Box braids have long been a staple in the black beauty community. They’re fairly easy to install and instantly stylish. Black celebrities have rocked the look, from Zoe Kravitz to Beyonce to, of course, Janet Jackson.
Pop singer Christina Aguilera rocked box braids for a time in the early 2000s, but at the time they never quite caught on. But is the style crossing over into mainstream territory?
A picture of a white woman rocking a set of blonde box braids has been making the rounds online, and its sparked lively debate. According to the photo’s original caption, the braids were done at a salon in Chicago.
Some feel this is no different than black women who “borrow” the straight hair aesthetic from other cultures via weaves and wigs. Others feel this is another instance of cultural appropriation.
Latina vlogger Yesi_Glam has a YouTube video on installing box braids with more than 13,000 views and they look quite cute on her.
The other element is the inevitable ‘swapping’ of styles that happens in the online beauty community. In many ways beauty is about exploration, and that sometimes takes us into new cultural territory. But it is important to pay due homage to the origins of styles, i.e., if box braids DO take off in the mainstream, I don’t want to be reading an article in Cosmo a year from now about box braids being a ‘brand new’ phenomenon when black folks have been rocking them for decades (Columbusing, anyone?)
Finally, I think we as black women need to hold ourselves in higher esteem when it comes to our styling creativity. We too often don’t really see the value in the things we do — until they are copied from us. It can’t be ghetto when Laquisha does it, but edgy when Becky does it. We shouldn’t be surprised when folks of other cultures want to copy us. The truth is that black women (and I’m partial to the natural hair community here;) have an incredible beauty and style culture that we must invest in documenting, respecting and teaching to the next generation.
What are your thoughts on all this ladies?
93 Responses
WOW, I don’t even know where to start…I understand many of the points of view. But just like anyone else, I know I am tired of the generalization of the whole white race, just like blacks don’t want to be generalized and stereotyped. I have been doing a lot of researching and I’m sure I have a lot more to do. But I feel everyone should be looking at the people at the top and what they are doing or not doing instead of each other when we are all peons. the ones at the top don’t want us looking too closely to what they are doing so they want to keep a rift between us all. We need to all step back and communicate with each other and understand where each other are coming from.
I can guarantee you that no dark skin African or AA woman can get away with hairstyle in corporate America. It would be seen as ghetto and trashy. I swear white women want to be black. Thanks for the compliment by promoting our creation and you are welcome for the ideas that we produce. Your tribute to the African community is appreciated.
i just like the style…..it doesnt have anything to do with being black or white…
Look at me. I’m a very light skinned Mexican girl who grew up in a mixed community. Growing up i thought it wss ok forma me to braid my hair, and to this day I braid my hair back in cornrows. But as of lately I have to contemplate doing something that I think is no4mal BC it might offend people. I’ve had plenty of my friends tell me not to get braids BC they don’t look good on “white girls”. One I don’t categorize myself as white even though I’m light skinned and have straight hair, but I get shitted on BC i look white. My husband is mixed and ive been doing his hair and his sisters hair so illike i said this is something normal to me but i cant do it? Appropriation?! Unlike some I know the history of the hairstyles I wear. Plus I have very thick latina hair and I have a house to uphold so having my hair braided back saves me a hell of a lot of time.
🙁 Some white people also do this for comfort and manageability. Some of us have very greasy long thick hair. Hair so thick it breaks combs. It can get annoying to have to do simple braids every single day. Combing it for hours, taking more than an hour to blow dry my hair. When the only other choice is to chop off all my hair, I’d rather have braids. For the record, I don’t consider it apropriation, because I’m not claiming it as white hair. I’m not claiming it as something new. This has been going on for centuries as an inspiration frim black culture. I’m not claiming it as anything other than hair. A hairstyle that yes cane from African American culture. But I’ll be damned if someone tells me I can’t wear my hair this way just because I’m white. It’s comfortable and that’s all that matters to me. It gave me back my life. Precious hours that made my life torture to have long hair. I would harass my mother to braid my hair for me every single day, because let’s face it. I’m plump and plump people with long hair get sweaty necks really fast.
okay so I’m going to need to break it down for some people cus there are those who don’t really get it.
