THE BIOCULTURAL IMPACT OF ETHNIC HEALTH AND BEAUTY PRODUCT CONSUMPTION AMONG SOUTH FLORIDA JAMAICAN WOMEN By BRITTANY MONIQUE OSBOURNE A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2015 © 2015 Brittany Monique Osbourne To my ancestors and parents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The following dissertation evolved over the course of five years with the help of many people. I would first like to pay honor and respect to my spiritual compass, my creator, whose love and wisdom guided me along this doctoral path. To my ancestors, both ancient and recently transitioned, I pay homage. No amount of verbal libations can ever truly honor the sacrifices they endured, so the living would not have to know their struggles. In particular, I would like to honor those ancestors who survived the Maafa. Without them, I would not be. I would also like to honor my Jamaican ancestors, particularly my Windward Maroon ancestors of Portland Parish. The legacy of their warrior spirits kept me strong throughout this process, and motivated me to continue the good fight of completing this work. I thank my intellectual ancestress Zora Neale Hurston, who I am very proud to have been directly trained by those who were trained by those who trained her. Her ethnographic and literary works spoke to me, and were always a constant reminder that those of us who are a blend of the fine arts and the social sciences are uniquely positioned to be a transformative voice for the voiceless. I thank the living, particularly the many Jamaican women living in South Florida, who have welcomed me into their lives and homes, to share in their everyday hardships and joys. Although time was precious, they gave of it selflessly at salons, hospitals, parking lots, church foyers, coffee shops, and dining room tables over a good home-cooked meal! I will always be grateful to them for their generosity of time and space, and willingness to let me share their stories with those who read these pages. I thank the policymakers at the Food and Drug Administration, and the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Drugs, Devices, and Cosmetics, for taking time out of their busy schedules to let me interview them. I thank the 4 business specialists at the Small Business Administration and the Beacon Council for their assistance. I thank the product manufacturers, cosmetologists and beauty suppliers, for all of their help, and willingness to participate. I also want to thank the members of the Jamaican Nurses Association of Florida (JNAF). I am forever grateful to the organization’s members for welcoming me during my entrance into the field, and going above and beyond to assist me during my dissertation. I thank the many health professionals involved in this study, and those individuals I met at church, expos, festivals, in grocery stores, and at other events, who showed me both kindness and support. I thank the many professors who assisted me along this journey; words cannot express how grateful I am to each of them. I thank my undergraduate professor Dr. Kevin Yelvington. His comments on my return papers, about applying to graduate school, helped plant a seed. I took his advice and thank him for giving it. I am also grateful for Dr. Faye Harrison, who guided me during my earlier years in my doctoral program. I am truly grateful for her early support, recommendations, and encouragement. I thank the many professors, whose seminars helped develop me as a scholar—Dr. Abdoulaye Kane, Dr. Sharon Abramowitz, Dr. Connie Mulligan, Dr. Florence Babb, Dr. Michael Heckenberger, Dr. Christopher McCarthy among a host of others. I am thankful to the Digital Worlds Institute, whose professors, administrative staff, and students were a constant source of support while completing my joint masters and PhD. I want to especially thank my committee for supporting me throughout this arduous journey. I am so grateful to have Dr. Alyson Young on my committee. The courses I have taken with her have been some of the most enjoyable and enlightening I have experienced. They were initial motivators for me to venture out and conduct preliminary research during my early years in this program. I thank Dr. Angelos Barmpoutis for being one of the most helpful professors I 5 know. I thank him for serving as both my thesis chair in the Digital Arts and Sciences Master’s Program, and for sitting on my dissertation committee. The time I spent in his classes and office, learning new technologies, taught me invaluable skills I will carry with me into my career. I thank Dr. Delores James, a fellow McKnight, for being on my committee. Our chats in her office, via email, and at fellows’ conferences have been a constant source of support along this journey. I would like to give a special thanks to my dissertation chair, Dr. Clarence Gravlee. I honestly don’t have the words to express the gratitude I have for him taking me on as a student. From my first year in the program, when I fell in love with medical anthropology, he was that model scholar I wanted to learn from. I have learned so much during our many email correspondences, phone chats, face to face meetings, classroom discussions, and medical anthropology journal club meetings. He challenged me throughout these years to be the best medical anthropologist I could be, and I thank him for his commitment to my success. I would like to thank members of my cohort—Justin Dunnavant and Justin Hosbey, who are my anthropology brothers. They entered this program as men of integrity, with a kindness and wisdom that is truly humbling. Both have been a source of support for me and I thank them. I would also like to thank my anthropology sistren—Camee Maddox, Crystal Felima, and Venetia Ponds. I could not have made it through this program without their support. I would especially like to thank June, my sistah gyal, for being a constant source of support and encouragement. I shared many laughs and cries with her, and am forever grateful that I was able to share this journey with her. 6 I would also like to thank the Black Graduate Student Organization, the Office of Graduate Minority Programs, and most importantly, my McKnight family. I could not have accomplished this without their support. I would like to thank Papa Clements, who is my mentor and grandfather figure, I could not have accomplished this without my sage in my corner. His endless wisdom has been a source of inspiration and motivation for me to do impeccable work in my PhD program. I would also like to thank my many aunts (othermothers) and other family members who have helped me along this journey. I thank each of them for their encouragement, love, and constant support. I would like to give many thanks to my Queen Mother and Kingly Father. I can never repay them for the many sacrifices they have made, so that I can be here. Many times, they went without so that I may have. They always taught me to stay prayerful, persistent, courageous, and kind. Although I come from humble beginnings, they taught me to never let that define the woman I’m destined to become. The Sankofa principle they each instilled in me, of never forgetting who I am and where I come from, has kept me grounded throughout this process. I love them both so very much. I would finally like to thank my loving husband. We both set out on a difficult journey to pursue graduate and professional degrees. Yet, the love we share has kept me rooted throughout it all. I thank him for all the sacrifices he has made, and for being the strong man that he is. His encouragement when I was at my lowest lifted me up, and his belief that I would accomplish what I set out to do, is something I will always cherish. 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................4 LIST OF TABLES .........................................................................................................................13 LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................................15 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................16 CHAPTER 1 THE REGULATION AND CONSUMPTION OF ETHNIC HEALTH AND BEAUTY AIDS IN THE AFRICAN DIASPORA AND THE UNITED STATES ...............................18 Introduction .............................................................................................................................18 Consuming Harmful Health and Beauty Aids in the Africa Diaspora ...................................19 Skin bleaching in the African Diaspora ...........................................................................20 Hair relaxing in the African Diaspora .............................................................................24 Consuming Harmful Health and Beauty Aids in the United States ........................................26 Hair relaxers and early pubertal development .................................................................27 Skin bleaching and Vitamin D deficiency .......................................................................27 Artificial tanning .............................................................................................................29 Keratin hair treatments ....................................................................................................30