Presenter(s): Jennifer Jensen—International Studies
Session: Prerecorded Poster Presentation
The global trade in human hair in 2016 had a consumer net value of approximately $1 .35 billion, with Myanmar, India, and Tunisia as the largest countries exporting and dealing in human hair . This research project examines the unethical practices and standards of acquiring human hair for trade in an industry rooted in a system of corruption and exploitation of poor working women across the world . My project mainly considers the conditions of the hair trade in Southern and Southeastern Asia, specifically focusing upon India, China, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Bangladesh . With a limited supply of high quality human hair, common techniques for finding hair include employing thousands of workers to painstakingly untangle dead hair clumps in China and Bangladesh, buying from “hair thieves” who have been known to assault women on the streets for their hair in India and Myanmar, and paying women from rural communities as little as $1 for their locks in Vietnam . I will examine news media and case studies as well as data published in governmental reports to trace the hair trade and contribute to the education of consumers in the US by giving them access to otherwise dispersed information and allowing them to determine their favorite hair suppliers engage in ethical business practices . Ultimately, this research will contribute to the attempt to curb the exploitation of women in Southern and Southeastern Asia .