That makes me sad; it’s short, tidy, clean, and cute little hair nubbins. It would never occur to me that this hair would be undesireable.
‘Naps’ makes me think of shapeless, matted, felted wads that have lint stuck in them and rattle together in a strong wind!
I too have envied the apparent versatility of many black ladies’ hair stylings. That’s tempered, though, by awareness that most of the styles seem like a terrible lot of work. Coupled with that is the fact that I get a headache just from wearing a pair of braids, so cornrows and other tightly bound styles I imagine to be potentially painful even if lovely.
Me, I just try to get away with least-goofy-looking these days.
Have you ever seen that movie “Friday”? You have, good.
You know how at the begining of the movie it shows the guys sister (trying) sleeping on her bed with her head proped up on her elbow; apparently to keep from messing up her weave.
The Baltimore Police Department recently got some negative press for banning employees from wearing locs, braids, twists, and afros–in essence requiring their female black employees to straighten their hair.
Just out of curiosity, what is the reason that some black people (or most, I really don’t know) don’t tend to wash their hair on a daily basis. Does it have something to do with retaining natural oils or anything like that?
It’s an exaggeration, but people do try to keep styles intact while sleeping, with headscarves, and trying to stay still at night.
Yes, it’s because of the oils. Its hard for the natural oils to make all those twists and turns and reach the tip of the hair. Using shampoo every day can make the hair brittle, and it will break. It’s common for people to wash with conditioner if they want to wash their hair often(called co-washing) instead of using shampoo daily.
A little off-topic, but not much: When I was in the Army back in the mid-70s, I discovered that some black men have a terrible time with ingrown facial hairs. This apparently comes from having to shave every day – some guys just weren’t built to have their faces shaved every day. It wasn’t uncommon for some of the troops to have to go to the infirmary to be shaved, and occasionally one would be given permission to grow a beard so all of the whiskers would grow out, basically letting him start all over with a clean shave.
I always felt bad for those guys, not just because of the physical discomfort they suffered, but because they were expected to adopt a grooming culture that wasn’t natural for them. Some of those guys looked pretty damn sharp with a well-trimmed beard – I thought they should have been allowed to keep the whiskers. (And yeah, I envied them a little – I look like death warmed over if I don’t shave for a week.)
Yea, my housemate is black and he always tries to keep some facial hair, not only because he looks as though he’s about 12 if he’s cleanshaven, but also because he says that his hair simply isn’t conducive to being shaved every day. He said it is because black peoples’ hair is much curlier and as soon as it starts to grow out again after being shaved it will grow in as well, causing a fair amount of pain and discomfort. He says he likes the hair on his head, but wouldn’t mind having some white people hair on his face.
I am curious why that makes you sad. The boy in that picture lives in a culture that is ok with that beautiful hairstyle.
In my culture, (speaking for a very tiny subculture of black Americans; meaning a lot of blacks that I know) we tend to think the hair is more beautiful combed through and brushed, so that you can get the full effect of the coils, glistening with the sheen of a little hair grease brushed through.
It is odd that you should find that sad.
I don’t find it sad when you call your own hair “goofy looking” or say that you envy black hair and black hair styles. I don’t think it means you have a self-hating attitude to your own hair and physical attributes.
Let me qualify this statement…there are plenty of natural hair styles that are not combed and brushed through, but are otherwise styled, so as to avoid looking unkempt and ungroomed. Those styles are beautiful also.
As I mentioned, I find it appealing. Without you telling me, I’d never know someone might find fault with it. The capricious nature of fashion often gives me a pang, that’s all. To see it as an example of something people would criticize the child about - or even ostracize? People are funny about unfashionable hair - it seems so arbitrary. More beautiful with coils and gloss, fabulous! But entirely a matter of personal taste. To tell someone what they “need to” do about their hair, and especially if ‘peasy naps’ is rude? Well I should be hurt if someone said it to me, or a child. My inclination is to tell those nosy broads to go stuff it.
I didn’t say it was goofy-looking; just that the extent of my effort is to simply maintain that it does not become so. Bobbed or ponytailed will never be an exotic confection of crowning glory, but it sure makes for a quick morning and passes muster.
