mindset.
The one about keeping the focus on the work, not the persona
bell hooks and the lowercase convention
Credit: bell hooks (1952-2021)
Summary:
bell hooks deliberately lowercased her name to emphasize the message over the messenger. She believed that ideas, particularly those challenging systemic oppression, should not be overshadowed by ego or personal branding. paul mallett chooses to use the same lowercase convention.
“I wanted the focus to be on my ideas, not on my personality or my ego or even my looks.”
— bell hooks, interview excerpts
By de-capitalizing her name, she symbolically stepped aside as an individual so that her radical, feminist, anti-racist ideas could take center stage.
The lowercase “bell hooks” wasn’t just a name—it was a philosophy. It challenged norms, invited humility, and centered collective liberation over individual acclaim. In everything from how she wrote to what she named herself, hooks practiced what she preached: radical love, critical consciousness, and the fight for justice.
Concept detail:
bell hooks (born Gloria Jean Watkins) was an influential American author, feminist, and social activist. hooks chose to write under the name bell hooks (always in lowercase) to emphasize the importance of her ideas over her identity, and she took the name from her great-grandmother, Bell Blair Hooks. Her work covered topics such as race, gender, class, love, and media, and she is best known for books like Ain’t I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism and All About Love: New Visions.
Real world application:
For feminist scholars, students, and readers engaged with her work, the lowercase styling became a symbolic act of humility and subversion. It aligned with her broader critique of hierarchy, power, and ego in intellectual life.
A few critics — particularly those skeptical of critical theory or feminist studies — sometimes dismissed it as affectation or academic self-consciousness. Some called it “quirky” or “performative.” But these views were usually secondary to serious engagement with her writing, which was so influential that the lowercase choice became accepted as part of her distinctive voice.
The lowercase “bell hooks” is widely respected as integral to her legacy. It’s often taught as a small but potent example of how even something as simple as a name can challenge norms about authorship, authority, and voice.
