Colonial Legacy

Meaning

Colonial Legacy, within the gentle realm of textured hair understanding, denotes the enduring influence of historical power dynamics that shaped beauty constructs and care practices for Black and mixed-race hair across the diaspora. This legacy often manifested as a devaluation of natural hair patterns, leading to systemic biases that impacted the growth of knowledge about diverse curl and coil structures. It also influenced the systematization of hair care, where product formulations and routine principles often prioritized altering rather than affirming intrinsic hair qualities, sometimes limiting access to bio-structurally appropriate solutions. Consequently, the practical application of hair care became a space where individuals balanced societal pressures with their hair’s unique needs, sometimes relying on methods that contradicted its inherent design. Acknowledging this