The Higher the Hair, the Closer to God: The Singularity of Southern Beauty Standards

TheHigher the Hair, The Closer to God

Julia Roberts as Shelby and Dolly Parton as Truvy during a salon session filming Steel Magnolias. Photo Credit: Amazon.com.

THE SINGULARITY OF SOUTHERN BEAUTY STANDARDS

In Steel Magnolias, Truvy says her personal philosophy is that “There is no such thing as natural beauty.” This statement seems to pervade pop culture and societal norms for Southern women and their hair. The association of Southern hair with bigger and blonder is definitely a stereotype that has deep roots, not to mention the centering of whiteness in beauty standards.

Big hair has dominated the images of Southern women in popular culture from Dale Evans in the 1950s to Dolly Parton throughout her whole career to some drag queens who pride themselves on their persona of Southern belles. Steel Magnolias capitalizes on that tradition, as Truvy’s is a place where hairspray is used liberally and the teasing comb is moving all day long.

In an article entitled “Redefining the Southern Belle,” author Allison Glock describes Southern women thusly: To be born a Southern woman is to be made aware of your distinctiveness. And with it, the rules. The expectations. These vary some, but all follow the same basic template, which is, fundamentally, no matter what the circumstance, Southern women make the effort. Which is why even the girls in the trailer parks paint their nails. . . And why you will never see Reese Witherspoon wearing sweatpants. Or Oprah take a nap.

It also means never leaving the house with wet hair. Not even in the case of fire. Because wet hair is lowrent. It shows you don’t care, and not caring is not something Southern women do, at least when it comes to our hair.

This is less about vanity than self-respect, a crucial distinction often lost on non-Southerners. When a Southern woman fusses over her appearance, it does not reflect insecurity, narcissism, or some arrested form of antifeminism that holds back the sisterhood. Southern women are postfeminism. The whole issue is a nonstarter, seeing as Southern women are smart enough to recognize what works—Spanx, Aqua Net—and wise to the allocation of effort. Why pretend the world is something it isn’t? Better to focus on what you can control (drying your hair) and make the best of what you have. Side note: Southern women do not capitalize on their looks to snag men, though that often results. The reason we Southern women take care of ourselves is because, simply, Southern women are caretakers.

Dallas Cowboys cheerleader alum Michelle Keys explains the Southern commitment to beauty: “Like my grandma. She wakes up every day, rolls her hair, does her makeup, has polish on her nails, and she’s not even going anywhere. It’s tradition.” Former Dallas Mavericks dancer Hunter Blackwell adds: “Sometimes I don’t care. But I wouldn’t show up to a place I take seriously and not be put together. It’s just a respect thing.”