Hair

by Diane Simon

Book Overview

Cut it, color it, perm it, shave it, braid it, wax it, highlight it, mousse it, gel it, brush it and brush it and brush it... What don't we do to our hair? Diane Simon is fascinated by people's relationship with their hair because it is both very personal one and very public. She recognizes that so much of who we are is reflected in our relationship with our hair. Diane is the curly-haired daughter of straight haired parents and has suffered much for her "bad hair". In researching and writing Hair: Public, Political, Extremely Personal she has used her suffering as a point of entry, a common ground to share with those who think of themselves as excluded from Western beauty norms because of their hair. In Hair: Public, Political, Extremely Personal , social and cultural issues form the backdrop for an exploration of the choices people make to transform themselves through their hair. Hair is a cultural investigation with a strong narrative momentum and a commitment to individual personalities. Join Diane on her visits to Harlem braiding salons and Hassidic wig shops, and in her quest to try every type of hair removal. Spend an afternoon with Sy Sperling at the Hair Club for Men headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida, and find out the truth about some celebrity scalps. Hair: Public, Political, Extremely Personal is candid, humorous, serious, and surprisingly revealing. Cut It, Curl It, Weave It, Bleach It, Condition It, Implant It, Blowdry It, Spray It, Tint It, Comb It, Rat It, Bob It, Perm It, Braid It, Coif It, Gel It, Wig It, Fake It, Knot It, Pull It, Dye It, Highlight It, Wave It, Shampoo It, Straighten It, Pluck It, Color It, Wax It, Clip It, Shave It, Thread It, Mousse It, Depilitorize It, Tweeze It, Hide It, Laser It, Tease It, Trim It, Chop It, Wash It, Dry It, Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It And Brush It

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312208936
• ISBN13: 9780312208936
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.7" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Calling All Mammals

I came to this book with an interest in Diane Simon's fantastic on-the-scene reporting--face to face with the founder of Hair Club for Men, side by side with cross-dressers having their hair removed, in the company of wigmakers, hair braiders, hair sellers, high-end stylists and working-class beauticians. Simon introduces her readers to a fabulous array of intriguing characters bound by their concern with hair--too much or too little, too curly or too straight. If the book were just that--a piece of reportage--it'd be worth the cover price for Simon's humor and fine style alone. But what makes this book remarkable, and deserving of five stars, is Simon's ability to bring the insights of cultural theory to bear without ever losing hold of the attention of even a casual reader. She's an empathetic writer, and a smart one. You may not think you have anything to learn from a white man getting hair implants or a black woman getting hair extensions or a drag queen getting her facial hair literally shocked off, but in Simon's hands each of these characters become mirrors for everyday anxieties, hopes, and history.This isn't just a book about wacky hair--it's about race and gender in America, a story that cuts close to core questions about identity and appearence. As it finds the readership it deserves, it may well turn out to be one of the really important books of the year, pointing toward a new way of asking questions about how we live that's funny as well as deeply perceptive.