White girl getting box braids =/= Black girl straightening her hair
All ya’ll on this site should know this and yet….
We all know that straight was and for the most part still is the dominating aesthetic. That for the longest time wearing our natural hair out was considered dirty, unattractive, unkempt and unprofessional. Decades of this pervasive mentality meant that black women weren’t just straightening their hair cus it’s cool but because it was a matter of survival. If a black woman’s hair wasn’t straight she’d be ostracised from love a life, teased by colleagues and family and not be hired because of the indoctrinated mentality and misconceptions surrounding natural black hair. Not to mention the limited hair styles given to black men because of the misconceptions about any alternative hair styles (thuggish cornrows, dirty/lazy loced hair, sloppy afro)
Now heres the thing,
Cool it’s nice to be admired and desired especially when it’s coming from the group that was putting you down in the first place but there is an unfortunate trend. This is a trend of white people taking from (not only) black culture and claiming it as their own. White people latching on to something likes its a fad and throwing it out. This is not to say white girls can’t get box braids but as we are watching bits and pieces of things that we can call ours get taken away it is important to not be ingnorant of our context. White women are still considered the best and Black hair is SO very important to our identity. When we come together and embrace our hair we aren’t doing it because “o teehee trend of the summer”. It’s called a Journey for a reason. It’s about overcoming our own biases, overcoming other’s biases and celebrating something that we were told should not be celebrated and should be FIXED.
When this girl sees box braids she thinks it’s cute and she wants to try. She takes the look but erases the history and the journey and thats what makes it apropriation.
She can do what she wants with her hair, but we need to have these critical discussion and not ignorantly surrender this like it’s nothing.
Straight hair is not a European trait.
no it’s not. But it is a part of a European beauty standard.
No, but it is a European Aesthetic
I dont care what society thinks nor do I appease to societies aesthetics which are p!ss blonde straight dog hair and blue eyes like an animal. Straight hair was always a BLACK aesthetic until caucasian people hijacked it, i know of black women with straight NATURAL hair (which isnt pressed nor straightened). Read about it.
AMEN. Awesome insight.
I think she looks beautiful with these! Why do people care about this and make a large controversy? It’s helping our diversity standpoint and giving all women more options to look and feel prettier! I live in a smaller town where there are no braiding salons. After seeing the picture and showing my husband, we both want these braids! I think we should encourage this. It is helping all women around the world gaining power by saying no to stereotypes like these and gain power over men. It’s the females time to be in charge. Give us women more rights and decreasing the men’s because we are dominant and more powerful. Women don’t actually need men. We are completely abled. This will be the first step to promote feminism. Destroying female stereotypes and pushing men away from masculine desires. I’m proud of my husband desiring these. If men were more feminine, we would make these masculine traits go away, such as hate, testosterone, discriminarion and anti-cleanliness.
Why are so many ppl on here assuming that when a white girl gets braids it’s just to be cute? My skin is blindingly white but I have thick, coarse filipina hair that I’ve been trying to grow out. So to help, I’ve been thinking about braiding it, as a low maintenance protective style. Not for aesthetics or to appropriate a culture. It just makes sense.
you can see her hair in one of the pics
and if she’s doing it for mantenance she wouldn’t be treating it like DIY fashion trend.
The tricky thing is, no, it is never a big deal . . . At first. But all too easily do parts our culture end up appropriated. And its been happening for so long that we feel wronged over every little thing that pops up. What we should do instead is own what we have right down to the root. Invite people in, but don’t let them take over and kick you out in the process.
Box Braids are already mainstream . It’s the go to black girl style . Well from where I’m from.
So when white people get box braids it becomes mainstream but when black people get box braids it’s antiquated?
I clicked on this article because i thought the braids looked beautiful…soon enough she gonna be patting her scalp to relieve the itch lool salute to box braids
Slow news day? Who cares if a white woman is doing box braids? Really, who cares? Girl bye!
