Rapunzel's Daughters: What Women's Hair Tells Us About Women's Lives [Hardcover]

Rose Weitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2004

The first book to explore the role of hair in women's lives and what it reveals about their identities, intimate relationships, and work lives

Hair is one of the first things other people notice about us--and is one of the primary ways we declare our identity to others. Both in our personal relationships and in relationships with the larger world, hair sends an immediate signal that conveys messages about our gender, age, social class, and more.
In Rapunzel's Daughters, Rose Weitz first surveys the history of women's hair, from the covered hair of the Middle Ages to the two-foot-high, wildly ornamented styles of pre-Revolutionary France to the purple dyes worn by some modern teens. In the remainder of the book, Weitz, a prominent sociologist, explores--through interviews with dozens of girls and women across the country--what hair means today, both to young girls and to women; what part it plays in adolescent (and adult) struggles with identity; how it can create conflicts in the workplace; and how women face the changes in their hair that illness and aging can bring. Rapunzel's Daughters is a work of deep scholarship as well as an eye-opening and personal look at a surprisingly complex-and fascinating-subject.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This earnest roundup of anecdotes, interviews, statistics and remarks about hair and self-image among women in postwar America is engaging enough, but there's not much news here. Apart from a short historical survey at the beginning that includes a few suggestive facts, the only really informative part of this book is the chapter called "At the Salon" where we learn a good deal about the profession of hairdressing: who does it, what its economics are, how its distinctive caste system works. To be fair, information is not really Arizona State University sociologist Weitz's aim. Her main goal is to authorize a common feminine obsession with hair (her own included, of course) as a subject of serious discussion. It is also, worthily enough, to make the discussion more inclusive than other books like this often are. Weitz interviews many minority women, children, lesbians and older women, but her analysis of this rich material suffers from insufficient depth of cultural perspective. Weitz avers that hair is a uniquely powerful medium of self-presentation, but makes no attempt to distinguish between hair and dress, say, or between head and facial or body hair. Observing that the typical black hair salon functions not as a feminine preserve but as a community meeting place, she finds little large-scale significance in its public and private constructions of the activity of coiffing. Similarly, she alludes to different meanings attached to long hair, short hair or hairlessness mostly in terms of different individual experiences. The overall effect is diverting, well-intentioned light reading (including 16 pages of b&w photos) that doesn't quite fulfill the subtitle's promise.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Hair has provided the inspiration for everything from Bible lore to Broadway scores, from fairy tale fantasy to artistic imagery. Whether long or short, straight or curly, blonde or brunette, a woman's hair can be everything from her crowning glory to the bane of her existence. Indeed, the shape, style, and substance of a woman's coiffure communicates volumes to the world at-large and defines her own self-image as perhaps no other physical attribute can. Far from being a frivolous matter of purely personal hygiene, this heightened concern about her hair's appearance affects a woman's life on social, economic, and cultural levels, often determining professional success and personal acceptance. In a meticulous examination of the history, psychology, and sociology behind women's hairstyles, Weitz explores the various ways in which hair dominates a woman's existence, and the far-reaching ramifications of her choice of length, style, and color. Weitz's approach is both broadranging and specific, and she provides fresh insights into hair's public and private influences. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1st edition (January 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374240825
• ISBN-13: 978-0374240820
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,396,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Let Down Your Hair, February 6, 2004

By 

takingadayoff "takingadayoff" (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Rapunzel's Daughters: What Women's Hair Tells Us About Women's Lives (Hardcover)

Although Rapunzel's Daughter is apparently a book meant for university-level cultural studies, it is readable and entertaining enough for a general audience. Refreshingly free of academic jargon, it's filled with examples and insights into the meaning of women's hair at various times and in different cultures. Black and white photos illustrate.

In an especially interesting profile, Weitz describes an American woman who fell in love with an Egyptian Muslim while studying in England. They married and returned to the United States, where she learned about Islam and eventually converted. Then she started covering her head, even though her husband was adamantly against it. She continues to cover her hair and wear the hijab robe against her husband's wishes, because she likes the way men treat her when she is covered. One suspects there is a lot more than hair involved in this vignette.

Other interesting topics covered include hair loss and the culture of the beauty salon. Enthusiastically recommended.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cultural history of women's hair, June 19, 2004

By 

E. L. Weinhold "Lolly" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rapunzel's Daughters: What Women's Hair Tells Us About Women's Lives (Hardcover)

A fascinating look at women and their relationship with their hair. Weitz conducted many interviews and personal research to provide the nine interesting and thought-provoking chapters. She begins with a short history of women's hair, touching briefly on some ancient, medieval and early modern sources and pictures. Most of the book focuses on modern women and the advances within the past one hundred years such as chemical treatments for straightening and relaxing the hair, as well as permanent waves and dyeing treatments. She devotes special portions of the book to African hair, and other ethnic/cultural hairstyles, and how hair makes up the identity of many women. Some particularly interesting styles she mentioned were the Mexican-American "chola" style, dreadlocks, and lesbian hair styles.

Why do women dye their hair? How are women affected when they lose their hair (whether they have alopecia, chemotherapy, or a voluntary buzzcut?) What are women's relationships like with their stylist? You will find out some very interesting answers to these questions when you read the book!

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nothing New Here, November 11, 2004

By 

NYC Reader (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rapunzel's Daughters: What Women's Hair Tells Us About Women's Lives (Hardcover)

Sure the book is easy to read - because any woman could write it. I found very little here that any person with common sense would not realize on her own. For example, the author says that most women who learn they have cancer learn on the same day that they will need chemotherapy and will lose their hair, and therefore link the cancer and their hair loss forever. Is this even noteworthy?

Also, while the author obviously tries to address the way different cultures and ethnicities view hair, I found that she was disproportionately addressing certain ethnic groups. She talks a great deal about Mexican Americans and lesbians, but there is little mention of any of the many Asian cultures or other Latino cultures in this country - or in other countries, for that matter.

Fluff.