What is it like to be a woman with wavy/curly hair in a country like India? Although hair stories are different for different women, one common hair story for all Indian women with wavy/curly hair is moments of insecurity regarding the normalcy and beauty appeal of their hair. Aside from the discrimination faced due to the texture of hair, Indian women also face restrictions and suffocations in terms of creative self-expression of hair. This chapter presents an overview of the hair culture in India from a historical perspective along with religious narratives. The nature of hair discrimination of women in India is discussed and the chapter also shed light on institutionalised illogical restrictions. The author's personal hair stories will serve as an example to underline the complexity of hair discrimination in India.
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What is it like to be a woman with wavy/curly hair in a country like India? My hair stories are perhaps different from other Indian women with not-so-straight hair, but I am certain that it is replete with intense moments of disappointment and self-doubt. In India, hair is not just the crowning glory of a woman, but it also determines one’s measurement of beauty, prospects of marriage, and even respect. In modern times, hair also determines a woman’s measure of worth, and suitability in a workplace. It can also be used as an instrument of oppression.
My hair is complex and so is my relationship with it. It is not outright straight nor curly. Some parts of my hair are more straight than curly and vice-versa. Some people describe my hair as wavy. But I can never be sure. And there are days when it is frizzy, thanks to humidity. But my hair has a mind of its own and has never stayed the same way for as long as I can remember. My hair has always been a cause of worry for me right from childhood. To be more specific, it is not my hair, rather the people who make nasty comments about my hair. What puzzles me is that even in my 30s and in this ‘neo-liberal’ age, I find myself having to confront with hair bias and insults.
The most recent memory I have is of a confrontation I had in my workplace in February 2020. This was right before the pandemic raged and swept the world. It was a regular day at work except that I let my hair loose which is normally tied into a bun or half-tied, half-loose. As a college professor teaching journalism and communication, one would least expect to hear personal remarks especially about one’s hair. I walked into my class brimming with confidence feeling extra special because of the open hair. The class went quite well. I walked out and took the elevator. My supervisor was there. She was a woman in her late 40s and for the three years, I worked with her, I thought of her as extremely conservative. She looked at me with disgust, and ordered, “Tie your hair. It does not look good.” To which I retorted, “Do you tell other people to tie their hair?” Her immediate response was, “Don’t argue with me. I just told you. It does not look good to go like that with your hair open when you go to class.”
I was shocked at her condescending and derogatory remark. I was utterly speechless because, one does not hear such conversations, much less direct order to tie one’s hair, in a civilised society. I was shocked at her crude behaviour. But I did not let it go. I was fuming and had to confront her. I waited till all my classes for the day got over. I told her clearly that I do not appreciate her personal remarks. But she got defensive and told me that that this was my problem and must have been so since childhood. Well, when things got ugly, she walked away without giving an explanation nor an apology. Later, I sent her a mail and called out her authoritarian and cultural bullying, only then could I breathe. There were two other female professors in the same department, and when I checked with them, they confided in me that they never received such directions from her. I was not surprised because both these professors had relatively straighter hair, and would often leave their hair loose.
The popular perception of an educational institution to dispel myths and create agents of change and transformation may not hold true to all the universities and colleges, especially in a country like India. Even a professor of journalism and communication who teaches the duties of press to lend voice for the voiceless, can get ridiculed in her workplace for her hair by another professor, and get away scot-free. For some people like me, it is relatively easy to fight the perpetrator head-on, and the self-doubts that arise as a result of such violation. But for others it can be scarring and debilitating.
In this chapter, I try to outline the hair culture in India by revisiting the history of hair along with religious narratives of hair. Hair has been an important cause for concern and discussion in both educational institutions and work places. The hair politics in these different institutions will be discussed. A discourse on issues is incomplete without personal stories that reflect the larger reality. My hair stories will keep us company as I delve into the complexities of hair style, texture, and colour for Indian women and the challenges that they face.