as battles were waged over issues of work, skill, and professionalism unique to women's service work.Permanent Waves traces the development of the American beauty shop, from its largely separate racial origins, through white recognition of the "ethnic market," to the present day.. The female equivalent of barbershops, they have been institutions vital to community formation and social change.But while the beauty shop created community, it also reflected the racial segregation that has so profoundly shaped American society. While African American hair-care workers embraced the chance to be independent from white control, negotiated the meanings of hair straightening, and joined in larger political struggles that challenged Jim Crow, white female hairdressers were embroiled in struggles over self-definition and opposition to their industry's emphasis on male achievement. Links between style, race, and identity were so intertwined that for much of the beauty shop's history, black and white hairdressing industries were largely separate entities with separate concerns
Great book Excellent review of the evolution of the American hair care industry through the ages! It is definitely worth the read.. Cinamon said Two Stars. I thought it would be a story on the first hair permanents, but it was not.