Hair is one of the many mediums that Whitman students express themselves through — whether you cut it yourself, ask a friend or go to a salon, there are many options for students to use hair as a way to display how they see themselves and want the world to see them. Through unique colors, interesting textures, designs and dyes, students are using hair to build community and build confidence.
Senior Environmental Studies-Art major Eva Hauksdottir-Neill found the campus’s DIY attitude towards hair refreshing.
“When I first got to campus, I was really happy with the fact that people felt comfortable cutting their own hair and cutting each other’s hair because it creates more of a bond with the community, and I think it really fits in with the ethos of Whitman too,” said Hauksdottir-Neill.
Whitman students find comfort and a sense of community in helping each other with haircuts. It also allows students to learn more about themselves, their bodies and their hair while also building a new skill.
“At first it was really hard to cut my own hair, and I’ve cut people’s hair in high school, but I think now that I’ve been really able to adapt to my own,” said Hauksdottir-Neill.
The DIY aspect of haircutting also allows students to learn new skills, even creating potential business opportunities. Having the ability to cut your own hair also allows students on a budget to save a lot of money.
For senior Geology major Rebecca Patterson, college has created more spontaneous moments and style changes.
“I feel like college is one of the first times that I encountered people making more impulsive hair decisions, someone would be like I wanna cut a mullet and then they would,” said Patterson.
For Patterson, hair is a key aspect of autonomy during times of change.
“It’s fun to be in control of that aspect of my expression as opposed to going to a salon and having to pay money. I do it when I decide to, and it allows it to be a surprise for me and my friends,” Patterson said.
However, hair and our attitudes towards it are not neutral and instead play into broader conversations about racial bias. A CROWN Workplace study found that black women with textured hair face twice the amount of microaggressions compared to black women with relaxed hair. To help more people with textured hair embrace their hair, a braiding event was organized at the Third Space Center on Feb. 22.
During the event, a braider was brought in from the Tri-Cities to help the community learn how to braid, hoping to teach students since campus and Walla Walla lack many options for professional braiders.
The event coordinator and Third Space Center assistant Aaliyah-Aaron Howard, a sophomore psychology and politics major, said, “I feel that the biggest impact was just trying to help people be more comfortable with embracing their natural hair, making a space where we could have our hair out.”
Howard explained that societal pressures often lead to mistreatment of textured hair which causes harm.
“We shouldn’t feel pressured to manipulate our hair in any type of damaging way,” said Howard. “We should be able to learn and get necessary treatments for our hair.”
For Howard, the event was a first step to expanding DIY hair culture on campus by providing new opportunities and skills, creating a better campus culture that allows all students to take pride in their hair.
“I hope students feel more welcome to do their hair in the Third Space, to do their hair in residence halls and to maybe have some students start braiding on campus,” Howard said.
While spontaneous hair decisions and bold styles remain a mainstay of Whitman culture, events like the one held at the Third Space Center hope to expand access to this type of fun, including more students.
