Power, Pleasure, and White Women’s Hair with Sarah Mesle

Only a small percentage of women are naturally blonde, yet blonde hair has become one of the most powerful symbols of beauty and privilege in American culture.

This week, Christiana sits down with Sarah Mesle, USC professor and author of Tangled: Seven Iconic Moments in White Women's Hair and What They Tell Us About Power, Pleasure, and Complicity, to examine the cultural politics of white women’s hair. Through stories of blonde privilege, Britney Spears, and Princess Diana, Sarah explains how hair reveals the complicated relationship between beauty, identity, and power.

Sarah’s website: https://sarahmesle.com/ 

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1:26 Meet Sarah 

1:47 Hair and white feminine power

3:50 Sarah’s interest in hair