Will to Adorn

In 1934, renowned anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston observed that "the will to adorn" is one of the primary characteristics of African American expression. Hurston’s observation was made regarding their way with words, but she might have also been talking about traditions of dress and body adornment. Dress and adornment of the body are expressive art forms grounded in the history and experiences of African-descended populations. They have been shaped by the legacies of slavery, the civil rights movement, and more recent African diasporas. The Will to Adorn: African American Style and the Aesthetics of Identity examines dress and adornment in African American communities, focusing on the ways in which individuals actively define and redefine their cultural identities as well as build, nurture, and expand concepts of tradition and community. African Americans have exerted a powerful influence on US and global style through the shifting nature of the interplay among race relations, immigration patterns, and widespread popular media. The Will to Adorn builds upon the notion that the African American population is composed of many different intersecting communities, each defined by shared values, experiences, and beliefs—all of which are reflected in style or dress. The author asserts that African American dress and body arts reflect the complex diversity of African American identities within the United States. The dress aesthetics within these strikingly different style communities are shaped and supported through the traditions, experiences, values, and skills of a range of artisans of style, from hairstylists to milliners to tattoo artists, and exemplars of style from musicians to athletes to actors.