African Blue Beads

• Although the cultural meaning of hair beads varies throughout the African world, a number of features stay relatively consistent. For example, blue beads have been found in abundance at various archaeological digs, leading scholars to believe that this color held a special significance throughout Africa, reported "Historical Archaeology" in 1996. For Western Africa, scholars believe that blue beads offered protection to the wearer, especially for pregnant women. For other regions, Stine, Cabak and Groover stated in their paper, "Blue Beads as African-American Cultural Symbols" that blue aggri (glass) beads symbolized social status; the more blue beads that a woman wore, the wealthier the woman wearing them.
  
  

Hair During Enslavement

• Hair played a significant role for Africans during the period of enslavement in the early 15th century, according to "A Beautiful Hair Affair." When Africans were displaced so heinously from their homes, they lost their hierarchical community; for example, captors treated queens of villages like field servants. Within the early slave communities, hairdos served as a reminder of preexisting social hierarchy and individual importance. As a result, hair helped the displaced Africans maintain a semblance of personal identity in the face of dehumanizing conditions.
  
  

Straightening

• In contemporary America, the straightening of hair indicates social rank, regardless of race. Hair straightening has turned into a multi-million dollar industry that, according to Arizona State University professor Neal A. Lester, focuses primarily on black people, costing sometimes more than individuals can afford. Lester notes that hair straightening reflects identity issues within contemporary American society; for example, he questions how Michelle Obama's hair straightening affected her husband's election results. For African-Americans, Lester begs the question: Is the expensive straightening of hair an attempt to meld with a seemingly Caucasian-ruled world?
  
  

Contemporary African Barbershop

• Perhaps because of the unavailability of social spaces for black men during segregation, the barbershop played an important role in the development of inter-community bonds for African-Americans.
  
  Because of this cultural bonding, the barbershop continues to play a strong role in African-American art and literature. Terry Bozeman of Georgia State University calls the American barbershop "a mediating space" that centralizes African-American culture -- its history, memories and people. Bozeman goes so far as to say that the barbershop is necessary to understanding the "literary formation of Black masculine identity."