Copy the page URI to the clipboard
Holland, Caroline and Ward, Richard
(2008).
URL: http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/ss17/
Abstract
The social sciences have witnessed an explosion of interest in the body as a site of cultural meaning. Yet, to date few commentators have acknowledged the signifying quality of hair as one of the more malleable aspects to image and identity. Hairstyles invite judgements of the person to which they belong. They provide information about social class, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and age.
We draw on data gathered for a national study of older people’s experiences of age discrimination. The project revealed the different forms of bias that older people face in contemporary Britain. Interest in experiences at the hairdressers stemmed from how well these particular service encounters illustrated the everyday forms of discrimination revealed by the project. Age was shown to be salient to these encounters with notions of age appropriateness a topic of active negotiation and sometimes pressure and coercion between worker and client.
How is a hairstyle selected and produced and what meanings are attached to it? What language do hairdressers and customers use to describe appropriateness? How does the hairdressing salon function as a site where images of old age are constructed and reproduced? And, what do hairstyles and styling tell us about the broader issue of image and appearance in later life?
Viewing alternatives
Item Actions
Export
About
- Item ORO ID
- 27392
- Item Type
- Conference or Workshop Item
- Project Funding Details
-
Funded Project Name Project ID Funding Body Not Set Not Set The National Lottery - Extra Information
- ISBN 978-90-70389-76-5
- Keywords
- ageing; image; hairdressing
- Academic Unit or School
- Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS)
- Copyright Holders
- © 2008 Not known
- Related URLs
- Depositing User
- Caroline Holland