Index of Paper Presentations for the Parallel Sessions - Academy of ...

hairstyles are ‗Afro-centric‘ or ‗Eurocentric‘. The choice by black women to use hair straighteners andhair extensions may therefore not be due the desire to meet the standards of white beauty, but a result ofthe convergence of cultures (Spronk 2009). Though Nyamnjoh (2002) and Spronk (2009) argue from theperspective of black women in Africa, similar arguments apply to African-American women as well.Patton (2006), arguing from the perspectives of African-American women, contends that when blackwomen choose straightened hairstyles, it is not because of their desire to emulate whites but a matter ofhaving a modern hairstyle. Neither is their choice a political statement, ―...but simply a matter of choice‖(hooks 1995: 123). But Okafor (2007) demurs and argues that globalization is an extension of white idealsthat involves victimization and leads black women, in the name of modernity, to choose Caucasianinspiredstyles at the expense of African inspired looks. This argument is in contradiction to Houlberg(1976) who suggests that authenticity does not imply rigidity, and that one can adopt new ways whilststaying true to their identity. Put differently, embracing modernity does not render one‘s ‗African-ness‘compromised (Maqoma 2002). As Englis, Solomon, and Ashmore (1994: 52) point out, globalization hasnot just led to the westernisation of other continents, ―...Western standards are evolving to include moreethnically diverse templates‖. To illustrate this, Patton (2006) suggests that physical features associatedwith black women such as fuller lips, body curves and curly hair have become admirable, resulting inwomen who do not naturally possess these attributes, spending money on cosmetic procedures andhairstyle in order to obtain what they do not naturally have.In conclusion, though black women in South Africa live in a society whose culture and values differsignificantly from that of African-American women, black women from both societies share a commonpreference in relation to hairstyle choices and the use of hair extensions. However, the factors affectingtheir behaviour as consumers may be different due to the wide gap in the cultural contexts of the twosocieties. Culture can be operationalised using values (Usunier & Lee 2009) and cultural values are knownto correlate with consumer behaviour (Henry 1976). Values are defined as enduring, desirabletranssituational goals that serve as guiding principles in the life of a person or other social entity (Rokeach1973; Schwartz 1994). An influential theory in the study of values is the values contents and structuretheory (Schwartz 1994; Schwartz et al. 2001) which uses the well-known cultural scale called the PortraitValues Questionnaire (PVQ) to make cultural assessments. Schwartz‘s PVQ identifies ten motivationaltypes of values namely; power, achievement, hedonism, stimulation, self-direction, benevolence,universalism, tradition, conformity, and security.The ten motivational types of values may be summarised by two orthogonal dimensions of valuesnamely self-enhancement vs. self-transcendence and openness to change vs. conservation. According toSchwartz (1992: 43), the self-enhancement vs. self-transcendence orthogonal dimension of values refers to―values in terms of the extent to which they motivate people to enhance their own personal interests (evenat the expense of others) versus to transcend selfish concerns and promote the welfare of others, close anddistant, and of nature‖. The values types that make up the self-enhancement value domain and the selftranscendencevalue domain are power and achievement, and benevolence and universalism respectively.On the self-enhancement vs. self-transcendence orthogonal dimensions, the self-enhancement values arein conflict with the self-transcendence values. The openness to change vs. conservation orthogonaldimension of values refers ―values in terms of the extent to which they motivate people to preserve thestatus quo and the certainty it provides in relationships with close others, institutions, and traditions versusfollowing their own emotional and intellectual interests in unpredictable and uncertain directions‘(Schwartz, 1992: 43). The value types that make up the openness to change value domain and theconservation value domain are self-direction, stimulation and hedonism, and tradition, conformity, andsecurity, respectively. On this orthogonal dimension, the openness to change values are in conflict withthe conservation values. In the study of South African values, Burgess (2002, 2011) found that SouthAfricans placed more priority on the values security, benevolence, and universalism. In the context ofSouth African, these three value types constitute self-transcendence. The value type security in SouthAfrica has been known to locate in the self-transcendence to reflect the importance of justice and equalityrather than the preservation of the status quo (Schwartz, et al. 2001).