The Resume

(October 24, 1896-December 27, 1994)
Born in Monterey, Virginia
Birth name was Marjorie Stewart
After the death of Madam C. J. Walker, was hired as national supervisor of Walker’s beauty schools
Designed and patented a permanent wave machine (1928)

Why she might be annoying:

She did not invent the first permanent wave machine; her design built on an original created by Karl Nessler.
Users of the first version of her permanent wave machine complained it was uncomfortable. (She solved the problem by adding a scalp protector.)
She made little money off her invention, as the patent was held by Madam Walker’s company.

Why she might not be annoying:

She was the first African American to graduate from her cosmetology school.
She taught some 15,000 stylists and coached Madam Walker’s representatives on making door-to-door sales.
She helped write the first cosmetology laws in Illinois.
She advised New Deal agencies on reaching out to black women.
She was married to podiatrist Robert Joyner for 57 years until his death.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 76]
• Chocolate Milk [Bi-racial - Black and White]
• Hairdressers and Barbers
• I Died in 1994 (Ranked: 98)
• Inventors
• Profiles 46751-47000 (Ranked: 46875)
• Teachers
• We Celebrated Our Golden Anniversary
• We Died on the Same Day (Ranked: 19941227)

Year In Review:

For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying