100 Objects #18: Hair Relaxer
Summary
This episode explores the history of chemical hair relaxers, tracing their evolution from survival tools for enslaved people to a major industry that built Black wealth. It examines the tension between assimilation and self-empowerment, highlighting key figures like Madam C.J. Walker and George Johnson, who reinvested profits into the Black community. The narrative also covers the political significance of the Afro during the Black Power movement and the subsequent return to straight hair driven by workplace discrimination. Finally, it addresses recent studies linking relaxers to uterine ca…
Topics discussed
Instagram teen account safety features
AT&T Business reliability for small businesses
Visiting Monica's Hair Salon in Brooklyn
Personal history with chemical relaxers
Health concerns and class action lawsuits
Introduction to hair historian Lori L. Tharps
African hair traditions and the impact of slavery
Enslaved people's innovation and economic power
Madam C.J. Walker and the hot comb era
Garrett Morgan's accidental discovery of lye
George Johnson and the commercial relaxer market
Johnson Products' community reinvestment and FTC regulation
The tension between assimilation and wealth
Sponsor: Claude AI for workflow and thinking
Sponsor: Sonos home sound systems
Sponsor: Quince wardrobe staples
Sponsor: Toyota trucks for adventure
The Afro as political protest in the Black Power movement
Workplace discrimination and the return of straight hair
Peak straight hair culture in the 80s and 90s
The rise of the natural hair movement
Scientific links between relaxers and cancer
Systemic racism and the cost of assimilation
Credits and production team
Sponsors: Discover Card and Toyota
Sponsor: California Closets
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