by
Black Girl With Long Hair
By LJ Knight of YeahSheSaidIt.com
I normally don’t pay any attention to the ramblings of professional celebrity scoffer Wendy Williams. After all, she is known for being obnoxious, opinionated and downright bullish in her views. Well, Wendy Williams recently gave off a lot of sista hate when she made the following comment towards actress Viola Davis and her natural Oscar hair-do. She said -and I am paraphrasing slightly- “No one wants to see a Room 222 look on the red carpet”. Now for those who are unfamiliar with the reference to “Room 222”, it was a TV show from the ’60s and ’70s about a Black man with a short afro who taught a history class. Now, one could deduce a lot of things from that statement. Personally, I thought that Williams was implying that Viola Davis looked like a man due to the fact that she was not decked out by the weave gods and chose a simple, but natural look for her red carpet appearance, unlike her peers.
This comment perturbed me for two reasons. One, Williams is a Black woman in an industry that a) does not generally think women of color are attractive, b) places physical limitations and high sometimes unattainable standards of beauty on all women, and c) wants all women to be fully equipped with a cookie cutter figure, face, hair etc.. Individualism is rarely celebrated. Wendy is not a fool and she is fully aware of the stereotypes that all women, especially women of color face in the entertainment industry. Second, Wendy is a Black woman who has been mocked for years for being man-like in her stature, bone structure, face, and so on. So much so that she seems to only be comfortable underneath a head full of weave and face full of make-up. She has a lot of nerve comparing another woman to a man. Really Wendy? That is a bold move coming from you.
Considering those two things, one would think that she would have empathy towards other women of color in her industry and maybe go easier on a woman who was fearless enough to go without any artificial flavoring to an event where the primary focus is everyone’s appearance. But oh no! Wendy Williams- you disappoint me. This could have been your opportunity to congratulate a Black woman on setting an example of being fearless in her natural hair while so many others are simply not that brave. Instead you chose to use this as an opportunity to criticize Viola for being another nappy headed Black woman and stoop to the same level as mainstream media.
While I am on the subject of Black women that other Black women love to hate, I want to take a moment to discuss Nicki minaj’s single “Stupid Hoe” that was released a few months ago and allegedly directed towards fellow rapper Lil Kim. Have we really stooped to such a condescending level ladies? Have we gone so far into the gutters that we will resort to calling another Black woman nappy headed in order to break her or crush her spirit? Or for a number one single on the charts? Are we really that desperate to be in the proverbial “master’s house” or the “big house” that we will willingly taunt another Black woman over the same thing that we ourselves are sensitive over in public? You should already know what I’m talking about ladies. Our hair.
This is not a mystery. At least, it shouldn’t be one to you. Black women have and always will be sensitive over our hair. We are connected to it. It is a part of our culture and we take pride in caring for our mane at whatever the cost. Whether it be short, long, natural, permed, curly, braided, or low faded, we adore our hair. So when someone mocks our hair, and mocks our hair’s natural texture, it stings.
It is 2012. There really is no reason why a Black woman should refer to another Black woman as being nappy headed — unless, of course, it’s being stated as a compliment. We have absolutely way too many attacks on us from “others”. People who don’t understand our struggles, nor care to. If you do have to go there with another Black woman then you damn sure better not sing it from the mountain tops for the mainstream media to hear, digest, and deem as being an acceptable reference for Black women. I mean, where is the common respect for other Black women? Does it exist?
Ladies, what are your thoughts? Do you think people are emboldened to use the term “nappy headed” as an insult if they hear a famous black woman say it?
Deemed “the voice of the urban sophisticate woman”, LJ Knight’s style of unabashed, in your face tough love resonates with the everywoman like few else can because she doesn’t talk down from a holier than thou soapbox–she’s lived through the very same experiences her exponentially growing audience has. You can find more of LJ Knight’s in your face opinions at YeahSheSaidIt.com.
89 Responses
Were “nappy-headed” insults ever gone?
lol decked out by the weave gods… love it
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People should ignore Wendy’s comments on hair because she obviously has huge insecurities about her own hair that she hides behind these ridiculously long, shiny, unrealistic looking wigs on a daily basis.
Because Wendy’s platform for communication to the masses is TV it would be so nice if Wendy would refrain from making derrogatory comments about black hair, but sadly that is not likely to happen any time soon because she doesn’t accept herself.
Sadly, she always looks like she is in drag. Until she can try to look more like a realistic woman she just will never get it. It’s just so sad because she is in no position to comment about hair (especially black hair), body image or fashion.
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Thank you for this post! I recently discussed this very topic on my blog after hearing disturbing words from one sister to another regarding natural hair. Check it out!
http://www.liveitloveitdoit.com/2012/04/open-letter-to-my-relaxed-hair-sisters.html
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Ya, Wendy shouldn’t have said that. Altho, while there’s nothing wrong w/ natural hair on the red carpet… Viola’s is waaay too poofy. It’s just too overwhelming for her tiny face & skinny frame. You barely notice the girl underneath!
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Well spoken, sistah! Well spoken!
