Part 1: The Truth About Black Hair; History, Identity, and Industry - Lori L. Tharps

About this episode

Historian Lori L. Tharps discusses the history and cultural significance of Black hair and the impact of misinformation on beauty standards.

Send us Fan Mail Click Here to Watch This Episode on YouTube! In this episode, historian and Hair Story co-author Lori L. Tharps joins Hair What I'm Saying to discuss Black hair history, cultural identity, beauty standards, and how generations of misinformation have shaped our relationship with our hair. Black hair gets called “too big” and “too wild” like that’s an objective fact, but it’s really a script and somebody profits from it. We sit down with historian and journalist Lori L. Tharps,...

People in this episode

Host: Kinetra

Guest: Lori L. Tharps

Topics covered

• Black hair history
• cultural identity
• beauty standards
• misinformation
• hair industry

Keywords

• Black hair
• history
• identity
• beauty standards
• Lori L. Tharps
• hair industry
• cultural identity

More episodes of Hair What I'm Saying

• What Ivy Braids Reveal About Black Hair Standards · June 8, 2026 · 17 min
• Season 6 Trailer - Black Hair Care Is Not a Scam, But the System May Be... · June 1, 2026 · 2 min
• What is a Cloud Bob, Vogue? So the Afro Gets a New Name? · April 16, 2026 · 9 min
• Hair Loss, Homelessness, and Hope: The Story Behind The Haircare Project · April 9, 2026 · 1h 3m
• Black Men, Texturism, and Identity: Was It Chemicals or Culture? · March 2, 2026 · 1h 12m
• Texturism and Black Men: Duke, S-Curl, and Black Men’s Identity · January 25, 2026 · 2h 1m