A Word: “Good” Hair; Bad Health

Slate News

Slate Podcasts

News, News Commentary, Politics

4.6 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 17 December 2023

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In recent years, several states and localities have passed “crown” laws, statutes that keep employers from discriminating against African Amercans for wearing their hair in natural styles. That’s because, historically, having straight hair has often been a requirement for professional advancement for Black women in particular. But there is more science emerging that connects chemical relaxers with cancer. In today’s episode of A Word, reporter and cancer survivor Victoria St. Martin speaks with host Jason Johnson about the dangers of formaldehyde in hair relaxers, the history of marketing toxic cosmetics to African Americans, and consumer efforts to raise awareness. Guest: Victoria St. Martin, Inside Climate News reporter Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Award, a podcast from Slate.
0:04.0	I'm your host, Jason Johnson.
0:05.0	For many black women, chemically straightening their hair is more than a fashion statement.
0:11.0	It's been a requirement for getting or keeping their jobs.
0:14.7	Now there's evidence that the products use to straighten one's hair can cause cancer.
0:20.3	And there's a new fight to ban the chemicals and relaxers.
0:23.4	You can perm your hair or not.
0:25.9	I'm not here to tell you what to do.
0:28.2	The thing that I think is key here is I want this to be done safely.
0:33.0	Making hair care safe for black women coming up on a word with me Jason Johnson.
0:38.0	Stay with us. Welcome to a word, a podcast about race and politics and everything else.
0:48.0	I'm your host, Jason Johnson.
0:49.2	For Black Women, hare styling has never been just about beauty.
0:52.8	It's also about identity and economics.
0:55.8	Despite movements to encourage black women
0:57.6	to wear their hair in natural styles for decades,
1:01.1	straightened hair was all but a requirement to be taken seriously as a professional
1:05.2	or to even get in the door for an interview for a job.
1:09.5	In fact, several states had to pass laws to protect black people from being fired or
1:14.8	ruled out of employment just because they chose to wear their hair naturally.
1:18.8	That made chemical hair relaxers aimed at black women
1:21.7	a multi-million dollar business in America and around the world.
	...

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