“Madam C.J. Walker: A History of Empowerment, Female Entrepreneurship, and Black Beauty”

Abstract

My thesis focuses on the figure of Sarah Breedlove – also known as Madam C.J. Walker -, on her entrepreneurial skills, and her interest in creating an idea of black beauty and black aesthetics. I will first provide a historical overview of black female entrepreneurship, the social and economical struggles women had to face to build and sustain their own businesses, with a particular emphasis on the rise of black hair culture. Then, I will discuss Walker’s life and how her legacy has influenced future generations of black women making them financially independent and conscious of their own beauty. She, in fact, strongly believed in the uplifting of race through female enterprise. Her sought-after success paved the way for thousands of African American women who, encouraged by her extraordinary story, started their own businesses in the beauty system: Jamyla Bennu, founder of Oyin Handmades; Lisa Price, founder of Carol’s Daughter; Myleik Teele, founder of CURLBOX; Nancy Twine, CEO and founder of Brigeo. Even a streaming colossus like Netflix decided to revive her success in Self-Made: Inspired By The Life of Madam C.J. Walker (2020), a series based on Walker’s biography. Discrepancies between Walker’s biography and the Netflix’s series will also be pointed out and analyzed.