Culture vultures attack. It’s mainstream when white women do what we do? Nah; it was mainstream when Black women created it.
Change your mind set.
By your logic, straight hair = white hair, which isn’t the case. Most people with straight thick hair in the world aren’t white, but Asian. In fact, the largest markets for real human hair are from people of colour in South America, India etc. This is reflected in the very names of the hair, “100% Indian”…you don’t see “100% Thin Blonde European.” White people are getting their human hair weaves from non-white people, so maybe you should do your research before countering with this false equivalency.
Imitation is the highest form of flattery. Hate us so much YET they’re breaking their necks and edges to be JUST LIKE US. Iggy is their role model too. TUH
I don’t see the point of them on straight hair…I mean the oil goes down their hair strands fast and easier right, so they wash quite frequently cause of the oil and stuff…..and braids are a protective style that is meant to be left in for weeks at a time….
Doesn’t sound too clean to me, the buildup would be massive, don’t think this is a good idea.
6 lol Had to rep too. I’ve seen people calling those cornrows and etc racist. Basically everything GD does. Even wearing an afro wig. Do you guys find it offensive?
What this article tells me (AND a lot of the comments below) is that black Americans don’t get out much!! White women have been doing box braids (an American term I believe, as I have always known them as just braids) for ages, as someone mentioned below for instance when they are on holidays to island nations. I live in Australia and I have had many white friends come back with braids after coming back from Bali and various Pacific Islands.
Also, I am pretty tired of black culture being a euphemism for black American culture!!! If we are going to be all about who did what first, you black Americans need to give more credit to where you initially came from – Africa!! But that won’t really help the perpetual inferiority complex you all have going on! I just wish there were more balck African voices on the internet, voices that are not from people who have lived in the States for a period of time. Some good stuff on this site, but far too many things that cause way too many eye rolls!!
You sound white.
yes! who cares it’s just braids. These are the kind of ARTICLES that i will never get as a European natural. It would be like a white European telling me i can’t wear a straight weave as a protective style because it is there style.
Um excuse me
white people going to “tropic” islands and getting “exotic” hairstyles is nothing new.
They don’t actually were the style they go and get it like its a souvinir don’t get it twisted
Did you know there are actually people who are born with dreded hair (or hair with very strong tendency to loc)? I’m sure there are folks from the Caribbean or West Africa who know more about this, but I’ve read that it’s considered “dada” hair.
The point that person was making is that black people’s hair will loc naturally if left alone. Non-black hair will simply mat up. Don’t be rude for no reason, boo.
What’s the point of non-black people getting box braids when the point of braids is to leave them in for the long term? Everybody else needs to wash their hair more than once a week; white folks every damn day in most cases… That’s a lot of work for a time-intensive style.
Non-black people stay doing the most.
I get my hair braided when I go camping for extended periods (10 – 20 days at a time). The box braids really help lower maintenance on these trips. I leave the braids in for about 2 months – only need to deal with buildup at the root once a week with a simple apple cider vinegar/H2O/essential oil mixture. Without the braids my hair does get so oily that I have to wash my hair every 3 days or so – and it takes over an hour to dry even with a blow dryer. Pain in the ass. I must admit – I do like the look. I never even thought, until I came across this post, that my hairstyle would offend anyone. It was a friend of mine, who is African American, who suggested it for me. She does my hair. I love her creativity – each time she mixed in different colors. The process of getting the braids is also awesome. I look forward to the sessions. It gives us time to catch up since we are both so busy and, from my end, I get this comforting feeling – like when I was a little girl and my grandmother did my hair. Maybe that sounds silly – but the process feels very nurturing.
