hair

It Started Earlier Than You Thought

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Women wore their hair in a natural style for a fashion show. It was a contest that gave a cash prize for the winner. These women were sporting natural beauty before it was in fashion

A group of young men started an organization called the African Jazz At Society (AJAS) in the late 1950s. Kwame Braithwaite wanted to capture the essence of jazz in Harlem in photography. He wanted his audience to feel it and hear it through his work.

in the 1960s The Grandassa Models was formed to champion African inspired clothing and black beauty according to Tanisha Ford who has written a wonderful history of the experience.

Pushing The Limits

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She was nice named the Black Greta Garbo, and one look at her proved why. She dispelled the myth at African Americans were ugly, untalented and stupid.

Nina Mae McKinney had starred in an all African American cast show, Hallelujah. The amazing job she did in that show, gained her a contract from MGM. It turned out to be a hollow victory. They only offered her roles as maids and servants, and never any lead roles.

https://youtu.be/h4PoeF-W6Co

McKinney was not the only African American who refused to deal with the hand she was dealt in the entertainment industry. Josephine Baker received a scathing review from a mainstream newspaper critic who called her homely and untalented. But in France, she became an icon by singing, dancing and pushing her talent to new limits

Our beauty has pushed through a lot of pain, but it has pushed through.

Ordinary

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Africans from the regions of Gambia and Senegal were captured by slavers in 17th Century and sold into French America. They were smart individuals who understood agriculture and could adapt their skill sets in slavery. Even though they purchased their freedom from slavery, found themselves as part of a permanent slave class which even restricted how they looked.

They had to keep their hair covered according to the law.

 She was probably one of the most popular images of African American women in the late 19th Century which eluded to something other than beauty. She was popular and became an icon that would last for centuries. She would become a symbol of beauty in a different way.

Nancy Green was born a slave in 1834 in Kentucky. After slavery she got a job in Chicago taking care of children and cooking for privilege families.  Later she got a job with the Davis Mill Company being the spokesperson for Aunt Jemima Pancakes.  They put her face on the package.

In the month of April we will examine African American beauty

Water Needed

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After the Civil War when African American women began to think more of themselves than slaves, the art of becoming more was much more difficult. Because many of the women were poor and didn’t have ready access to water, they had a struggles when it came to regular hygiene.

Water was something individuals had to carry from a creek or well, which meant bathing and hair washing was relegated to many once a week. This resulted in hair diseases and loss of hair.

Madam CJ Walker , who was born shortly after slavery ended, had problems with her hair. She suffered from scalp diseases that made her hair fall out. This problem set her on the path to change the lives of African American women and how they saw themselves. She wanted them to feel beautiful, have self respect and uplift the race.

In the month of April we will examine African American beauty.

Looking For Submission

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Fill In the Gap

Fill In The Gap is a magazine designed for women of color to help fill information on things your mother should have told you. We all come from different backgrounds with different values but are called to function in the same world. You can pick up some information. You can share some information.  This information comes from people who know and have been there. After all, information is power.

If you would like to contribute to this magazine in the area of:

health, physical or mental,

weight loss, diet, exercise,

education

travel

parenting, relationships, marriage

fashion, makeup, hair

finances, budgeting, insurance

side hustles

activism

If you are an expert in any of these areas send me a pitch for an article.  There will also be art, photography, and poetry in the magazine. If you are interested in subscribing or advertising, please send an email to uppcreative@yahoo.com

 

 

 

15 Days Til Christmas

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(I apologize for the lateness. I forgot to push the publish button, but it is 15 days til Christmas.)

One of the things I love is getting my hair done. It has been an awesome gift this year.   I only go a couple of times a year because that is about all I need, and it is always a blessed time. I always have a good time. I can not remember not having a good time.

Karen Hair

The woman who does my hair is younger than me, but she has been raised in an old school way. It is always “Yes, Ma’am” and “Ms. Karen.” If she is cooking, there is always an extra plate. If she is selling something like, make up or such, I am buying.

The best part is I get to watch TV shows I would have never thought about watching. I admit, I would have not know what a “real housewife” was until I saw it at her house. Not only do I get to see it, but she updates me on what is really happening.  She doesn’t hold them against the standard of society, but against God’s standard. I love that.

I get to walk through the generation gap with her. I get to listen to her opinion on love and life. She asks me what I think and allows me to pass on principles God has taught me.  It is a good time had by all.

Although our lives are very different, I see common paths through Christ work in both of us.