Racquel Francis 

ENGL 21003

Professor Killebrew

March 27, 2020

 Rhetorical Situation

In 1619 the first group of African’s were brought to Jamestown, Virginia for enslavement and would be forced to conform to the ideologies imposed while under European control. In order for the Europeans to truly enforce their dominance they stripped these African people of aspects of their culture; one relating to beauty. Hair has played a major role within the conforming of African people and those of African descent due to those changes in the 17th century. Prior to the enslavement of Africans different kingdoms were able to distinguish one another based on hairstyles. These styles signified different levels of status and overall were a means of expression, and people of African descent still embody this level of creativity. However, the eurocentric standard of beauty transcending in many communities plays a role in the mental well being of the modern African-American woman.

The author of this article, Dr. Afiya Mangum Mbilishaka, is a clinical psychologist with a Ph.D. from Howard University. She has created a method of counseling called “psychohairapy… to use hair as an entry point into mental health services. Also, she is a hairstylist and she bridges a connection between hair and self-care to address issues that are “culturally sensitive” (Mbilishaka 2018). Mbilishaka is an African-American woman based in District Columbia, Washington.

The purpose of the article is to inform about her developed methods of therapy and the origins of merging the practices of hair care with mental health. Also, the author informs readers  about factors that are unique to the female black experience in the Western World. She describes the gap between seeking out mental health services among African-Americans in comparison to Caucasians, which is 25 percent to 40 percent. In addition to this gap there is a mismatch of westernized approaches that are not fit to address hair related issues that are exclusive to this community. There is a stylistic choice for each African-American woman, however, Eurocentric beauty standards drive women to focus on “length retention and straightening”, the author describes the negative effects of straightening on the follicles that can cause low self-esteem with overuse (Mbilishaka 2018).  Mbilishaka suggests a form derived from “Africana Womanism that illuminates the historical role of hair, replaces Western approaches with African rituals and embodies health care with mental health intersection” (Mbilishaka 2018).

The audience of the article are other mental health professionals and the general public that are seeking out professional help. She desires to inform the need for mental health practices that are fit for black women culturally and spiritually. Also, she describes a solution for the psychological neglect among black women by collaborative training between psychologists and hairstylists to effectively care for this demographic. Finally she highlights the need to increase scientific research on the benefits of mental health based on the collaboration with hairstylists to strengthen “sisterhood wellness”.

This is a journalistic report with scientific and historical background on the significance of Afrocentric hairstyles and hair care in relevance to creating a form of mental healthcare exclusive to women of African descent. The author wrote the article in 2018, which is 2 years post the rise of “self-care” in 2016 as a social practice to combat stress levels (Harris 2017). This article is a nod to the importance of self-care in a black woman’s life and the connection related, to the importance of having a ritual in regards to women’s mental health in relevance to the black experience. 

Harris, Aisha. “How ‘Self-Care’ Went From Radical to Frou-Frou to Radical Once Again.” Slate Magazine, 5 Apr. 2017, www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2017/04/the_history_of_self_care.html.

Mbilishaka, Afiya Mangum. “PsychoHairapy: Using Hair as an Entry Point into Black Women’s Spiritual and Mental Health.” Meridians, Duke University Press, 1 Mar. 2018, read.dukeupress.edu/meridians/article-abstract/16/2/382/138963/PsychoHairapy-Using-Hair-as-an-Entry-Point-into.