The Meaning of sacrifice in hair straightening rituals and female self-image
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-8077.2020.e70165Abstract
People consume based on the way they see themselves and want to be seen, especially with regard to aesthetic consumption, often presenting sacrificial conduct for the fulfillment of their desires. Associated with negative stereotypes, curly or curly hair usually undergoes structural changes from straightening to follow socially acceptable standards. In this context, this work aims to understand the meaning of the sacrifice involved in the straightening ritual and its relationship with self-image and idealized social patterns. The research, with a qualitative interpretative approach based on oral history and thematic content analysis, realized that the straightening ritual is seen as a sacrifice for women by factors such as time, money, health risk and the process itself; and most of them are influenced to perform the straightening by the influence of the compliments, judgments and prejudices of others.
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