By Keren Banza
The politics of hair is rooted in racialised beauty norms. The theatre production Hairology, directed by Lyndré Bonhomme, holds a mirror to the relationship between women of colour and their hair.
A salon isn’t simply a place to get hair done, but a space for sharing stories. Each woman in Hairology experiences a different journey with their hair. Through the clever use of lights and shadows, the audience experiences fragments of stories the women share. Coupled with black styling chairs, the fragrance of hair products and the ever-late hairstylist, we are transported to the familiarity of the salon.
Through these shared stories, we explore bigger conversations: the negative connotations placed on cut or shaved heads, the culture of using chemical straighteners and the normalisation of using the words “untamed”, “unkempt”, or “uncontrollable” to discuss hair that is not straight.
In society, certain hairstyles are labelled as ‘unprofessional’. This messaging is often reinforced in the workplace, institutions and schools. This all too often negatively affects women’s self-perception and value of physical appearances. Bonhomme demonstrates the experience in a scene whereby a woman’s boss tells her to get a “professional hairstyle” as her style is “too bold”.
Hairology further demonstrates the generational effect of hair standards on women, with mothers often being the bearers of these principles to daughters. One character reminisces about how, when she was young, her mom would use hair gel and a hot comb to press down her hair so she would look presentable, as after all “beauty is painful, being a woman is painful.”
Hairology invites us to examine why hair standards are normalised, and why they persist. As one of the performers reminds us “hair is just hair” – but it will always be more complex than that.
Hairology is on at the Rehearsal Room from 24 to 26 June.
