Final Conclusion

Being the end of my ten days of disruption and personal discomfort I have discovered many things about our society, but more importantly about myself.

Appearance and body image, which includes our hair, plays such a massive role in how we perceive and judge others. With the ideal “norms” and customs being determined for us (being women) by movies, magazines, advertising, religion and culture, we are pressured to conform in fear of being negatively judged.

What I learnt about myself, through the discomfort and self-consciousness I felt whilst wearing my wig, is how much I rely on my natural hair to complete me as a woman. I also learnt that I have a deep fear of being judged by others for deviating from aesthetic and beauty norms.

Recognising this has been the hardest part of this experiment as I feel that, through my identity being predetermined by the higher power that is society, I have lost my sense of individualism. I am just a sheep like the rest.

Day 10

If Douglas (1970: 72) states that: "Shaggy hair, as a form of protest against represented forms of social control, is a current symbol in our own day” then sleek hair must be the opposite and symbolise an individual who is conservative and conforms to modes of social control. Right?

Today, making sure my hair was clean, neat and sleek (pretty much how I normally wear it), I went to varsity to investigate Douglas’s theory. I asked others what they thought my sleek hair said about me as a person. Again, I got nothing that I could link directly to Douglas’s theory. So, again I feel that Douglas’s theory of the symbolism behind shaggy and sleek hair is more directed toward media and advertising than real life situations.

• Douglas, M (1970). Natural Symbols. London: Routledge. 72.

Day 9

I decided I would try out shaggy hair first. So, this morning I teased, greased and messed up my hair to achieve optimum shagginess.

According to Douglas (1970: 72): “Shaggy hair, as a form of protest against represented forms of social control, is a current symbol in our own day” In other words, shaggy hair symbolizes certain characteristics of the individual possessing the style. Characteristics such as carelessness, individualism and lack of professional commitment. (Synnott, 1993: 123)

What I discovered upon going to varsity and acquiring others’ viewpoints on what they thought shaggy hair symbolized, went against Douglas’s theory. Although used in magazines as a tool to illustrate a personality for the readers, shaggy hair in reality does not necessarily describe one’s characteristics.

Tomorrow lets see what smooth/sleek hair says about me...

• Douglas, M (1970). Natural Symbols. London: Routledge. 72.
• Synnott, A (1993). The body social: symbolism, self and society. London: Routledge. 123

Day 8

Getting too accustomed to wearing my short blonde wig, I want to spice things up and discover how changing the style of my own hair affects others’ perceptions of me.

Joanne Entwistle, (2000:15) in her text The Fashioned Body, describes the relationship between the body and situation. With reference to shaggy hair and sleek hair, she describes how both these hairstyles are loaded with symbolism and says a lot about a person’s character.

For the remainder of this experiment I want to try these hairstyles and ask others what they feel it reveals about my character and where they would expect to find these hairstyles in society.

• Entwistle, J. (2000). Chapter 1: Addressing the Body. In: The Fashioned Body. Cambridge: Polity Press. 6-39.

Day 7

My cousin is getting married in a week and the wedding dominates all conversation. Today, we spoke about her wedding hairstyle, her veil and so forth. This conversation made me think about the customs surrounding married women and their hair.

In mainly religions and cultures married women are expected to cover their hair as a sign of modesty and to avoid attracting men other than their husbands. For example, Orthodox Jewish women make use of scarves or wigs, known as shatyls, to cover their hair in public, only letting their husbands see their natural hair. Muslim women also make use of scarves or veils to cover their hair in public as a sign of respect to their husbands. (DeMello, 2007:142)

This practice has been a hot topic for feminist groups for many years as it subjects married women to being controlled by a custom created and designed for men. Covering a women’s hair takes away a large portion of her individuality as a female and rids of any sexual attractiveness. “For a lot of women, their locks are their defining feature, a symbol of femininity, sexual power, even fertility.” (Carr, 2007:153)

I, personally, don’t know how these women get brainwashed into believing some of these customs set up by men. We’re in the 21^st century now. Its time for you women to start burning your bras (well shatyls in this case)

• BBC News, (2006). Muslim Woman [online image]. Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/6077832.stm. Last accessed: 10 October 2010
• Carr, K (2007). Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips. United States: Morris Publishing Group. 153.
• DeMello, M (2007). Encyclopedia of body adornment. United States: Greenwood Publishing Group. 142.
• LIFE, (2010). Jewish Woman [online image]. Available at: http://www.life.com/image/50837464. Last accessed: 10 October 2010

Day 6

I had to go the hairdresser today and; therefore, did not wear my wig. I thought it would be a good idea to get some first hand insight from someone whose career revolves around hair.

I spoke to him and another lady in the salon, who was getting her blonde hair highlighted. Nowadays, just being blonde is not enough. Blondes have to constantly maintain their hair making sure that the colour is not dull or that their natural roots are not exposed. With professional highlights averaging around R500, this maintenance becomes an expensive exercise; especially when it is required every three months.

