The Headwrap: From Oppression to Expression
A symbol of slavery transformed into an expression of freedom and black identity: how black women took ownership of the headwrap.

The headwrap has evolved over thousands of years from the vibrant North East and Sub-Saharan areas of Africa. From as far back as the ancient Egyptians, the headwrap has been both a practical and cultural statement worn by African women. African Americans today are still deeply connected to their roots, and continue to wear variations on the headwrap with pride as a symbol of their identity. The headwrap is synonymous with what it means to be beautiful as a black woman: the opposite of the typical western beauty ideal, and that of colonial oppressors in the time of slavery.
As with many motifs adopted by African Americans, there is a deeper meaning and symbolism associated with the headwrap than a simple fashion statement. Much like the offensive racial slur that was born from the time when black people were made slaves under white supremacy, the headwrap was taken by the black women whom it was designated to oppress. By subverting the headwrap and appropriating it into their own culture, black women in the US, who were descended from slaves, were able to take back agency over their identity and femininity that their ancestors were denied.
The American Revolution took place between 1775 and 1783, when Britain ruled over North America. At the heart of colonialism, the drive to quash uprisings and oppress any potential objectors, as well as the indoctrinated belief that European ideals were superior, led to the oppression and exploitation of black African descendents, as well as many other racial groups. British-ruled South Carolina passed the Negro Act of 1740, making it illegal for black slaves to earn money, grow and cultivate their own food, learn to write, meet up in groups or travel to other countries. This act also permitted slave owners to kill their slaves. As well as these horrific decrees, it was now illegal for black people to wear anything other than a specified wardrobe of plain and basic fabrics and garments.
A Union soldier stands with African Americans on the plantation Thomas F. Drayton, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, 1862. Photo by Henry P. Moore, May 1862.

In Louisiana, black women were forced, under the ‘Edict of Good Government’ to wear their hair bound in a kerchief or headwrap. There was an even darker reason for this particular enforcement: by marking out black or mixed race women with a headwrap, the authorities hoped to deter white men from engaging in romantic relationships with them, and so prevent black genes from entering into white society and ownership.
The headwrap became part of a female slave’s uniform. In many ways a practical garment for keeping the flies and dust away when working in the fields, it was also synonymous with oppression and inferiority. White slave owners found this particularly useful for identifying slaves whose skin wasn’t dark enough for their inferior status to be immediately obvious. As with all totalitarian rules, paranoia and a perpetual fear of upheaval dominated the colonial powers. Dictating the clothes slaves wore gave the authorities the sense of control to which they desperately clung.
However, the attempt to create a negative, inferior image through a strictly controlled dress code was, as is often the case with oppressed groups, subverted and appropriated into a symbol of rebellion against the tyranny under which they suffered. Black women were forced to wear headwraps, so they adopted them as a means to express themselves and reclaim their identity.
In the early 20th century, the headwrap became a practical tool for protecting black women’s hair that had been chemically treated with the newly invented hair grower. Some criticised this trend for adopting what were deemed the beauty ideals of Europeans — the original oppressors. However, the headwrap was used to prevent sweat, moisture and dirt from affecting the treatment process, keeping hair nourished and protected against the elements. The durag is another version of the headwrap, a special cap first noted in the 1930s that was designed to protect black hair once it had been treated with chemicals.
During the latter half of the 20th century, fewer black people chose to have their hair chemically treated, instead embracing their naturally curly hair. The headwrap, however, continued to remain a wardrobe staple and a statement of black identity. In the 1980s, the durag in particular became synonymous with the rise of black popular music, and an expression of what it means to be an African American.
