Black Girls Must Die Exhausted: A Novel

Hair represents identity, culture, and heritage for several leading characters in Black Girls Must Die Exhausted. Tabby illustrates how a hairstyle can match a personality or location when she describes Laila: “She was all the way Oakland with her ‘hella’ slang and long mane of bohemian dreadlocks” (39). Tabby focuses on various looks throughout the narrative, describing weaves, braids, and other styles traditionally worn by women of color. Moreover, when Laila attempts to die by suicide, she cuts her hair close to the roots, signifying her feelings of lost identity. Tabby returns to Denisha’s salon weekly, not because she prefers the aesthetics or finds the service superior, but because she feels at home when she is surrounded by community members with whom she shares many experiences. Additionally, Tabby feels love, belonging, and acceptance from her younger sisters when they diffidently ask if she will help them style their hair so that it mirrors her own hairstyle. While the ritual of helping girls and women with their hair is particularly significant to Black women, Tabby and her sisters demonstrate how this practice is easily shared across cultural backgrounds.

Additionally, hair symbolizes self-expression and autonomy as characters change styles and embrace natural textures. Granny Tab shares that Paul wanted to have “a big afro like the cool boys had. And so, when he told me that, I was here, well, on Fairfax, trying to read up in the magazines on how to make an afro and how to take care of one” (161). Paul’s desire to change his hairstyle ties directly to his self-expression, especially when he began dating women more seriously. This example underscores how hair as a symbol of identity is not limited to women. Tabby closes the novel by convincing Denisha to forgo a lengthy and harsh straightening process and opts instead for her natural hair texture with a well-defined part. This decision coincides with several other critical choices, illustrating Tabby’s success at taking control of her life. She buys a home, starts a pregnancy via IVF after advocating for her work healthcare plan to cover treatments, receives national coverage and an Emmy for her well-articulated perspective on Daequan’s story, and improves her relationships with friends and family. By choosing a hairstyle that she prefers, Tabby finds an external appearance that matches her internal growth.

Ultimately, hair represents a form of empowerment for Black women, especially considering the various, limiting spheres in which they exist. As a television journalist, Tabby recognizes the restrictions of Eurocentric beauty standards to which she must conform to increase her chances of professional success. Conforming to styles that conflict with her natural beauty results in makeup applications and hair treatments that take hours and can result in painful burns. Tabby laments, “Sometimes I got fed up making my way to see Denisha Saturday after Saturday, just to bring my hair into some ‘presentable’ state, light-years away from its natural condition” (208). Tabby establishes that her hair in its natural state would be considered unpresentable to some narrow-minded people who might complain or watch a different news station in protest of Tabby’s appearance. By describing Tabby’s experiences with her hair, Allen draws attention to actual instances of racism and discrimination based on hairstyles. By choosing to wear her hair naturally, Tabby stands up to systematic racism and embraces her cultural roots.