Black Political Figures Who Made Powerful Beauty Statements – Essence

Black women have never had the privilege of not being political – and neither has our beauty. Texturism results in government mandates hair discriminationfeaturism turns right into a fight against “nice privilege“while systemic racism makes maintenance – such as hair, nail care and makeup –unattainable for the working class. However, throughout history, black political figures have reclaimed their beauty to combat and affirm the difficulties we face across the board.

ESSENCE looks at three instances where black politicians used beauty to make their point.

Angela Davis

Political activist, writer, and member of the Los Angeles chapter of the Black Panther Party, Angela Davis, used her Afro as an emblem of black liberation. While black women often straightened their hair to assimilate—despite current research linking chemical straighteners to cancer—Davis used her Afro to defy European beauty standards and assert Africanness. According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, “straightening hair was a means of survival. However, both men and women in the Black Panther Party disrupted this narrative by embracing Afros, showing that straightening hair was not necessary for survival.”

Michelle Obama

As the primary black First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama was the goal of not only racist but additionally misogynistic attacks—all sparked by the sleeveless dresses dubbed “Armgate.” From the purple dress she wore to handle Congress to the fuchsia number on the duvet of Vogue, showing off her muscular, elegant arms in some way felt against the principles. While black women are sometimes labeled masculine in a racist, misogynistic try and strip us of our innocence, femininity, and womanhood, Obama took it as a possibility to say her power and show how powerful femininity could be.

Jasmine Crockett

Jasmine Crockett, a lawyer and U.S. representative from Texas’ thirtieth congressional district, was attacked by now thrown out Marjorie Taylor Greene. She turned the infamous moment right into a comeback, defending the black beauty trend. “I just need to make it clear that black women will not be the one ones who wear lashes, but [people who support] “MAGA do something like that, they talk about my nails, they talk about my hair” Crockett told Allure“They kept saying I was ghetto, that I was employed by DEI. It’s this white supremacy and privilege that they decided to sink themselves into.”