“I don’t care what you like, when I look in the mirror, I need to be happy”: A qualitative study of hair-related positive body image

Abstract

Hair is increasingly recognised as playing an important role in body image, yet research in this area has focused predominantly on dissatisfaction and appearance-related concern. As a result, little is known about what it means to have a positive relationship with one’s hair, or how such experiences may be understood within broader conceptualisations of positive body image. The present study explored individuals’ lived experiences of relating positively to their hair and aimed to develop an initial conceptualisation of hair-related positive body image. One-to-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 adults recruited from the United Kingdom (10 women, nine men, and two non-binary individuals; aged 18–68 years; from a range of racialised and ethnic backgrounds). Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, which generated four themes: Loving My Hair; Working with My Hair; My Hair, My Choice; and Authentic Self-Expression. Together, these themes suggest that hair-related positive body image involves accepting and appreciating one’s hair, getting to know and work with it in flexible and responsive ways, making hair-related choices according to one’s own preferences over social expectations, and embracing hair as a way of expressing one’s identity and authenticity. Although these experiences share important commonalities with broader conceptualisations of positive body image, they also suggest that hair may represent a distinct and psychologically meaningful aspect of body image experience. These findings offer an initial foundation for understanding hair-related positive body image and highlight the importance of considering hair in future body image research and interventions.