# AA Dopers, why no Afro?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 2, 2006, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582 "2006-12-02T09:16:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2006, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582/1 "2006-12-02T09:16:49Z")
Has the Afro entirely passed away USA-way? Dreads, fadeaways, braids, shaves, J5s (;o) etc. predominate, what went wrong with the 'fro? Occasional Ben Wallace don’t count.
MODS move to wherever
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2006, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582/2 "2006-12-02T09:26:37Z")
Can a white guy answer this one?
It went the way of all fads, I guess. It’s not completely extinct - [see this page for two examples](http://www.jambase.com/headsup.asp?storyID=3584) (although one of those guys no longer has a 'fro).
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### Author:  [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2006, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582/3 "2006-12-02T09:57:04Z")
[QUOTE=Operation Ripper]
Has the Afro entirely passed away USA-way? Dreads, fadeaways, braids, shaves, J5s (;o) etc. predominate, what went wrong with the 'fro? Occasional Ben Wallace don’t count.
MODS move to wherever
[/QUOTE]
All due respect, why would you imagine such a vastly sweeping generality regarding such an individual thing as a haircut? Unless you live in a hole 75 miles outside a one-post-office town, if you raise your eyes off your sneakers you will see the occasional afro.
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### Author:  [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2006, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582/4 "2006-12-02T13:10:20Z")
[QUOTE=Operation Ripper]
Has the Afro entirely passed away USA-way? Dreads, fadeaways, braids, shaves, J5s (;o) etc. predominate, what went wrong with the 'fro? Occasional Ben Wallace don’t count.
[/QUOTE]
I work in an American high school with about 50% black students. Afros account for just a handful of the hairstyles I see on the students.
I think it’s just as a previous post said, hair styles are a fad. You don’t see bouffant hair style very much anymore, except maybe Dolly Parton’s wigs.
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### Author:  [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2006, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582/5 "2006-12-02T14:01:48Z")
While Afros were intended to look natural they are actually very hard to maintain. Getting the shape and the texture right takes time and attention. Afro type hair isn’t the easiest to work with. That’s why a lot of guys with that type of hair just shave it off. While braids take a lot of initial work, they’re stay maintenance free for a long while.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2006, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582/6 "2006-12-02T14:42:39Z")
Tradition 10: Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the AA name ought never be drawn into public controversy. This includes things like politics & hairstyle.
😉
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### Author:  [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2006, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582/7 "2006-12-02T14:45:36Z")
I think you’re talking about big Afros. Because I’ve seen plenty of TWAs…teeny-weeny afros. Like this [girl](http://naturalfreedomjourney.com/photos2.htm) has.
Also, you may be defining afros in a narrower sense than you probably should. The rounded bowl-like afro has taken a back seat to more styled kinds, at least for women. Black women have increasingly gone natural—letting their hair grow out of chemical perms so that it is curly, not straight. So many of us sport afros in some shape or form. I have a modern afro, cut to allow for bangs.
[It’s kind of hard to make heads or tails out of my hair, but I’m the one in the skirt.](http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l72/tishrobertson/?action=view¤t=labpicture.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch1)
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### Author:  [@daffyduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daffyduck)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2006, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582/8 "2006-12-02T14:46:16Z")
There are two guys who come into my local that have afros. One is a 22 year old AA, the other is a 50 year old white guy.
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### Author:  [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2006, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582/9 "2006-12-02T14:47:11Z")
Even as we speak, I’m looking at a patron on the microfilm with the most _magnificent_ Afro I’ve seen in years. I’m sure it takes a lot of work, though - I mean, wouldn’t most of it be squished to his head when he wakes up?
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### Author:  [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2006, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582/10 "2006-12-02T15:48:56Z")
A thread about the afro and no one’s mentioned [Bob Ross?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Ross)
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### Author:  [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2006, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582/11 "2006-12-02T16:50:43Z")
I knew a black guy in high school (well, I knew a bunch of them, but only one that’s relevant to this story) who explained that Afros can oftentimes be turned into one of those other hairstyles, particularly cornrows, so many of the guys you saw may have been capable of producing afros when needed, but just prefered the more low-key styles. I have witnessed, on one occasion, where a guy was forced by an English teacher to remove his 'do-rag during class, and his hair, over the course of a few minutes, bloomed into an afro of sorts, much to his dismay.
