Through a partnership with Humanities Washington, the Department of Enterprise Services DEI Council will present the second in their lunch and learn series, "Tangled: Why Your Hair Matters to Society," June 22 from noon to 1 p.m.

Join Professor Anu Taranath to untangle the meaning of hair and better understand the stories we tell about beauty, bias and belonging.

Description:

Hair is simply a collection of protein filaments that sprout from our scalp, yet it carries great meaning for us and our society. From twists and tapers to braids and buns, what’s on top of our head and how it is received by others often reflects society’s standards of beauty and desirability.

Using song, video, poetry, and imagery, this interactive presentation encourages us to examine our cultural conceptions of gender, class and race. Why, for example, is one kind of hair or hairstyle understood as “better” than another? Who says so? What are the consequences of sporting an unruly doo, and how has that changed over the years?