100 Objects #18: Hair Relaxer
Summary
This episode traces the history of chemical hair relaxers, from their accidental invention to their role in building Black wealth and the complex tension between assimilation and self-acceptance. Featuring journalist Lori L. Tharps, the story explores how the product fueled economic empowerment while simultaneously reinforcing harmful beauty standards. It concludes by examining recent research linking relaxers to uterine cancer and fibroids, highlighting the ongoing physical and social costs of this ubiquitous American product.
Topics discussed
Instagram teen account safety features
AT&T Business connectivity for small businesses
Visiting Monica's Hair Salon in Brooklyn
Personal experience with chemical relaxers
Health concerns and class action lawsuits
Introduction to the history of Black hair
African hair traditions and identity
Enslavement and the origins of straightening
Black barbers and economic empowerment
Madam C.J. Walker and Annie Malone
Garrett Morgan and the invention of the relaxer
George Johnson and the Ultra Sheen brand
Johnson Products' community impact and wealth
FTC regulations and competitive disadvantage
The tension between assimilation and wealth
The Afro as political protest in the 60s
Workplace discrimination and the 80s straight hair peak
Hair shows and the 90s straight hair culture
The rise of the natural hair movement
Scientific links between relaxers and cancer
Systemic racism and the cost of assimilation
Credits and production team
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