In the five years that Tiffany Posch has been styling the hair of black women in Washington, DC, never before have so many women described her signature silk press as “presidential.”
Calling herself the “healthy hair doctor,” Posh offers a pampering, multi-step service that includes shampoos, touch-up treatments and silky smooth, bouncy styles that leave clients smiling from the moment they sit in her chair.
“My hair looks like the president’s,” one customer told Posh recently after getting her hair done.
That’s because Vice President Kamala Harris has been driving demand at her salon in Columbia, Maryland, since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee last month.
Her high-end clientele consists of professional women, including those working in government agencies.
“I’ve been doing silk presses for years, and my clients have always had ‘presidential hair,'” she continued. But now that Harris is leading the way, “the spotlight is on other people, and they want to have that dignity, too.”
The trend quickly spread to other salons online, with hairstylists and content creators across the country sharing their own takes on the popular style on TikTok.
What is a Silk Press?
Silk presses are a popular hairstyle in the African-American community, and they straighten hair without the use of chemicals, leaving it “smooth and shiny,” Posch says. As reported by online beauty platform Birdie, the technique dates back to the early 1900s, when black women faced extreme racism while job hunting.
People are drawn to Harris’ hairstyle “because it feels familiar,” said Nadia E. Brown, a political science professor at Georgetown University in Washington and co-author of “Sister Style: The Politics of Appearance in Black Women’s Political Elite.”
“I think the silk press is a really simple, easy, everyday hairstyle for women who work in the office or on the go,” Posch said.
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Harris reveals the secret to the perfect silk press
All eyes were on the Democratic National Convention in late August when Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination. The vice president stood behind a podium in a navy pantsuit, her hair perfectly swept to the side.
People have been praising her hair ever since she entered the mainstream political arena. Whether it’s at a campaign event or a speaking engagement, people on social media have pointed out that no locks are out of place.
“The hairstyle is also iconic, especially for millennials and Gen Xers who grew up watching The Cosby Show,” Brown explains. “She’s reminiscent of Claire Huxtable, and there’s that kind of nostalgia for black women that’s palpable. It’s also seen as the quintessential professional look for someone with an afro, and her hair is always flawless. I don’t think there’s ever been a day when her hair didn’t look good.”
Harris’ interest in hair care has been on the rise, and was even discussed during an interview with KeKi Palmer last year. During Palmer’s podcast, “Baby, This Is KeKi Palmer,” Harris revealed her hair care secrets.
“How many times a month do you get Silk Press?” Palmer asked happily.
“I don’t use curling irons because they’re too hot,” she revealed. “I use a round brush.”
Harris has been open about her hair journey: She wore braids as a child, had short hair in college, and decided to grow it out as an adult, especially since entering public office.
Historically, for some voters, “there’s been a gold standard for what they want in a black female politician, and that’s Claire Huxtable-style hair,” Brown said. “Straight hair with a little volume and movement represents the best of black femininity and professionalism. Kamala Harris has that look, so people are drawn to that.”
The reality of Black hair in politics
The praise for Harris’ hair also sparked a debate about the politics of black hair. During her speech at the Democratic National Convention last month, Michelle Obama wore a side-parted, braided ponytail, a departure from her usual silk-pressed look at the White House.
“Mrs. Obama has been wearing braids for several years, but this is the first time she has worn them at a major political speech,” her hairstylist, Njeri Radway, told Vogue, adding, “The goal with her hairstyle was to look sleek and strong — to reflect the strong yet soft nature of her speeches.”
According to The Washington Post, Obama revealed in 2022 that she had wanted to wear braids while living on Pennsylvania Avenue, but gave up because Americans weren’t ready yet, especially since they were “getting used to” their first black president. Additionally, she wanted attention to be focused on the policies of her administration, not her hairstyle.
“It’s really important to take these conversations out of just black girls’ spaces and put them on a national platform,” Brown said. “Michelle Obama being able to talk freely about her hair is really important because it engages people who already like her, and explains things about black girls that they may never have known.”
According to a 2023 CROWN Workplace survey conducted by Dove and LinkedIn, 66% of Black women would change their hairstyle for a job interview. The study noted that Black women are more likely to encounter microaggressions in the workplace if their hair is curly or kinky than straight.
Other politicians have also spoken openly about the pressures they feel to look good in the workplace. In an interview with NPR, Rep. Corey Bush of Missouri recalled how he favored braids when he first joined Congress, but then decided to straighten his hair for protection.
“I just had some microlinks put in to add length and volume, but just wearing my hair like that left me feeling kind of eh every day,” Bush says. “It just didn’t feel right. I didn’t feel like my full, true self.”
In a 2020 interview with The Root, Ayanna Presley revealed that she suffers from alopecia, and that during her time in public office, she wore protective hairstyles, including wigs and Senegalese twists.
“My twisted hair has become an integral part of not only my personal identity and who I am in the public eye, but also my political brand,” she said at the time, “which is why I feel it’s important to speak openly about this new normal and what it’s like living with alopecia.”
Pressley’s husband said she didn’t owe anyone an explanation, but she insisted on sharing her story. “The reality is, I’m a black person, a black woman, a black woman in politics, and everything I do is political.”
Women of all ages are embracing Silk Press.
With temperatures dropping, Posh said she’s pretty much booked up through November, with plans to hold back-to-back silk presses.
“With fall approaching and the presidential election coming up, a lot of people are wearing silk presses,” she said. “It’s a good time to be in the industry.”
The average age of her customers is in their 40s, but she says she’s seeing a resurgence of interest in silk pressing among women in their 20s.
“After they get their hair done, they’re like, ‘I feel grown up. I feel important. I feel like a woman with this hairstyle,'” Posch says. “They’re happy with how they’re embracing their hair.”
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. He can be reached at tardrey@gannett.com.