So I’ve been going back and forth with this issue in my mind and it really bothered me for a long time. It just didn’t sit well with me, so I had to explore why. I still don’t know why, but I noticed that I was becoming the stereotypical bitter black woman that everyone fears and I didn’t want to be bitter. I didn’t want to spend my time hating on something when instead, I could be loving something else. I still don’t like the idea of non-black women wearing box braids. But, I can’t police these women on how to live their lives and they can’t do the same to me. I won’t hide my dislike if someone asks but I’m not gonna troll someone on that only; I’ll just scroll, walk, look past that if I can. What I won’t be silent on though is if white women get jobs over black women with their hair in braids, locs, twists and natural hair wigs. I think what bothers me is the privilege these white women have, because black women can’t stop these women from going on with their lives if they hate their hair, but white men and women can stop my life if they hate my hair (i.e loss of job, getting suspended from school, and not being able to wear their hair in the military). While women are wearing these styles for the pure reason of trying to be cute, urban and cool, black women in the military wear them because it’s low maintenance so they can go on with their jobs. In the end, no, what a white girl does with her hair won’t and will never affect my life so there is no need to give it so much attention. Instead, I’m gonna keep doing me and getting my braids, my twists and my weaves and look cute. Plus, them wearing it does not hinder me in any way possible from wearing it, but it doesn’t mean I like it.
Worrying about being labeled or seen as a “bitter black woman” just because you’re uncomfortable with this is giving into exactly what white society wants you to do. We’re not allowed to be annoyed by the fact that our hairstyles that we need to protect our hair are being co-opted while we’re still being marginalised for being black and wearing our hair natural, in braids, in locs etc.? No one else gets labeled when they’re upset about something–why aren’t we allowed to be “emotional”? I don’t see people calling some women angry white chicks because they get mad when we say that they’re not entitled to our hairstyles/that this is cultural appropriation.
I don’t see the issue as cultural appropriation (which it obviously is, that just isn’t the issue here). The issue, which Leila pointed out at the bottom, is the columbusing effect. Once styles like box braids and Senegalese twists go mainstream, the appreciation of where these styles came from will be gone. Just like the french braid. They will be “new styilsh hairdo’s”, which is completely inaccurate. This is the issue. Not the fact that they like the style and want to imitate it. It is the WAY they imitate it that creates controversy and resentment. At least for me. This is something seen in all aspects of black culture that goes mainstream (rap, dancing, clothes [especially for African clothes], etc.)
Right to the point! If there wasn’t so much shadiness surrounding the emulation, people wouldn’t get so irate. But unfortunately the powers that be don’t feel comfortable marketing something that is considered to be beautiful unless they can slap a white woman’s face on it for marketing purposes.
I keep seeing the words “appropriation” and “columbising” thrown around, but something people fail to link up is this desire for western society to keep white women as an allegory for beauty, specifically when something desirable derives from black women.
But what I’m still trying to wrap my head around is why women like Nicki Minaj or Rihanna are lauded in the mainstream for being attractive, while women like Jada Pinkett-Smith or Taraji Henson get overlooked. And how about Tamron Hall? Granted she’s not a pop star. But they are truly three attractive black women w/o all the fuss. Maybe as a black American I have my own views of beauty, which obviously does not jive with mainstreams selections. -_-
What is the harm of someone wearing box braids whatever ethnicity or colour they are? Someone else’s choice of hairstyle isn’t going to change who I am. These are the kinds of things that segregation feeds off, humans will always find something some reason to segregate and even dislike one another. “This ones got good hair”. That persons got bad hair”. “This persons got a straight nose but that persons nose isn’t”. And sadly it’s passed on to the next generations. and it always seems to be someone else’s fault, “them” “they” are appropriating our stuff “they” are pushing this and that on us so we have to do it! We each have our own minds and free will. I’m not saying it’s easy but each individual needs to sort out their own stuff with themselves and maybe people just need to learn to love cherish and take care of what God has given us and be thankful he gave us anything at all.
A big fat YAWNNNN!!!! What else is on the mainstream list to come from us? This a fad like everything else they put their hands on but African women have been braiding white women’s hair for centuries. Isn’t that how the French Braid came about? You can go on holiday destinations and find WW having their hair plaited on the beaches at festivals or along the streets. Ain’t nothing new here.
