Cabelo e identidade: percepções de adolescentes dos anos 2000 sobre o filme O Diário da Princesa

Abstract

This work aims to understand the perceptions of women who were teenagers in the 2000s regarding the construction of hair in the film The Princess Diaries. To gain this understanding, bibliographical research was conducted to gather scientific information on topics involving race, coloniality, beauty, its patterns and dissemination, hair, and memory. Documentary research was also used, through the investigation of the film in question, and qualitative research, through the interpretation of in-person and remote interviews conducted with four Black women with curly hair. Based on the theoretical survey, it is possible to analyze how these narratives are present in the film's plot and the social relations it presents, drawing a parallel between the main character, Mia, and the antagonist, Lana, in addition to examining the social role of each character and their representations. Through this study, it is possible to design the interview to understand how these women view their identities and individualities, when these aspects began to be observed, and how they connect with racial issues. Furthermore, based on memory data, it is possible to understand the relationship women had with their hair before watching the film and whether there was a change in perspective and/or understanding of themselves and the world afterward. It was found that the lack of Black actors in the cast triggered another type of confrontation between the characters: hair. Hair appears as the counterpoint in the rivalry between Mia and Lana, in a representation that associates curly hair with messiness and negligence, while straight hair is seen as the ideal for a princess. Accompanied by racist comments, this representation affected adolescents of the time by instigating the process of straightening hair as a means of social acceptance and a path to ideal beauty. Based on these results, it can be concluded that colonialism creates racist mechanisms by denying beauty to the Black body and using the media to disseminate these ideas, which are represented in the film by the image of hair to demonstrate social ascension and the place occupied by phenotypically white characteristics. Furthermore, influence is verified by the interviewees' diverse questions and feelings about Mia's visual change, reflecting on the image they hold of themselves and their characteristics.