It’s more envy of the versatility, and a bit of vicarious wonderment of what it might be like to have the temperament to deal with the whole thing. I’m pretty wash ‘n’ wear, myself, but try to imagine being a different sort of person. Sometimes that person has really cool hair (and furthermore, marvelous shoes) but also of course, upkeep and maintenance and expense and obligation. Now I can add, a social milieu with expectations!
I see this is a matter of different cultures indeed. Because NOBODY tells the church ladies, the neighbor hood grannies or any other respected black woman in my family to stuff it! And we don’t dare call them ‘nosy broads’. Well, not to their faces!
Also, I find it refreshing that the women in your community don’t chastise a child for having tangled, matted or ungroomed hair. It was not that way in my 'hood. In some cultures, certainly many african ones, pepper corn hair is considered beautiful. And I couldn’t agree more. In my culture, it calls for a good grooming. And I think that is ok too.
They’re old enough to have manners
Old ladies all over get to speak their minds I think. I figure, if they can dish it out…!
I didn’t say that. I just wouldn’t have thought that child’s hair was tangled, matted, or ungroomed. Although I do think it’d be odd for someone other than mom or gram to say something. People might tsk at the child’s mom though. I pretty much don’t notice littluns unless they’re screaming.
I wouldn’t mind setting a flock of church ladies loose on Don King, though.
I don’t know many African-American women, but I work with 5 African ladies (3 Nigerian, 2 Zimbabwean) and my Mum’s best friend is Kenyan.
None of them straighten their hair (partly, I think because straightening products are too hard to get and expensive here).
The older Zimbabwean lady and the Kenyan lady have natural hair, the Kenyan lady has a close-cropped boyish style, and the Zimbabwean lady has a big, full-on salt and pepper afro.
One of the Nigerians has a weave with shoulder length ringlets, another has waist length braids (a weave, no beads), the last has a shoulder length straight weave at the moment, but has had weave with blonde braids and her own short natural hair while I’ve known her. The youngest Zimbabwean has some amazingly intricate cornrows with beads, which her Nigerian housemate does for her.
All I think that shows is that the younger ladies put more time and effort into their hair, and the older ladies have found a style that they like, that suits them and that is relatively easy to maintain.
you with the face - you’re absolutely beautiful. I don’t know if that was just a very flattering picture, but damn it WAS flattering. You’re so pretty!
My best black girlfriend just yesterday called me all excited and told me to come to her house. I did, and found that she had just gotten a light auburn/blondish weave. It looked very well-done, couldn’t even tell in the bright sunlight. She was thrilled with it. I touched it and was surprised to note that it felt very much like my blonde, fine hair - smoother actually. It looked pretty and I’m assuming it will give her many styling opportunities. Different hair styles are fun, and I’ve always envied the black women who could pull off the many different looks. My hair comes two ways - long and loose or in a ponytail. NO FAIR!
I wondered why she did it, and guess it was just for something different. Kinda like the way I like to use different colors on my hair. I’ve been Bozo red and platinum blonde and lots of colors in-between. My only concern for her is that it cost her near on $800 and she wasn’t gonna tell her hub how much she spent - she was ashamed.
Legit question here - do you think this is “wannabe” behavior?
I’m personally not in the business to judge people as “wannabes”, especially based on a single hairstyle choice. For some women, hair is just that. Hair. Devoid of any significance beyond simply what looks good to them. For other women, hair is not so simple. There might be some baggage there. Some history. Not everyone is the same.
I’ve had 'locs since 2004 and I’m regularly stopped by beautiful ladies with relaxers in their hair and complimented on the way my hair looks. Some of them ask about maintenance - others voice regret that they’re afraid to be rejected by whatever group their in - others just tell me it looks good.
I love my locs - I’m the receptionist for an architectural firm and my look seems to fit in just fine with the corporate image 2007.
I used to work with a woman who had a gajillion braids, and they carried a verigated vein of golden blonde in each one. She wore them tied back in a thick, long bundle. It was striking. But it looked like it weighed a ton.
