ABSTRACT
In championing expressions of Black pride, the Black Power movement in America emphasised the importance of recognising and promoting Black beauty within and outside of the African American community. Images of this pride and beauty, however, had yet to reach the pages of most American magazines, and African American women in particular found themselves excluded from the mainstream media. With the launch of Essence magazine in 1970, Black women were finally able to find a space dedicated solely to them-a place where varying representations of beauty were prominently displayed.2 Yet by expressing their displeasure with a continuing lack of visibility in the media, readers such as the focus group respondent quoted above voiced a desire not just for equal representation, but also for access to greater information and choice. As ‘mainstream’ corporations finally recognised the strength of Black buying power and targeted their advertising, as well as the research and development of new products, towards this newly segmented market, a group of magazines was launched to meet this consumer demand. This chapter addresses a specific subset of magazines that followed Essence’s lead in meeting the aspirations and acknowledging the identities of African American women during the 1970s and 1980s: special-interest hair magazines. Through a detailed study of Beauty Trade magazine, the leading Black hair trade magazine throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, I explore how the relationship cultivated by publishers and advertisers of Black hair trade magazines created a space for editors to press for continuing racial equality and to promote Black-owned companies, moves that allowed for the entry and rapid growth of consumer magazines into this industry.3 Yet in doing so, this chapter also considers the industry forces and racial discourses working to hinder the development of these Black-owned specialty magazines.