Guess being blonde isn’t all that fun after all…

Day 5

Wearing a short wig has made me overly self-conscious of how I appear. Choosing what to wear everyday is difficult because although people have started saying that short hair suites me; I feel that if I don’t wear something feminine people will think I'm a “tom-boy” or a feminist or even a lesbian. As shallow as it sounds it’s the truth.

I think the fear of loosing my femininity by having short hair derives from the societal norms that we have become accustomed to that “conventionally, men tend to have shorter (and less styled) hair than women.” (Synott, 1993: 105). The constant use of this convention, mainly in advertising and fashion magazines, assists in permeating the norms and, in turn, making those who deviate from it (like myself having short hair) self-conscious.

• Kevin O’Brien (2009). Fashion Magazine Front Cover 2009 [online image]. Available at: http://www.magxone.com/misc-magazine/michelle-trachtenberg-fashion-magazine-may-2009/. Last accessed: 08 October 2010
• Pub Delux (2009). Guess by Marciano print advert [online image]. Available at: http://pub-de-luxe.com/guess-by-marciano-printemps-ete-2009-1386.html . Last accessed: 08 October2010
• Synnott, A (1993). The body social: symbolism, self and society. London: Routledge. p103.

Day 4

“ I don’t want to hang out with a bunch of blonde sluts” is what I overheard from friend of mine when she was asked to go out with a bunch of girls (mainly blonde of course). The idea that blondes are promiscuous or “sluts” is a stereotype that has stemmed from television, magazines and movies. This stereotype affects blonde girls because, depending on how they portray themselves in public, they can either embody this stereotype or challenge it.

My friend who made the comment about the “blonde sluts” was a brunette. The question has to be asked: “Is she just jealous of blonde girls and; therefore, calling them sluts to soften her own insecurities about not being blonde?”

Mitchell and Walsh (2008: 339), authors of Girl Culture: An Encyclopedia, state: “The image of the blonde as the ideal – the girl who is most physically desirable and who has the most fun – has permeated Western media and is exemplified by twentieth century icons such as Marilyn Monroe, Farrah Fawcett, Brigette Bardot and Paris Hilton”

With this statement it is easy to see why brunettes may feel slight animosity towards blondes and jealous about the attention they receive from men.

• MediaMan (n.d). Bondi Blondes [online image] . Available at: http://www.mediaman.com.au/profiles/bondi_blonde.html. Last accessed: 07 October 2010
• Mitchell, C, Reid-Walsh, J (2004). Girl Culture: The encyclopedia. 2nd ed. London: Greenwood Press. 339.

Day 3

Wearing a wig full time is not an easy task. The headache that I got today from wearing the wig was completely unbearable. Wigs and hair extensions, like push-up bras, false nails or make-up, are used to enhance one’s appearance by masking what exists. In some cases; however, masking what exists can be extremely painful. I found this out today. I can only imagine the pain that African-American women go through when getting their hair braided.

Suffering pain to achieve a certain beauty ideal has been around for centuries. Foot binding, corsets and cosmetic surgery are extreme ways in which women discipline their appearance to conform to this ideal of beauty. This ideal stems from what is known as the “beauty myth”. The myth that suggests that women are “subtly coerced to embody beauty and men are encouraged to desire and possess beautiful women” (Howson, 2004: 105). So basically, women endure pain and constantly monitor their appearance to achieve an unattainable state of beauty in order to attract the attention of men. This is just unfair!

• Howson, A (2004). The Body in Society. Cambridge: Polity Press. 105.

Day 2

Today was the first day that I wore my blonde wig to varsity. The reactions I got were mixed and many were shocked with my transformation. Only knowing and recognizing me as brunette, my peers viewed this change as a deviation from my personal norm. Moreover, in modern Western society the use of a full wig is uncommon and is mainly used either for fancy dress, religious or hair loss purposes.

Focault’s idea of “normalizing judgment” assists in explaining the shocked and somewhat disapproving reactions I received. “Observation allows one to exercise normalizing judgment, punishing all deviations from the norm” (Simons, 1995:31) Deviating from my personal norm of being a brunette and the societal norm of not wearing a full wig in everyday life, others scrutinized and “punished” my appearance, as it was different to the norms they have become accustomed to.

• Simons, J (1995). Foucault & The Political. London: Routledge. 31

Day 1

For my entire life I have always had long, dark-brown hair. Apart from straightening it, I have never drastically altered my hair by cutting it short or dying it other colours. For the next nine days I want to experiment with a variety of hairstyles and unpack the societal norms and conventions of hair length, colour and style and the symbolism and significance thereof. In addition to altering the style of my own hair, I will be making use of short, blonde wig, which will allow me a wider variety of experience with different hairstyles.

Whether having blonde, brunette, long hair, short hair, smooth hair, shaggy hair, “hair is one our most powerful symbols of individual and group identity – powerful first because it is physical and therefore extremely personal, and second because although personal it is also public, rather than private” (Synnott, 1993: 103)

• Synnott, A (1993). The body social: symbolism, self and society. London: Routledge. p103.