# Newsweek takes on the real issues: Angelina Jolie's kid's hair. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 13, 2009, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713 "2009-10-13T22:49:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713/41 "2009-10-14T08:58:25Z")
From one of the OP’s quotes: > [@](#): > > I say natural hair—afro, dreads, etc. is fine, Since when are afros and dreads “natural”? They’re about as natural as perms and flatirons! ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713/42 "2009-10-14T10:33:25Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > From one of the OP’s quotes: > > Since when are afros and dreads “natural”? They’re about as natural as perms and flatirons! Um, what? Dreads and afros are ‘natural’. Natural as in not processed with chemical perms and heat treatment ‘flatirons’. You do know what ‘natural’ means when talking about hair, no? Of course not, not if we’re going by this comment. ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713/43 "2009-10-14T12:09:46Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’m kinda curious why **Mighty\_Girl** assumed she was. I think a white person would be too afraid of being accused of being racist to make those remarks. It’s not that far from “nappy-headed hos.” At least, no further than using “elitist.” I don’t want to speak for **Mighty\_Girl** , but I first thought the author was white because of the picture of the white woman with the word “Author” printed above her in the upper-left corner. Granted, her name is not the same as the author listed at the top of the article but I didn’t look that closely. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713/44 "2009-10-14T12:19:51Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’m kinda curious why **Mighty\_Girl** assumed she was [black]. This: > [@Baracus](#): > > I don’t want to speak for **Mighty\_Girl** , but I first thought the author was white because of the picture of the white woman with the word “Author” printed above her in the upper-left corner. Granted, her name is not the same as the author listed at the top of the article but I didn’t look that closely. It was still a stupid and ignorant article, and my opinion of the author has not improved with learning that she’s black. She’s still an ass. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713/45 "2009-10-14T12:35:30Z")
I’m more disturbed by the fact that people are still using “fly” as an adjective. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713/46 "2009-10-14T12:46:27Z")
> [@Baracus](#): > > I don’t want to speak for **Mighty\_Girl** , but I first thought the author was white because of the picture of the white woman with the word “Author” printed above her in the upper-left corner. Granted, her name is not the same as the author listed at the top of the article but I didn’t look that closely. I thought that, too. Why did they put that woman’s name and photo under “author”? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713/47 "2009-10-14T12:50:17Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Um, what? Dreads and afros are ‘natural’. Natural as in not processed with chemical perms and heat treatment ‘flatirons’. > > You do know what ‘natural’ means when talking about hair, no? Of course not, not if we’re going by this comment. To me, natural means no treatment needed. I’ve seen people giving dreads to others and they were using several creams and gels. First they pretty much straightened the hair, then they made the dreads. I guess it depends on the hairdresser, but I can assure you those people’s dreads weren’t particularly natural. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713/48 "2009-10-14T13:08:20Z")
Its a master plot by Angelina to create from scratch the biggest superstar since Buckwheat. Won’t someone besides Newsweek think of the children (and what happened to the one gloved child wonder)?! Note : I obviously write this in jest, but it wouldnt suprise me it it eventually turns out to be true either. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713/49 "2009-10-14T13:16:07Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > To me, natural means no treatment needed. I’ve seen people giving dreads to others and they were using several creams and gels. First they pretty much straightened the hair, then they made the dreads. > > I guess it depends on the hairdresser, but I can assure you those people’s dreads weren’t particularly natural. If you know people who have their hair straightened then dreaded, then you know some people who want their hair to _look_ dreaded but not be dreaded. I would agree with you that those heads ain’t natural. And yeah, you can put oil, creams and gel in your natural hair. You have not chemically changed the nature of your hair by moisterizing it. Tell me, does combing your hair make it not natural? Braiding it? Does black hair have to be a dry, matted mess in order to be ‘natural’? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713/50 "2009-10-14T13:16:17Z")
Hmm. I guess my parents were doing the same to me, then, when they despaired of making any headway with my curly hair. They tried, especially when we were going somewhere nice, but you bet there wasn’t even product available to use. Oh, wait! They were the same race as me - so does that make it OK? ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713/51 "2009-10-14T13:38:21Z")
