Braids, cornrows, twists, locs, bantu-knots and other styles all may seem like they are just hairstyles, but there is history behind them all. Diminishing each style down to “just hair” is harmful and in my opinion, makes room for cultural appropriation.
But what exactly is cultural appropriation?
Cultural appropriation is defined as inappropriate adoption of elements from a culture that an individual is not a part of. For example, Halloween costumes of “Indians” or indigenous people or “Egyptian goddess” costumes. Both of these are examples of people from outside of a culture treating specific customs, beliefs, and practices as their own and adopting it. Knowing this, is black hair considered black culture?
When asked exactly how black hair is a part of black culture, Lisa Nolen who teaches cosmetology at Belleville High School says, “It’s part of our DNA.” Black hair or African hair is unique to people of African descent. An example of this is type four and three hair which is what black hairstyles are suited for. Apart from appropriation, looser hair can potentially become matted depending on what type of braids are worn. Styles like French braids or fishtail braids are not specific to black culture and aren’t considered damaging.
I believe because of the history behind black hair and the hairstyles that come with it, that it is disrespectful to disregard the importance of them to black individuals. Hair was essential to identity, discriminated against, and was even an important aspect of the experience of slavery. An article on the history of black hair by Blam UK, a community interest company aiming to improve the well-being of black individuals states, “In pre-colonial African societies, Black hair was seen as a symbol of a person’s identity.” These hairstyles also served as maps for escape during slavery, further underlining their importance and how they play a large factor in black history.
However, many conflate a white person wearing braids to a black person wearing a blonde wig. How are these different and what is the significance?
To understand this, it’s important to look at the difference between appropriation and assimilation. History is fundamental to understanding this difference. NYU Applied Psychology OPUS provides a good example on why these two are different in terms of beauty standards. It reads, “A hierarchy imposed on Blacks by slave masters privileged those with lighter skin, straighter features, and straighter hair over those that reflected more African features.”
Beauty standards are pivotal in self-image and societal advantages. Straight hair being the beauty standard and even being deemed “more acceptable” is exactly what may drive black women to conform to these standards, resulting in assimilation. The degradation of black hair plays a large factor in this. White people have never been told that braids, locs, twists, or even black hair texture in general is more desirable in society, nor have they had to wear these styles to fit in. In my opinion, this best shows the difference between a black person wearing straight hair, and a white person wearing black hair.
In retrospect, black hairstyles were never “just hairstyles” but are rooted in history that even predates colonization. Locs, twists, braids, cornrows, and more all have history.