It is cultural appropriation, long before whites had things like septum piercings my forefathers had them. Now if I got it done it would be seen as me trying to be western because mzungus adopted it and are now passing it off as there own. And it is MORE than just hair, when white people can talk to me about the struggles we as melaninated people face, then and ONLY then, is when they can sit with us. But for now, bye felecia.
@Chevanne You took the words right out of my mouth. At first, I didn’t see cornrows as cultural appropriation. But, mainstream media is so quick to use it when someone who is non-black is trying to be urban. I might add that, dreadlocks are also cultural appropriation. Non-black hair is not suited for locing in any way. It’s something else they steal to imitate. We loc hair because it’s natural. They do it for fashion. When we do it, our hair is unkempt and unprofessional. They do it and it’s cute. Hope I didn’t offend. Just sharing my thoughts. It’s my first time posting here.
@X…..SO Blacks are born with dreadlocks and cornrows?….lol. girl please….With your logic Black women who straighten, weave is also stealing from not only whites but all the straight haired groups, which are everyone….so tit for tat. Lawd!.
Hi girls 🙂 I’m a white girl from Australia and I’ve been following this webpage because my hair is so curly, no caucasian hair dressers know what to do with it!!! Below is a photo of me BEFORE & AFTER I bleached my hair. It broke off so badly that I decided to get box braids while I grow it back, both to protect it and just so that it doesn’t upset me because it’s so short now…
I like to see hair in it’s natural state whether it’s on a white or black girl. Please don’t feel pressured into doing something to your hair which goes against it’s natural course, it’s beautiful the way it is.
Best wishes on growing your hair back! Try to stay away from harsh chemicals (bleaching)
I think you and your hair look gorgeous. 🙂
The style looks great! Sorry to hear about your hear getting damaged by bleach. It will grow back with care and time.
sorry about the bleach damage but the braids look good on you plus your natural curly hair is nice. hopefully it comes back healthy and strong!
I love how black woman say white women are taking over the culture. White woman have worn weaves ,wigs and extensions long before black women but do you see them staking claim on it.
You need to check your History and I mean History with giant H. Wigs is a black thing and when I say Black, I mean African. First wigs were created in Africa and were use by the royalty. The way the wig was created would tell your social rank and not everybody was able to afford them. The period of the Great Pharaoh of Egypt made the wig popular to the royalty of Europe who came to visit or where invited at the court. And that’s when wigs took off in European courts and took off everywhere throughout the centuries. Even though Europeans did everything to erase History, it is well known that Europeans (White people) where slaves to Africans and Arabs centuries before the wind turned and African were enslaved nod brought to America, Europe and related Islands. Lot of things that White people claims as their “own discovery” were “stolen” from Africa especially during the decline of the pharaonic era. But this is not the site for this type of topic.
No, instead white women call it “extensions” and society makes a distinction between “extensions” and “weave.” Black women are labeled ghetto and are berated for not having “real hair” by everyone, including black men who privilege other women over black women…while white women aren’t treated the same way. They’re not making claims to weave and wigs, because those things when associated with black women “who can’t grow their hair long” are negative. Even if they made claim to those, they wouldn’t be treated the same way black women are because their hair isn’t politicised in the same way that black people’s hair is politicised. What do you think “blackgirllonghair” is about?
I really don’t care what anyone does to their head. I’m not one of those girls who hate on Black women for straightening their hair because straight hair doesn’t “belong” to one ethnic group and anyone can have it. Just like if a White woman wanted an Afro or box braids, she can have it because it doesn’t “belong” to anyone. It’s hair, and people should treat it like nothing but hair. There’s no reason to look deep into stories like these and call it “appropriation” when the woman just digs that kind of hairstyle and wanted to try it for herself. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Instead of crying about it, you all should be happy for her and for yourselves.
I personally think she looks much better with her own texture, though. She looks happy nonetheless. 🙂
It’s okay to call a spade a spade… People can do whatever they want w/their hair. But it doesn’t change that it is appropriation.