“And, it’s high time black women accepted that walking around with a silky blonde weave looks about as ridiculous as Jennifer Aniston walking around with an afro wig, pretending that’s her natural hair. It looks stupid either way you slice it. When black women can accept that, then we will be uplifted. I’m not going to pretend like singing some weaved-up lady’s praises is going to uplift us as women. We can only do that when we stop hating on what we have.”
LOVE this comment, can’t be reiterated enough.
Beautifully written, LJ. I can’t really add much! I do think it’s sad that being ourselves (and not only in the way we wear our hair) is not ok with others.
Well written article. Wendy is simply and insecure person for the reasons you’ve stated and frankly displayed a moment of jealousy. I’m sure her mindset was that there’s no way a women could look look so stunning without all the fakery and thus she resorted to what she knows best–> attacking the unknown. Wendy KNOWS nothing. She either hops on or creates a bandwagon and runs with it. It’s pathetic. As for Nicki Minaj I honestly feel sorry for her AND Lil Kim. They’re lost women with no sense of identity and so they both come from and attack from bottom line levels…it comes to no surprise to me the idiotic things Nicki does and says.
I find it quite disheartening that we as black women all over know more about how to care for our chemically altered hair than how to deal and keep our own natural hair healthy!
Wendy Williams’ comment regarding Viola Davis should not surprise you, consider the source! Wendy is a promoter of wigs and extols ad nauseum about the wonders of plastic surgery! Its quite obvious what she finds beautiful. And there are many members of her audience that rock naturals – but were probably too dumb to catch the insult! Lol!
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As for Nikki Minaj, I am not surprised about her song. She is a protege of Lil Wayne, who in my opinion is a rapper who makes ignorant comments in his songs calling women names, about sex, money, drugs, and with light skinned women being looking better than dark skin women. So, she is really not a surprise.
I happened to catch this show as it was on while I was waiting for my car. I think my mouth actually dropped open when I heard her comments, but then I remembered who I was watching & realized there was no need to dwell.
Viola Davis is a goddess. Wendy Williams is a joke. She can buy a weave, but she can’t buy Viola’s beauty, style and confidence. Nuff said.
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Self-righteousness doesn’t look good on anyone. Most of the comments here are just that. How can you chastise Wendy by calling her names? That makes you no different than she. Who cares how anyone wears his/her hair? I don’t and neither should you. It is none of your business. I am tired of the perm vs natural, weave vs. natural debate. Why does there have to be a debate? Why must the afro look down on the weave? Why does the straight hair have to think she’s superior to the kinky, nappy, curly or whatever haired woman? I don’t care if a woman wears a weave or a wig. That’s her thing to do just like I don’t care if a red headed white woman colors her hair blond. That is her head and her hair to do with as she pleases. Sure, Wendy could have shown a little compassion, she could have opted not to say a word but that is not what she is paid to do. She is paid to gossip and put down and be catty. Joan Rivers is just as spiteful, yet some of y’all are singing her praises just because she named Viola best dressed. I just don’t understand how one can call Wendy wrong then turn around and call her names within the same breath, while also throwing Beyonce, Ciara in the pot. “Why as black women can we not lift up other black women” – well how are you doing that here by resorting to the same cattiness that you call Wendy on? As a woman who wears her hair natural – whatever that really means – I wish Wendy had not said a word. I wish people would allow others to live their lives and wear their hair they way that it pleases them, processed, wigged, weaved, nappy, spiraled, curled, short, long, black or blond.
Hey. People can do whatever they want with their hair, and i’m free to acknowledge that it looks stupid. Wendy Williams is free to hate natural hair, and i”m free to think she looks like a clown. What’s wrong with that? How is my lying and pretending that she doesn’t look crazy going to help anything?
And, it’s high time black women accepted that walking around with a silky blonde weave looks about as ridiculous as Jennifer Aniston walking around with an afro wig, pretending that’s her natural hair. It looks stupid either way you slice it. When black women can accept that, then we will be uplifted. I’m not going to pretend like singing some weaved-up lady’s praises is going to uplift us as women. We can only do that when we stop hating on what we have.
I’ll reiterate a story I posted before:
I was one of 2 black girls in my class. And I still remember the day I realized that all the fakery wasn’t fooling ANYBODY. I thought I was cute with my new perm, wearin’ my hair down and straight when a classmate innocently remarked that I looked like snoop dogg. LoL! It hurt my feelings at the time, but I soon realized that he was right. My hair didn’t look like the white girls. And it never would. All the perming in the world, at best, made me look like snoop dogg. That’s when I realized that I was more beautiful, and more “normal” as my natural self wearing my kinky hair. The perms, etc, are phony and unattractive. Period.
+1
I actually have a blog called Nappy Heads.
I named it that because I feel that once a word is embraced it can lose that power or stigma it had to it.
For example, saying someone has straight hair or curly hair or “nappy” hair is a description. No one gets angry when people say “you have straight hair” so why, as black people, should we not embrace our natural kinks.Because at the end of the day it doesn’t have to do with out hair it has to do with our race.
If I change what nappy means to me then that’s what matters because words only have the power that you allow them to have.
Somina B.
