Son's girlfriend thinks suntans are racist

[DollyDaydream70]

I could be opening a real can of worms here, but I'm genuinely gobsmacked by a few things my Son's 18yr old girlfriend said to me last night..

First of all she asked me did I think it's racist for white girls to copy black girl's style. I had no clue what she was referring to as 'black girl's style' so asked her to elaborate. She then referred to a singer called Ariane Grande (who I know literally 0 about) and said that she tans herself until she's almost black and 'dresses like a black girl'.

I've Googled said singer and all I can find is a pic of her with Nikki Minaj where, yes, she looks dark, but so what? We've been tanning since Coco Chanel made it stylish in the 1920's, and probably long before that! What are we supposed to do? Stay indoors when the sun shines ffs?!!

Son's GF also stated that it's racist for a white person to wear corn rows in their hair. I told her that my friends and I used to corn row our hair a lot in the mid to late 80's, we used to stick wooden or plastic beads on the ends of our plaits, it was quite the fashion at the time!

What do you all think about this? Please tell me this is all going too far. I'm genuinely quite perplexed that tanning and corn rows could be deemed to be racist!

Your title is misl. She's talking about a specific type of tanning not just getting a bit more brown in the sun.

Amandla Stenberg did a really good video about this ‘Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows’. Worth a quick watch.

but if I constantly did it, and started to talk with a fake Indian accent or using specific terminology, THEN it would be.

What would be wrong with using specific terminology? In my eyes that would show interest, respect and engagement with the culture.

Using a fake Indian accent would obviously be offensive and racist, yes.

In some places, particularly US corporate environments white women arent allowed natural hair either, they are expected to dye grey hair lest they look scruffy and also expected to wear make-up everyday. Very few women would be deemed acceptably professional if they turned up looking natural. Doesnt invalidate the point that afro hair should not be controversial but a point worth making.
My hair alone could prevent me being promoted!

Here’s the link. Less than 5 minutes.

the Ariana Grande thing is fucking ridiculous TBF. Ive noticed white singers doing this for years. Its called blackfishing and I can sort of see the point. They're just adopting that persona when it suits them.

I'm feeling a bit confused now about what white is. I'm Irish and seriously pale, my skin is white. My friend is Spanish, her skin is brown. Is she white? Surely if Ariana Grande is Italian then it is quite possible her skin is brown too but people are insisting she is white. Does the actual colour of your skin not matter then?

It might sound like I'm being dense on purpose but I'm really not. Are brown people from the Meditteranean white even though their skin is brown?

There's having a healthy tan (I say healthy... tanning itself is never healthy, so using fake tan to get that sun kissed I've-been outside-living-my-best-life look). Trying to make yourself look like a black person and playing at something that has deep personal meaning is insensitive and crass.

Oh dear. Before I retired I taught at at a school where over 90% of our pupils were from an Indian or Pakistani background. For our Diwali parties the Indian members of staff would bring saris for the female staff to wear. Should I feel retrospectively ashamed?

Is it racist for a black woman to straighten her hair?

A lot of the replies are a prime example of why the book ‘why I’m no longer talking to white people about race’ has to even exist in the first place.

@Notcontent

Is it racist for a black woman to straighten her hair?

Have white people with naturally straight hair been discriminated against for decades for having naturally straight hair?

@Aloethere look up the pictures. She looks ridiculous and no way is that her natural colour.

This is ridiculous - white people tan naturally and if they want to do this in a more healthy way by using fake tan that's fine. Additionally black people do not own plaits - celts and vikings plaited their hair. If she said that to me I would tell her to fuck off and not come back. For many years cultures have crossed over. People all over the world dress in a western way. Everyone should be able to dress the way they want. I think it shows respect for different cultures to dress appropriately when in their country too and if that involves wearing something traditional ie a headscarf or tunic so be it. It's nowhere near blackface. What a dick

Ariane Grande and Rita Ora are both blackfishing big time. Both of their natural skin colours are paler than Gwen Stefani’s. Neither of them are women of colour (being Italian or Eastern European doesn’t count). It’s awful that they are being allowed to mislead their fans - what they are doing is effectively black face.

@Notcontent to this day black women are discriminated against because of their natural hair. Have you seen the efforts they to through to relax their hair just to be taken seriously, even for a bloody job interview?

@SimonJT

A lot of the replies are a prime example of why the book ‘why I’m no longer talking to white people about race’ has to even exist in the first place.

Exactly.

Both of their natural skin colours are paler than Gwen Stefani’s.

I know very little about AG, but unless you’ve seen her in real life with no makeup/tan on, you can’t say that with any certainty.

How the hell did the whole manchester bomb pass you by?

Rita Ora who is pale and white and come from Eastern Europe.

Ariana Grande

She wasn't talking about real tan, but the fake tanning that makes people question Ariana's race, when she is naturally quite pale. You can see the discourse moving that way.

And as for cornrows, those are definitely frowned on for white people now.

What about Ariana Grande, the subject of the thread, who’s from Italy?

Arianna grande is of Italian heritage so would probably have quite dark skin naturally and tan very easily.
I really can't see the problem with white girls wearing braids/corn rows in their hair just as I don't see a problem with black girls straightening their hair and dying it blonde.

Haven’t we seen those same photos up thread, not photoshopped?