Hair Styles Linked to Obesity in Black Women.

The Commercial Appeal ^ | 09-28-03 | johnny7

[johnny7]

Lets 'Do' it Right: Exercise.
Wendi Thomas
gomemphis.com

More than 60 percent of black women are overweight. And I'd bet that many of these women have nicely styled hair. How are the two related? Many of us are overweight because we don't exercise. And I maintain many of us don't exercise because we don't want to sweat out our hair. For those unfamiliar with black hair, here's a primer. Many black women have their hair chemically treated to make it straighter. As the hair grows, the process - called relaxing - must be repeated on the kinkier roots.

Water, humidity and sweat are the enemy of relaxed hair. I know. Many of my sporadic attempts to exercise have been foiled by my hair. I've done TaeBo under a swirling ceiling fan. I've ridden a stationary bike under an air-conditioning vent with a fan aimed at my head. I'll do almost anything to avoid sweating hard enough to mess up my 'do.'

Of course, other factors contribute to obesity, such as poor diet. But for women, and black women in particular, hair is a factor. "When the one thing you have going for you is your hair, you don't want that messed up," says Brenda Speight, community nutritionist for the health department. Speight remembers how as a child, she'd get her hair pressed on Saturdays, to ready it for church Sunday. When her hair was done, so was playtime. Her mother wouldn't let her start sweating and messing up that hair. For many women, Speight says, getting their hair done is about more than looking good. That trip to the beauty shop "may be the only time that week that the black woman is cared for, instead of doing the caring," Speight says.

The link between hair and black women's health hasn't escaped the attention of the medical community. With obesity comes a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, breast and colon cancer. While researching black women's health issues, Harvard professor Rima Rudd learned of the hair/health link at a community meeting, and from a man. "He said, 'You're not going to get anywhere talking about physical exercise in the black community unless you talk about hair.'" Interviews with Boston-area women confirmed the man's theory.

The research continued, at first with the support of the National Institutes of Health. But the NIH eventually withdrew financial support "because they said there was no scientific link between physical activity and hair," she said. Undeterred, Rudd and others spent $6,000 of their money to publish the pamphlet, Hair Care Tips for Sisters on the Move. That was five years ago. In the last few months, Rudd gave the pamphlet to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to republish. To see the brochure, go to www.hsph.harvard.edu/sisterstogether/hair.pdf. But do more than read. Move until you sweat. Even if it costs you your 'do.'

Contact Wendi C. Thomas at (901) 529-5896 or E-mail thomasw@gomemphis.com.

[BenLurkin]

Movie Review: http://disc.server.com/discussion.cgi?disc=166274;article=97;title=Kane%60s%20Reviews;date_query=1039543420

[Cobra64]

These folks are so inconsistent, it's incredible. What happened to, "black is beautifule?", and hey brothers and sister, how do you like my 'fro?" (That looked like a squirrel's nest in the '70s).

Perskonally, they just outta get the beans shaved. Then there ain't no problem.

[wizardoz]

Now there you go! She's the perfect example of gorgeous womanhood. Who needs hair?

[wizardoz]

(pic of the author) Oh dear, how awful. She's the anti-Halle!

[mrustow]

I think she's got a pretty face. Chubby, but cute.

[Tall_Texan]

What happened to, "black is beautifule?"

Is this Ebonics?

[Unknown Freeper]

The black women and the hair thing started long before relaxers became popular on the market. Little black girls who had their hair "straightened" with the "hot comb" knew not to "get their hair all sweaty and messed up. Don't even talk about going to the beach and getting your "head wet." If anything, relaxers have let more black women be comfortable with being more active without "messing up the hair."

I would suggest that the obesity rate has more to do with the the traditional diet. Tons of carbs and the "clean your plate" mentality are the reason for the health problems of many black men and women.

(And now, the bonus round, where you are asked to explain "the kitchen." rofl)

[Maigrey]

However (to back up some of the comments...) most black people cannot wash their hair very often, since the washing removes the oils and minerals from the hair, making it brittle and prone to breaking. (unlike my hair, which gets oily the longer I go without washing it.)

[Maigrey]

Some people would say that Halle Berry isn't black. All I see is a good actress.

[bicycle thug]

I miss the 'fro. I like the way they looked.

I am a white male who wears his hair long. The only time I had a short haircut in my life is when I lost a battle over it with my parents, or was in the U.S. Army. Short hair or shaved heads on males never made much sense to me.

I say bring back the Afro. Dreadlocks look exquisite too when done right too.

[bert]

It's called the lice cut, stoneage chic.

[MHT]

It's not just the exercise, or the "poor diet". It is the quantity of food and the type of food it is. Notoriously, "comfort" food is universal--fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, warm bread, chocolate cake, fruit pie, and a sweet drink. Nothing particularly racial about those foods--or the way they sit on white as well as black hips.

So, do the hair--but first walk over to the beauty parlor and plan on a salad for dinner.

[Calvin Locke]

All I see is a good actress.

I see eye-candy. Actress? Depends on your definition of actress.

She's pretty limited to extremely well-define characters that's with in her limited ability.

If she were to push the envelope at all, she'd be like, umm, either of the "actresses" in Swept Away or Gigli.

Still, John Wayne made a very long career out of playing John Wayne.

Note to Halle: Rule of thumb. Stay away from TV Guide Channel Interviews. They are the worst PR outfit in the business.

[Calvin Locke]

But the first self-made millioniaress in the US was black, and made her money catering to the haircare/cosmetic needs and desires of blacks.

[cyborg]

You are right, but she gets very insulted when interviewers call her multiracial or whatever. Either way, she's pretty. She's just not my taste though. Most of her roles are too depressing.

[cyborg]

Madame CJ Walker... and she didn't need a loathsome liberal to help her either

[DonQ]

A slightly different theory: Rather than Afro-American women deliberately avoiding sweating, I would suppose the majority of them are not prosperous enough to have memberships at health clubs (or, if they can afford the memberships, don't have the free time or transportation to get to the clubs). This is significant. Apart from a health club, the primary options or oppportunities for exercise are outdoors - with wind and rain that can wreck hairdos.

A century ago, Thorstein Veblen articulated the notion of Conspicuous Consumption; that people will deliberately acquire or cultivate things that indicate high status to the rest of the world. Case in point: The extremely long fingernails of Chinese mandarins ... the long fingernails were proof that person didn't have to work - or do much of anything - with his hands. Another example: The Fred Astair walking stick or the military swaggerstick ... carrying this useless item meant that he couldn't be expected to carry or use his hands for anything else. Pretty much the same deal with elaborate hairstyles - for women of any color; these convoluted and delicate hair arrangements tell the world that the woman (a) has enough spare time to sit still for this time consuming hairstyling, and (b) isn't ever required to do anything that would spoil the hairdo.

[radiohead]

Or it could be Freeper Butt from sitting in front of the screen here too much...

At last it has a name! Maybe soon there'll be a cure. We could do a telethon.

On a serious note, I am going to send this article around to a bunch of people. I'm sure many will recognize themselves.

[killerw]

She didn't need jessie jackson and the likes either.

http://www.princeton.edu/~mcbrown/display/walker.html

[jocon307]

"...the "clean your plate" mentality..."

AH, yes, this is an annoying thing. I am not black, and I am always very slim. I do not, cannot, eat past the point when I am "full". I get a lot of teasing about this, from people who are fat.