Thank you.
So when Beyonce bleached her hair blonde was that appropriation of european culture? She was taking something that has been predominately considered as a caucasian trait and using it… So every time a black woman bleaches her hair should she be ridiculed?
we african people don’t know ourselves! until we know ourselves we will always trying to be like them! she must be involve in jungle fever! this is the only way they want to get in our culture…
I just hope someone’s telling these women what’s up because the installation of box braids is no joke. It’s lengthy and it freakin’ hurts the first day!
As long as they’re fully aware of what they’re about to undertake and know how to maintain, I say “why not?”
Soo because other races are picking it up it’s seen as mainstream? This is exactly how we let the media get to us. They put stuff out there to get us talking about them & we feed into it. BUT Hair is universal and I don’t see a “threat” or issue here….
I just don’t think it looks that great on them. I’m not trying to hate but I don’t like the look of locs on white men and women either. In my opinion, it doesn’t go well with their texture.
Yh, I think I get where you’re coming from… she looks happy with the results though and that’s all that matters. 🙂
^^^Agreed. Box braids usually don’t look good on people w/straight(er) hair. But I will say, her’s don’t look too bad.
I personally don’t like it. Very few white women look good with braids/locs…I dont really like the idea either of swapping styles with white women…before becoming natural my hair was straight not by choice but because a society and family who did not accept it.
So you straightened your hair because your family forced you to? I’ve never heard of that. As far as society goes… why are you allowing strangers to dictate what you should look like? I hope you are older and wiser now.
Black women get discriminated in the job market because of their hair, you do know that, right? Many jobs don’t accept locs, braids or just loose styled natural hair. Plus, black people have been conditioned for generations with the idea of ‘good hair’ (non-kinky hair) which comes from slavery. Black kids get expelled from school because of their hair, so before you make such comments please educate yourself and don’t talk out of ignorance.
That actually happens to a lot of girls. Till i was 17 my mom used to chase me down and fight me just to put a relaxer on. t wasnt till college she finally let me go natural.
Hmmm… I don’t even know if I do care. It’s got to be painful getting your hair teased, gelled or pulled so tight or whatever to even get braids to stay in your head in the first place. Traction alopecia is a real risk. If they’re willing to go through that pain and then deal with all their natural oils messing it up and taking it down when it grows out undesirably they can go right on ahead
Lol the pot calling the kettle black is what this is. Until we put down the straight wigs and weaves we might as well not even fuss. What is the difference between white women getting braids and black women sewing in or wigging long straight hair? Someone please explain.
I hate to admit it to myself, but you are so very correct!
But I hope that they don’t start rocking it like it was there creation!
I agree, but you don’t need to wear a wig to have straight hair. It’s called an iron.
Girl, please. Black people straighten are hair because we literally get fired/expelled/suspended/not hired/not accepted into school if we don’t. We’re forced to straighten our hair and are called out of our names when we don’t. White people get to wear their hair however they want and get to call it fashion. So please shut up if you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Slavery, racism and forced assimilation = the difference. There have definitely been articles on bglh detailing how black people were forced to abandon their hair care and hairstyles (and are still being forced to do this). I think it’s sad that you don’t seem to understand your own history. http://thirstyroots.com/black-hair-history/discovering-our-roots-do-i-hate-my-hair
once again y’all have failed to mention and agree that Solange brought back the boxbraid trend, but mention her sister Beyonce. Beyonce followed her sister. Solo is a big aspect on the hair and fashion community, and not just for black women.
Overall, I cant say I don’t mind others wanting to be like us especially when we got us not wanting to be us. I think like fashion, HAIR IS UNIVERSAL. This just reminded me that I plan on doing some boxbraids this week myself.
I honestly don’t think it’s a trend. The internet makes us way more ‘aware’ and tends to exaggerate the prominence of a certain style. A couple of White girls on YouTube is not representative of the feeling the the majority of White women.
I occasionally see White women with box braids, but it has never been that mainstream with them.