I’m willing to look past the stupidity of the article if we can let this be the last use of the phrase “hot mess”. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713/52 "2009-10-14T13:53:24Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I’m more disturbed by the fact that people are still using “fly” as an adjective. I am just glad they dropped the “super” part. Remember, it takes baby steps before a civilization can move onto the stars… ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713/53 "2009-10-14T13:58:24Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Here’s the only online picture I could find of the author, [Allison Samuels](http://freshfiction.com/images/authors/14798.jpeg) Her hair? Train wreck! In what fashion is her hair a “train wreck?” It’s well moisturized and styled. It’s just not straightened and caucasianized. > [@aldiboronti](#): > > Outrageous! Child cruelty! I hope Allison Samuels contacted the relevant authorities. > > This is bullshit. There is definitely an agenda here, ie she needs a black mom. It’s African-American sites with that same unspoken agenda which have been stirring the shit on this. You’re saying that every commenter on every black site that has a problem with the hair_care_ being given this little girl is only commenting because they oppose interracial adoption? Really? None of them might have a problem with a child who, by appearance, hasn’t been receiving proper care for her type of hair? You don’t think that if the children, adopted or otherwise, of a black celebrity, were exhibiting similarly neglected hair they wouldn’t get called on it? And isn’t it funny that none of those sites has felt it necessary to post any gripes about how Mary-Louise Parker manages the hair of her adopted black African daughter? > [@Alessan](#): > > Who “treats” a 4-year-old’s hair, anyway? You wash it once a week and attack it with scissors when it gets too long. Not when they’re African, you don’t. Black hair requires a different standard of care. That’s the whole point. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713/54 "2009-10-14T14:06:45Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > In what fashion is her hair a “train wreck?” It’s well moisturized and styled. It’s just not straightened and caucasianized. > [@](#): > > You’re saying that every commenter on every black site that has a problem with the hair_care_ being given this little girl is only commenting because they oppose interracial adoption? Really? None of them might have a problem with a child who, by appearance, hasn’t been receiving proper care for her type of hair? So which is it? Is it well moisturized and styled or improperly cared for? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713/55 "2009-10-14T14:06:58Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I think Newsweek is showing it’s mainstream bias. When you are the daughters of the President of the United States, you get your hair pressed. When you are the daughter of an artist, your hair is natural. When you’re four years old, _who gives a shit?_ ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713/56 "2009-10-14T14:18:44Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > When you’re four years old, _who gives a shit?_ People. Not you as a 4 year old, but people. As is evidenced by this article. And the huge good hair/bad hair flap in both the Latino and black communities. And those who make posts like **tumbledown** ’s above. Believe me, I know. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713/57 "2009-10-14T14:27:26Z")
I think people who care about a 4 year old looking good have problems of their own. I remember when I used to watch Jon and Kate, Kate would get so upset when the kids would want to color with certain markers or do anything that might mess up their nice clothes. And of course the answer isn’t let them wear play clothes because they’d look unkempt. But they’re kids! They should be allowed to have tangled hair and messy clothes and skinned knees because they’re not in fashion shows. They should be having fun. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713/58 "2009-10-14T14:27:26Z")
Someone needs to get [this book](http://www.carolivia.org/nappyhair/book.html). ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713/59 "2009-10-14T14:31:54Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > So which is it? Is it well moisturized and styled or improperly cared for? The original post about “train wreck” hair was about the blog author’s hair, not the kid’s. ---
**Author:** ![Hamadryad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@Hamadryad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamadryad)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713/60 "2009-10-14T14:36:18Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > To me, natural means no treatment needed. I’ve seen people giving dreads to others and they were using several creams and gels. First they pretty much straightened the hair, then they made the dreads. > > I guess it depends on the hairdresser, but I can assure you those people’s dreads weren’t particularly natural. Those people’s weren’t, but others’ hair DOES naturally dread. When I had particularly bad attacks of depression back in the days before I discovered Better Living through Chemistry and wasn’t assiduous about washing my hair it didn’t go limp and lifeless; it started to dread. And I’m not even black. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newsweek-takes-on-the-real-issues-angelina-jolies-kids-hair/513713.md?page=4)