1960s African American Hairstyles
We made sure to include shots by the talented photographer j d.
1960s african american hairstyles. Before the 1960s conking was very popular and accepted. In the mid 1960s the afro hairstyle began in a fairly tightly coiffed form such as the hairstyle that became popular among members of the black panther party. A conk was created by first applying a lye relaxer solution typically of the brand. Charles teenie harris photographed the african american community in pittsburgh pennsylvania from 1935 to 1975 and his archive includes beautiful pictures that show the hairstyles of the day.
The term conk is derived from congolene a gel like substance made from potato starch egg protein and lye. The afro originated in that political and. Okhai ojeikere known for capturing the many innovative styles of african women in the 1960 s. In the 1950s it wasn t uncommon to meet an african american woman with chemically straightened hair in the united states and britain as this was what was socially acceptable at the time.
As the african american civil rights movement gained momentum during the 60s it brought with it a renewed sense of identity to the african american community. From box braids to dreadlocks and afro shape ups many of the most iconic black hairstyles can be found in drawings engravings and hieroglyphs from ancient egypt when the painted. The 1950s and 1960s popular hairstyles for black women. As the 1960s progressed towards the 1970s popular hairstyles both within and outside of the african american community became longer and longer.
The 1960s witnessed an unpreceded shift in the men s hairstyling. Basically this was a look leftover from the 1940 s. African american hairstyles have changed drastically throughout history. 12 african hairstyles.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s awareness of newly independent african nations and the victories and setbacks of the civil rights movement encouraged feelings of hope and anger as well as exploration of identity among young african americans. In the first half of the 1960 s many african american men still wore their hair in what was called a conk. After all african american women spent previous decades straightening their hair with the pressing. African american short hairstyles.