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Original poster

Cultural misappropriation and hair

585 replies

meandthem · 03/03/2018 01:33

Am I being unreasonable to object to ethnicity being a factor in respect of what hairstyle choices women are "allowed"? I am pissed of that it now seems acceptable for some styles to be considered cultural misappropriation. What happened to the sisterhood and feminism and women's right to do what the hell we want with our hair!

OP posts:
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13
NotACleverName · 03/03/2018 07:31

You wanna wear your hair in dreads? Go ahead, knock yourself out. 9 times out of 10 they look shit on white people because we [I am saying this as a white person] don't have the right hair texture for them.

NaiceBiscuits · 03/03/2018 07:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

midgebabe · 03/03/2018 07:36

Naive, is there not then an argument that everybody should embrace styles currently associated with bame so that they become one less stick to hit them with? Thatbwe can only be race agnostic if we stop attributing certain feature or behaviours to certain races?

FissionChips · 03/03/2018 07:36

Many cultures throughout history have had braided hair, how utterly absurd to think you can appropriate it.
Cultural appropriation is a thing (bindi spots etc), but it ain’t to do with braids .

Mummyoflittledragon · 03/03/2018 07:41

NaiceBiscuits
That’s disgusting your family had abuse and it must have been difficult to hear negative things being said about your hair when it was in its natural state from family. I totally understand that straightening hair being about trying to fit in. However, your experience is not every ones experience.

Cultural appropriation is used all the time in fashion. Except it’s not appropriation, it’s inspiration eg kimono sleeves. So where does the line get drawn? And because your family had a terrible experience and others on the thread haven’t and do not see braiding as appropriation, why does your family’s view take precedence? I’m not trying to be goady btw. I’m asking.

margaritasbythesea · 03/03/2018 07:44

I really enjoyed that video Clem. Thanks for posting it. It makes the issue very clear.

NaiceBiscuits · 03/03/2018 07:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

margaritasbythesea · 03/03/2018 07:45

Watch the video Mummyoflittledragon! It's a visual feast aswell as being informative.

QueenNefertitty · 03/03/2018 07:48

I think the thing is, you cannot possibly understand the politics of hair for black women, unless you are a black woman.

Take Beyoncé- who sometimes has cornrows, sometimes has straight hair, has lightened hair, has wigs.... whatever she does, she's critiqued- often she's accused of denying her heritage because she assumes a "white" hairstyle. When she wears cornrows she comes in for racist abuse...

i had locs in my teens- and probably considered myself "woke" before "woke" was a thing.

I cringe a bit now.

Peekaboo3 · 03/03/2018 07:54

@TabbyMack

vladimir I know you think you sound all intelligent and cutting, but actually you come off as fucking rude, ignorant and determined to take offence over shit all.

This. And this poster is not the only one. Some people just love to take great offence at anything and everything. Fucks me right off.

@phoenix1973

If a black person straightens their hair isn't that cultural misappropriation?

No of course not. It's only when white people do anything, that it's offensive and 'wrong.' 🙄

Jesy from Little Mix (up there ^) got bashed and berated the other week for wearing dreads. and I thought it was fucking stupid. People can wear their hair how they want. If someone told me I could not wear my hair a certain way, I would wear it that way for a year.

@queennefertity

I think the thing is, you cannot possibly understand the politics of hair for black women, unless you are a black woman.

Yeah, and you can't understand the politics of hair for a white woman unless you are a white woman. 🙄 shrug yawwwwnnn 😫

Load of hyperbole and utter bollux from some on this thread.

Cultural misappropriation and hair
Personwithhorse · 03/03/2018 07:54

Do what you want with your hair - it is yours and it is hair. If people don’t like it avoid them -it is only a minority of weirdos who go on about this sort of nonsense.

Gendarme · 03/03/2018 07:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Sasbel · 03/03/2018 08:00

(Donning hard hat)
I truly think it is an American thing, the racism there is truely horrific.
I had a flat mate from Angola who had amazing dreadlocks, he was really proud of his hair, (and spent a huge amount of time in the bathroom tending to them) who refused to visit the states, he feared he would be in danger as a black man. He was one of the bravest people I have ever met, he fled civil war and made it to Northern Europe as a teenager.
He once said I would look good with dreads, if only I had the patience to put them inGrin
So no, I do not believe that hairstyles are cultural misappropriation, in the way that dressing up as a native American is, and that women should be able to have their hair as they want.

