For my next multimodal project, I have recently brainstorm three ideas that I believe have the potential to turn into something great. I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to create something for educational purposes. More specifically, I wanted to educate people on African American hair. Even though society is progressing, there are still a lot of misconceptions about black hair.
My first idea was to make an educational video using different clips and scenes from movies and sitcoms starring mainly African American characters. Each clip and or scene would have something to do with hair and possibly the stereotypes and challenges African Americans face because of their hair. It would be similar to the copyright video we viewed in class using the Disney characters, but instead of discussing copyright, the video would be about hair.
My second idea was to create a picture essay using natural hair memes and my own writings about my natural hair type superficially. I’ve written about my hair before for different writing workshops, so the memes would just add to the tone of my writing. Each meme would have a button under it for readers to click and it’d take them to a short section of my essay with information on my experience with my hair, including my personal struggles and how I’ve overcome them.
My last idea was to make a web based comic book using still images from shows with African American cartoon characters, like Susie Carmichael from Rugrats for example. The comic would of course be about natural hair and some of the struggles these characters may have faced with their natural hair within the context of their different shows. I would basically have the different characters interact with one another to have discussion about natural hair and speak to the reader about it.
The purpose of this project would be to educate not only non-African American people on African American hair, but also to educate the African American community on their own hair. Not only does society misunderstand black hair, but black people could also be more informed about their own hair. Black women in particular often face some of the most challenges with their natural hair and have trouble embracing it, so I believe that this project would be more beneficial to that group specifically.
I’m currently leaning towards my first choice because it seems to be probably the most interesting and effective way to share the information I want to share.
Word Count: 413