I saw an Asian girl with Marley twist in her hair. I did a double take, Lol. The strange things you see in Brooklyn.
I doubt this will be a trend. One white woman somewhere in the world doing something doesn’t mean whites are taking over black culture.
All the black women walking around with blonde wigs and weaves we can hardly point the finger. Its a form of expression for us why not them too. They aren’t being disrespectful…it’s flattering to be emulated by other races. On the other hand we do not get proper credit for trends…that are not recognized until someone from another race popularizes it.
In a due respect,Black people were the first to have blonde/red hair…
LMAO.
So what about Nordic women who are known for having Blonde hair and blue eyes? Black women had that before them?? LMAO. Explain yourself… no wait, you’ll just continue to spout more nonsense.
Blond hair in Europeans is genetically different from blond hair that occurs in dark-skinned people. Light skin is also a genetic mutation from dark skin, not the other way around. Dark-skinned people migrated out of Africa, some stayed dark and others became lighter due to their environment. Some of these dark-skinned people who migrated out of Africa also happened to have naturally occurring blonde hair, so yes, dark-skinned people had blond hair “before” white people.
Why must we be happy with cultural appropriation just because it means we’re being copied by white people? Why are we so happy about anything that non-black people do to us? We’re supposed to be happy about the fact that non-black people love black culture, but couldn’t care any less about black people?
Bo Derek wore her hair in braids once and practically got credited with inventing braids. That hairstyle’s known as one of the most famous hairstyles in the world, but when braids are associated with black people? Forget about it.
The black women walking around with blonde wigs and coloured hair are called ghetto for wearing their hair that way. In fact, any way we wear our hair is always politicised. We can’t be allowed to live and wear our hair how we choose. I’m gonna need people to stop pretending like black women are treated equally as white women when they choose to experiment with their hair.
White people do not own blonde hair, in fact blond hair occurs naturally amongst dark-skinned people because blond hair evolved differently amongst different people. Blond hair in the Solomon Islands, which also has some of the darkest people in the world, is genetically unique and different from the gene responsible for blonde hair in Europeans: http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2012/05/naturally-blond-hair-in-solomon-islanders-rooted-in-native-gene-study-finds.html So how about we say that black people are just emulating their dark-skinned cousins?
Kpop videos are full of these adopted African styles (cornrows, etc). And there is a YouTube video about the small “black lifestyle” trend in Japan (you may want to skip watching that). I don’t mind that other cultures adopt African styles, but it would be nice of them to acknowledge the inspiration or the style’s origin, like locs/”dreadlocks” are associated with Jamaica (although Jamaica is not the origin).
Hay, kpop fan in the house. Lol
Heyy another black kpop fan over here. :3
Lol that makes 4 😀
Five!! I usually lurk on this site but had to come out and rep for kpop.
Another one here! Hey guys 😀
6 I usually lurk too but I love me some kpop !
*sigh* Like anything else part of the black aesthetic, it’ll be over-analyzed, picked apart, copied and exalted by mainstream white America with varying degrees of integrity relating to its roots. Perhaps it’ll be an emerging spring trend in Park Slope. Perhaps white girls will lament the flack they receive and pen drawn out articles (like the one about the term “basic”) about how they are entitled to explore style and that black women are being bad feminists by voicing ligitimate points of contention. Iggy Azalea will likely see a publicity opportunity. It’ll be touted a trend to look out for in end of 2015 lists. But like anything, with no white face to keep the movement going, it’ll have a few blips then fade away in two years’ time.
But hey, I’m just guessing.
I can’t wait until more non-Black women start to adopt “Black styles” so we can just end this conversation.
Why? Non-black people continue to lift, repackage and make money off black styles and culture with no respect from where it came from. Not talking about it won’t make it going away. And you really want everyone taking our styles so we have nothing of our own even as we are excluded from the mainstream and still considered counterclulture?? Yikes.
They can’t sit with us…
Your username says it all.
^^^ Right! My name is Sarah and I’m black…not biracial…black. I guess she’s tired of people like me. **sarcasm