Hair Apparent

Hair Apparent is an inspirational 'hairmoire' embracing the powerful legacy of Afro hair across seventy years of fashion and culture. It is based on Tina Shingler's experience of growing up as a Black child in the white space of 1960s rural North Yorkshire and tracks her personal history across the UK, Italy, the US and India. Tina grew up as a Black Barnardo's child in the 1950s and 1960s and at three years old was 'boarded out' to a white foster family. She avoided institutional care, but her foster mother used to chop back Tina's hair as close to her scalp as possible so that the little girl felt like she was being doubly punished for having such troublesome hair. Today, however, many Black girls are growing up confident in the knowledge that their naturally kinky hair is truly powerful. For them, this book will confirm and celebrate what they already know: that out of their scalps springs something so lively, so complex and so extraordinarily versatile that it's like having an extra gear, not just to their look but to their whole personality.

Auteur

A graduate in Italian, Tina Shingler worked for many years in the press office of the Italian embassy in Washington DC before returning to the UK. She became a government press officer, serving in various Whitehall departments. Tina has had a lifelong interest in identity. Her children's book Princess Katrina and the Hair Charmer was one of the first of its kind to celebrate the magical versatility of Afro hair and was featured on BBC Teach. She also works with schools, libraries and charities on diversity issues.