CherryMaDeary · 03/03/2018 08:07

@phoenix1973

Straightening hair is cultural misappropriation from white culture? Don't be so ridiculous.

And Pocahontas had naturally straight hair so you could say white people misappropriated it from her!

CherryMaDeary · 03/03/2018 08:09

@Sasbel so because one black man told you you look good in dreads (and he was lying), you think it's not cultural misappropriation?

CherryMaDeary · 03/03/2018 08:11

@Peekaboo

People can wear their hair how they want. If someone told me I could not wear my hair a certain way, I would wear it that way for a year.

And yet I bet you're the type of person who gets het up about Muslim women wearing hijab

cdtaylornats · 03/03/2018 08:15

*African-american woman is fired from her job/made to leave school for wearing her hair natural or in locs.
A white woman doing the same thing is able to do so with impunity. *

That is more to do with the US's primitive labour laws than anything. It could happen in Europe but the company would be paying compensation pretty soon.

TheFirstMrsDV · 03/03/2018 08:19

I could be wrong but I thought cultural misappropriation was when a white hair stylist does a white woman's hair in a certain way and proclaims the style 'dutch braids'.
Or a white designer uses tribal patterns and styles in their collection and doesn't bother to ask or credit the people s/he took it from.

I don't think anyone has the right to tell another person how to wear their hair.

I am very uncomfortable with white kids getting hassled for having dreads.

Its really not ok to tell anyone that they can't have a certain hair style.
Its not ok for people to tell me I need to cut my boys hair so it doesn't look 'nappy' or whatever, that they shouldn't have dreads because it makes them look 'street' Hmm etc.

Its equally not ok to tell someone that they shouldn't have dreads or braids because their skin is too pale.

I used to work for the bloke who 'invented' extensions for white people. Damn right that was cultural misappropriation. I doubt he would have got away with it now.
He made an industry out of it and I don't remember him ever acknowledging the fact that black people had been doing this stuff for generations.

Surely this is about respect and acknowledgement. Not a ban on anyone from a different culture wearing or owning anything that isn't from theirs?

That is crazy

missyB1 · 03/03/2018 08:19

It’s true that in real life no one gives a shit. The mumsnet world is indeed a strange one at times Grin

Sasbel · 03/03/2018 08:20

Cherry You have missed my point just a little bit.

Please stop being so goady.

TheFirstMrsDV · 03/03/2018 08:24

African-american woman is fired from her job/made to leave school for wearing her hair natural or in locs.
A white woman doing the same thing is able to do so with impunity

This is the UK.
If someone turned up with scruffy dreads they would be told to sort them out.
That is far more likely to happen to a white person IME.

We have had the issue of schools banning cornrows and braids. This usually comes to light because a white child comes back from holiday with a head full of plaits and gets turned away.
I don't agree with these bans for anyone but they have their roots (scuse pun) in racism.
Overt signs of blackness must be suppressed Hmm
Can't have kids embracing their culture, not black boys anyway, that will lead to terrible things Hmm

Peekaboo3 · 03/03/2018 08:30

@TheFirstmrsDV

This is the UK.

If someone turned up with scruffy dreads they would be told to sort them out. That is far more likely to happen to a white person IME.

Definitely.

Peekaboo3 · 03/03/2018 08:30

@TheFirstmrsDV

This is the UK.

If someone turned up with scruffy dreads they would be told to sort them out. That is far more likely to happen to a white person IME.

Definitely.

OhWhatFuckeryIsThisNow · 03/03/2018 08:31

Why are there so many threads and posts complaining about anti-racist activism lately? because the right wing resurgence has given them carte Blanche to stick their grubby little heads above the parapet.
See also anti feminism and sexism.

CherryMaDeary · 03/03/2018 08:33

@Sasbel so what was your point?