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A review by bookedupandbusy
Don't Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri
5.0
I was intrigued by this book because In all honesty, I thought how much can you actually write about hair? But how wrong was I? This book is packed with so much information. It is a well researched and articulated book.
Emma was born in Ireland to a white mother and Black Nigerian father and details her experiences of hair discrimination, the stigmas of Afro hair and how she grew up with thick Afro hair and not the ‘stereotypical’ soft curly hair of a mixed race person. I never thought about hair and colourism existing together but Emma makes sense of it all by demonstrating that race is not the only oppressor, hair is too!
Emma gives examples of how someone is seen as more ‘black’ due to the thickness of their hair from tests that were carried out from hundreds of years ago to the stigma of Afro hair up until the present day.
The book also concentrates on the history and traditions of hair around the world and there is a vast amount of information on hair cultures and traditions in Nigeria, especially from the Yoruba tribe.
The writing style is a mix between academic and conversational. There were chapters where I felt I was studying a resourceful textbook (I have literally highlighted something on every single page) and moments where Emma was having a casual convo with me about her personal hair experiences filled with many relatable anecdotes.
From the origins of hairstyles, to afros, to braids, to relaxers, to weaves and cultural appropriation, I have gained further information and more about something I thought I had known everything about. This is essential reading for all.
Emma was born in Ireland to a white mother and Black Nigerian father and details her experiences of hair discrimination, the stigmas of Afro hair and how she grew up with thick Afro hair and not the ‘stereotypical’ soft curly hair of a mixed race person. I never thought about hair and colourism existing together but Emma makes sense of it all by demonstrating that race is not the only oppressor, hair is too!
Emma gives examples of how someone is seen as more ‘black’ due to the thickness of their hair from tests that were carried out from hundreds of years ago to the stigma of Afro hair up until the present day.
The book also concentrates on the history and traditions of hair around the world and there is a vast amount of information on hair cultures and traditions in Nigeria, especially from the Yoruba tribe.
The writing style is a mix between academic and conversational. There were chapters where I felt I was studying a resourceful textbook (I have literally highlighted something on every single page) and moments where Emma was having a casual convo with me about her personal hair experiences filled with many relatable anecdotes.
From the origins of hairstyles, to afros, to braids, to relaxers, to weaves and cultural appropriation, I have gained further information and more about something I thought I had known everything about. This is essential reading for all.