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### Author:  [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582/12 "2006-12-02T17:45:39Z")
I’m trying to picture what it would look like for an AA NFL football player sporting an Afro taking his helmut off ? Or a baseball player cramming his ball cap on.
It never was a practical style for a man and the reason I think it was popular at one time is the same reason EA men started wearing their hair long. It represented the youth culture in rebellion to the status quo.
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### Author:  [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2006, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582/13 "2006-12-02T18:24:57Z")
White guys used to wear afros too…take a look at [Journey’s](http://www.patjohnson.com/pgs_music/rock_pgs/schon_neal.html)[Neal Schon](http://home.cogeco.ca/~mansion/schon.jpg).
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### Author:  [@FormerMarineGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FormerMarineGuy)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2006, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582/14 "2006-12-02T19:18:24Z")
I work with a guy (he works in our parts department) who has an afro that sticks out about 10 inches, easily. He used to have the ivory pick sticking out, but I believe he was forced to remove it.
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### Author:  [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2006, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582/15 "2006-12-02T20:51:38Z")
[QUOTE=The Flying Dutchman]
I’m trying to picture what it would look like for an AA NFL football player sporting an Afro taking his helmut off ? Or a baseball player cramming his ball cap on.
[/QUOTE]
Plenty of examples from mid-70s baseball cards, like [Jose Cardenal](http://www.baseballcardproject.com/Topps/R/1978/210.jpg).
Darrent Williams of the Broncos has what I guess would be called a ['fro-hawk](http://professorgq.typepad.com/professorgq/2006/10/hate_it_or_love.html). … half afro, half mohawk.
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582/16 "2006-12-02T22:56:55Z")
[QUOTE=The Flying Dutchman]
I’m trying to picture what it would look like for an AA NFL football player sporting an Afro taking his helmut off ?
[/QUOTE]
[Randy Moss.](http://www.edgeofsports.com/2005-01-10-112/index.html)
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### Author:  [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2006, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582/17 "2006-12-02T23:08:10Z")
Wow, **Monstro** , how _you_ doin’ ? 🙂
I worked with a guy last week with a serious large bowl fro. I asked him how long he’d been at it. He said, about 5 years- and he was considering cutting it down the scalp. I asked why, and he said eh, time for a change.
Cartooniverse
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### Author:  [@Frosted\_Glass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frosted_Glass)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2006, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582/18 "2006-12-02T23:38:36Z")
In my group of friends about half of us sport the afro. Personally, I only grow my hair out in the winter because it is colder and skintight just seems foolish unless I am going to a fancy party or event. Another reason is that a lot of us wear braids or cornrows so when it is time to get our hair redone we just take it out until we get the time to get it fixed. When finals comes up its hard to get that many free hours so a lot of people just wear the fro instead.
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### Author:  [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2006, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582/19 "2006-12-03T00:33:29Z")
OTAY!
[ ](http://www.div.ca/graphics/eddie_buckwheat.jpg)
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### Author:  [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2006, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aa-dopers-why-no-afro/382582/20 "2006-12-03T04:38:26Z")
[QUOTE=monstro]
I think you’re talking about big Afros. Because I’ve seen plenty of TWAs…teeny-weeny afros. Like this [girl](http://naturalfreedomjourney.com/photos2.htm) has.
Also, you may be defining afros in a narrower sense than you probably should. The rounded bowl-like afro has taken a back seat to more styled kinds, at least for women. Black women have increasingly gone natural—letting their hair grow out of chemical perms so that it is curly, not straight. So many of us sport afros in some shape or form. I have a modern afro, cut to allow for bangs.
[It’s kind of hard to make heads or tails out of my hair, but I’m the one in the skirt.](http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l72/tishrobertson/?action=view¤t=labpicture.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch1)
[/QUOTE]
YOW!! I can make out the hair well enough to tell it looks pretty damn good on you, and your face and the rest of you look awesome, too. All that and brains and personality, too! That’s not a hubby with his arm around you, is it?
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