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The OP isn't asking about natural hairstyles and even complimented the natural style his student wore. He is stating his opinion that natural black hairstyles look far better than fake braids. An opinion that many people share.
eta: My opinion is that braided hair often looks very pretty (natural or fake). The issue, imo, is sometimes the sheer volume, weight and excessive length of the fake braids looks pretty ridiculous (esp on little girls). But this can be said for many fashions and styles, a little goes a long way.
And, just to toss this out there for the ignorant, long and thick braids/hairstyles does not automatically mean they are fake (that is a big stereotype right there). Then, too, adding extensions to braids is sometimes done to help the braids hold and extend the shelf life of the style.
Everything that black people do is not done because of slavery and racism. They don't wake up thinking about white people and how they perceive them. Many black people have hair that is easily styled in a variety of ways. If one can wear a variety of hairstyles and switch up their look, more power to them.
Last edited by winterbird; 07-20-2017 at 08:13 AM..
I think it depends on the setting. At my job, it's acceptable to have natural hairstyles but it can be seen as unprofessional at other places. Also, it's not really about trying to please white people. You can also receive negative reactions from other black people for having natural hair.
Why the heck would natural hair be viewed as unprofessional? Or generate a neg reaction?
That is really ridiculous and I would think, grounds for a discrimination suit; I am NOT a fan of folk crying discrimination at every little thing but this qualifies in my view. Assuming we are talking about the person being neat and groomed and hair not messy, which would apply to whites just the same.
Obviously fake attached braids/extensions are far more unprofessional in appearance. Braided hair that is NOT fake is lovely on any race; my kids (white) always had very long hair as children and I always kept it braided, never loose and got compliments galore on their hairdos.
That's messed up if black ladies feel they must do that (add fake hair) to be accepted in the workplace.
I also find this thread to be very judgmental and there are a lot of comments from people who know nothing about African American hair. You have people stating that braids look outlandish and you also have people stating relaxed hair looks unnatural. As an African American woman I can tell you we choose our hairstyles based on what we like and really don't care what others think.
I also find this thread to be very judgmental and there are a lot of comments from people who know nothing about African American hair. You have people stating that braids look outlandish and you also have people stating relaxed hair looks unnatural. As an African American woman I can tell you we choose our hairstyles based on what we like and really don't care what others think.
Well, that's not really true. Some black women have said that they get much less attention from black men when they wear their hair natural. If they thought black men would accept their natural hair, I doubt they'd spend so much money and time trying to alter it.
The women I know don't choose a hairstyle based on what a man thinks. Most men like long hair and I know plenty of women who choose to wear short hair because they like it.
...the politics and history of Black hair and assimilation into white culture and everything it entails...
Do Black people who wear their hair without relaxing or straightening it, find that white people look down on them? Or is the feeling about wanting hair to appear different than it naturally grows, more of an ingrained thing that comes from history?
It is often both at the same time. A black person wearing their natural hair can be seen as a "revolutionary" act by some. Not only have we black people been conditioned to "relax" our hair, white people are conditioned to seeing it relaxed. So an Afro, or dreads, or braids will get you stares when you walk into a room. A black man or woman wearing their hair as it comes out their scalp makes a lot of people uncomfortable.
There is a lot of tied up in the politics of black hair. I personally like to see black women wearing natural styles. And short hair done right looks great on a woman!
I think this is seen far more in the ghetto; I think it goes to lower class mentality/ghetto culture rather than to race.
I got to know a segment of society one doesn't hear about much, middle/upper middle class blacks, when attending a predominantly black church in VA.
These folks were mostly highly educated (cardiothoracic surgeon, school administrators, school principals, professors, school system psychologists) and displayed class galore. I was the worst-dressed female there every Sunday, no joke, and among the dumbest I am sure. They spoke beautifully as well, no ghetto slang/Ebonics.
NEVER saw any fake hair/crazy hairdos in that church, not a one.
In the ghetto sections (I did vol work for years and years in the bowels of Dade and Broward counties -SoFl- in the 80s-90s) the fake hair/ridiculous names were ubiquitous.
Lower class whites also go for the outlandish look, i.e. kiddie pageant contestants come to mind.
"Outlandish" is up for interpretation. Bad braids can be a bad look to some. But 10 pounds of obviously fake hair stretched down ones back is a bad look, be it braided or pressed straight. It's just too much.
I remember having a crush on Nia Long after seeing her in "Boyz N the Hood" in 1991. She had simple shoulder length hair. Meaning it was just touching the top of her shoulders. It was perfect just like that. Shoulder length hair was popular at that time. I wish it would come back in style. Black women are beautiful enough. There is no need for all the extras. But that's each woman's choice.
If the entire world, including our own BLACK MEN, didn't constantly refer to our natural hair as "nappy", inappropriate, and unprofessional, there wouldn't be a need for relaxers and extensions. If our hair is natural, we won't get called back after an interview and if we get the job, we may be told that our natural hair is "unprofessional". Unless you're a black woman with natural hair that isn't like mixed people's hair, you won't understand so don't even try.
It is often both at the same time. A black person wearing their natural hair can be seen as a "revolutionary" act by some. Not only have we black people been conditioned to "relax" our hair, white people are conditioned to seeing it relaxed. So an Afro, or dreads, or braids will get you stares when you walk into a room. A black man or woman wearing their hair as it comes out their scalp makes a lot of people uncomfortable.
There is a lot of tied up in the politics of black hair. I personally like to see black women wearing natural styles. And short hair done right looks great on a woman!
I've never had a neg thought when I've seen natural hair, that just doesn't make sense. I see it infrequently but I think it looks great, it's a fabulously striking look.
Dreds I think are hideous on ANYone, just not attractive in any way, the way they are achieved (no combing/brushing) is stop grooming and let it knot itself into the ropy mess, how is that a good thing, and dreads DO strike me as "revolutionary" in a stupid way, like the wearer is trying soooo hard to be different and look radical. I've seen it on white hippie types and they look ridiculous and unemployable.
The fake stuff (bulky magenta braids, piles of them that look like a string mophead was placed on the person's head) I equate with the hideous skunk stripe type frosting jobs white trash gals often get, along with platinum bleach jobs with dark roots showing: just trashy and low class, which is not confined to any race but I do feel is aligned with lower class mentality/culture be it redneck trailer park or inner city ghetto.
How would a black person's hair worn naturally connote unprofessionalism or be construed as negative I just don't understand, I find that truly baffling and absurd. If I were a black woman it'd really enrage me to be honest.
Last edited by VexedAndSolitary; 07-20-2017 at 11:36 AM..
Why the heck would natural hair be viewed as unprofessional? Or generate a neg reaction?
That is really ridiculous and I would think, grounds for a discrimination suit; I am NOT a fan of folk crying discrimination at every little thing but this qualifies in my view. Assuming we are talking about the person being neat and groomed and hair not messy, which would apply to whites just the same.
Obviously fake attached braids/extensions are far more unprofessional in appearance. Braided hair that is NOT fake is lovely on any race; my kids (white) always had very long hair as children and I always kept it braided, never loose and got compliments galore on their hairdos.
That's messed up if black ladies feel they must do that (add fake hair) to be accepted in the workplace.
Unfortunately, it can and does happen. Dress codes sometimes stipulate, or forbid, certain hairstyles that are common among black women. Three articles are cited below as examples, but if you google "black woman fired for natural hair", you will find a bunch more.
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