The great-great-great-great granddaughter of Madam C.J. Walker – the woman who revolutionized the African-American hair care industry – has written a book to help women and girls deal positively with their hair. A’Lelia Bundles wrote Trip in Time to tell the story of African-American girls who go back in time to meet Madam Walker. Through the reading, she starts to dissolve dangerous misperceptions about what is “good hair.”
“All hair is good hair,” Bundles tells the audience as she does a live reading of her work. “Enjoy what you have, enjoy your natural hair. It’s all about how little girls feel about themselves.” She says that some women are worried about the texture of their hair, along with other features about their appearance. During her visit with the girls, Bundles mixes her story of the true history of Madam Walker – and her work with professional hair shears, women, salons and more – with practical advice about nurturing a strong parent-child relationship.
“It starts and ends with the parents,” Bundles said. “What you see now is a little bit of everything. Now, you’re bombarded with things. That makes it even more important for mothers and parents to help their daughters sort through when they’re watching these images on TV and help them shape their values.”
Bundles adds that a great mother-daughter bonding opportunity is when the mother is doing their daughter’s hair – or even sometimes vice versa.
Walker, born Sarah Breedlove Walker, is the historic entrepreneur who made a name for herself selling hair care products for African American woman. Not only is Walker recorded as the first African-American self-made female millionaire but also the first self-made female millionaire in American history, according to the Guinness Book of Records.
Tags: hair care, hair scissors, hair stylist, Professional Scissors, Professional Shears
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