Thread by @mwagiramuriithi, Why do black women make a big deal about people stealing their [...]

Why do black women make a big deal about people stealing their hairstyles?
They wear straight and blonde wigs too so how does that make sense??
It’s just hair!
Here’s a simple summarized educational thread as to why it is in fact not just hair:

Since beginning of time, Black women have taken pride in their creative hairstyles which were not only about beauty but also as a way to identify their community/tribe/status symbols,etc.

At the time of colonization and slavery and missionaries, black people were immediately told that their hair was uncivilized,ugly,unprofessional and even ungodly. In America white women would get jealous of their slaves because their hair was too flamboyant.

Not only were they jealous of how pretty our hairstyles were, they felt that is was a threat to their relationships, since men would often rape the slaves. They even created a law that made slaves cover up their hair. Look up ‘Tignon Laws’

White women along with other non black poc created stigmas around our natural hair. Many are still believed today. Kinky hair and locs would be considered dirty,smelly and unkept, and would be associated with laziness. Even though our hair types are less prone to lice and such.

All these stigmas were so ingrained into society that even black people started to believe it. Even those who didn’t, still were forced to straighten hair and get wigs because jobs would not accept them because their hair was deemed unprofessional or inappropriate

Since colonizers built most of the first ‘civilized schools’ even in African countries, school children and working people would be punished or sent home for natural hair because it was ‘unkept’. TO THIS DAY, this still happens. It happened to ME!!!

‘That was in the past, so why do y’all still wear wigs? That’s appropriating OUR culture’
1. Lol no. I still have to ‘fix’ my hair/wear a straight wig every time I go for an interview
2. Straight/blonde hair doesn’t have cultural ties or painful history behind it. So not the same

GHETTO UNTIL PROVEN TRENDY. (brought to you by the Kardashians and non black poc)
LOVE how black women have been in cornrows and braids most of their childhood and it’s ghetto till some fashion line slaps them on a color deprived person and its suddenly trendy and innovative

There’s a few problems with this. To name a few,
1. Our hairstyles are not meant for your hair texture and it just doesn’t work. Sweetie, u will loose ur hair trying to manipulate it like that.
2. Cultural appropriation. You claim our culture as your creativity & even rename it..

If non black poc insist on getting black hairstyles, the least u can do is make it your duty to acknowledge it’s not yours, and go out of ur way to educate others. Till the day I can live in a society where I don’t have to worry about the repercussions of wearing my natural hair

Why do we get mad when you touch our hair?
1. It’s dehumanizing to just walk up and touch our hair unprovoked. Also it is usually followed by ignorant statements in many black women’s experiences.
2. Personal space???

Brainwash. It’s so sad how black people have been brainwashed to believe our hairstyles are ugly or ghetto. Why are sleeping braids and bonnets ratchet but messy buns are cute and quirky?

I long for the day it’s socially acceptable for sleeping braids and bonnets to be casually worn outdoors, to work and parties.
(Kardashians and color deprived influencers need to do their thing and make them trendy)

Around the time of the civil rights movement, black people started wearing their Afros and locs again proudly. And as usual, this was politicized. So when you wore ur NATURAL HAIR, jobs would think you are making some political statement.

Like why is the hair that grows out of my head the way it does, SO CONTROVERSIAL. I wish black people would explore even more with hair. Be brave, proud and loud with your hair. I wanna go back to wearing these styles! Colonizers made us forget our culture and our hair care ways.

To wrap up, please always listen to people to understand, not to respond. Don’t dismiss experiences. They are ALL different. And if ur black friend feels different from others, that’s fine, but that doesn’t speak for the entire community. We are all such different individuals.

also:
BLACK LIVES MATTER
FUCK 12
JUSTIC FOR GEORGE FLOYD, BREONNA TAYLOR,
AHMAUD ARBERY,
SANDRA BLAND,
TONY MCDADE AND THE THOUSANDS WE KNOW AND DONT KNOW ABOUT.
PLEASE SIGN THESE PETITIONS BELOW AND DONATE TO BAIL FUNDS AND BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES

https://twitter.com/defnceles/status/1268721489278312448

https://twitter.com/defnceles/status/1268721489278312448

I’m passionate about hair and will be doing a series of pictures about hair-inspired by black women of course. If y’all are interested follow me! @ mwagiramuriithi on ig too!