For some, it takes a whole lot of confidence to walk outside just as good made us. Confidence in others scare some people. It makes them have to take a close look at themselves and they often don’t like what they see so they attack. The women named in the article wear more makeup then most celebs I’ve seen so I wonder what they are subconsciously hiding.
Wendy Williams is in no position to say anything about anybody in general…haha she needs a mirror haha. Definately cannot hold a flame to Viola when it comes to beauty …natural hair or not
One day a white woman asked me, “Do you have any tips on how I should care for my granddaughter’s hair, it’s so nappy?” When I heard these words come out of her mouth my first reaction was to become furious. I couldn’t believe that the white woman standing before me would even consider using the term. When she later told me that her granddaughter was biracial I became more concerned about how that child would configure her own identity as being a girl, and later a woman, of African American decent. I tell that story only to shed light on how poisonous some term can become. Essentially there is nothing wrong with the term “nappy” but when the media places such negative connotation on the term (and various others) it then becomes natural for us to make misinformed connection, become ashamed of ourselves and embark on a long and unyielding journey for change ie. Bleaching creams, wigs, weaves, hair extensions, fake eyelashes, breast implants, Botox, acrylic nails, liposuction…. The list goes on and on.
For me “nappy” is derogatory and I wouldn’t want anyone to describe my hair using the term nappy. I never refer to my own hair as nappy and don’t expect anyone else to. Even tough for me it is simply to apply my own meanings and connotations for the term, and many others like it, in hopes that my view may become more widespread. For example, nappy = strength, black = strength, nigger = strength, tar baby = strength… After all whenever, I am referred to as any one or any combination of those terms I am reminded how strong we are as a people and how much stronger we could be if individuals like Wendy Williams would drop the act and remember that she too is a black woman.
…It is sad that black women have to constantly struggle to maintain our authenticity. People covet organic fruits over chemically enhanced ones, raw mineral over, the processed stuff, pure spring water over water with additives but a natural state of beauty is frowned upon. I just don’t understand why society is so indecisive. And for that reason I cannot blame Williams for making those thoughtless comments. She is obviously a product of her environment and has fallen victim to memory loss, in that she fails to remember where she came from. That’s just too bad for her! If we should rise above such comments and the many others that will follow we have to stand firm in what we believe and stand behind public figures like Viola when they decide to strip away the access….
I have so much to say on the topic of black woman and the standard of beauty and I am deeply disappointed in the comment Wendy made. While I occasional struggle with my own identity as a natural black woman, sometimes wearing a wig or extension, I know that the love I have for my hair, in its natural state, is deep and very complex. But meanwhile I am challenged with my own state of naturalness I support viola and wish that many other black celebrities would gain the courage to embrace and show off their God given beauty.
I just skimmed this article, but I will come back and go through it more thoroughly. Concerning the main question: IMO it never left. I think in some cases its an insecurity issue. Currently, it looks like people are accepting their hair and its becoming more and more popular and other people may be feeling threatened by this change. For example, I don’t know if I read it, saw it, or heard it somewhere, but someone with relaxed hair was complaining about the increase of naturals appearing in commercials (Like we’re taking over or something, LOL. This mentality sounds very familiar to me). IMO the appearance of relaxed women didn’t decrease either. Women with relaxers were the norm in commercials for YEARS and naturals make an appearance for a fraction of that, and they freak out. Its a reflection of them, like they need to reassure themselves or something….I don’t know. This was not how I imagined this comment to go, but I guess I started rambling. Sorry 🙂
i totally agree with everything that was said in this article,i have a 3 in 1 pattern in my head i have the super loose curls and the tight coils and the zigzag of my cottony kinks and i love it. Nicki should be supporting us but obviously she isn’t Wendy i dont even take her seriously she has ish for hair. i go throught this battle often but i keep my head my nappy head held up high i accept who i am and what god gave me i dont need a perm to be pretty. the fall under white supremacy is very real among blacks but it may take a free mind to break a slave of that belief
Shoooot. Wendy Williams needs to go on with that nonsense. She KNOW she ain’t got no business talkin’ about somebody else’s appearance. She walks around looking like a clown, then has the nerve to express her distaste for natural black beauty? She can do that all she wants. We need look no further than her appearance to see how utterly ridiculous her aesthetics and points-of-view are.
P.S. She can kill all that “I wasn’t raised around black people” noise. I was one of 2 black girls in my class. And I still remember the day I realized that all the fakery wasn’t fooling ANYBODY. I thought I was cute with my new perm, wearin’ my hair down and straight when a classmate innocently remarked that I looked like snoop dogg. LoL! It hurt my feelings at the time, but I soon realized that he was right. My hair didn’t look like the white girls. And it never would. All the perming in the world, at best, made me look like snoop dogg. That’s when I realized that I was more beautiful, and more “normal” as my natural self wearing my kinky hair. The perms, etc, are phony and unattractive. Period. We need look no further than Wendy Williams to see how stupid it all looks.
LETS NOT FORGET THAT THESE SELF HATE ISSUES STEM FROM BEING THE MINORITY IN SOCIETY. DONT BLAME BLACK WOMEN, AS IF WHITE PEOPLE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE IGNORANCE AND HATE. THEY ARE THE ONE’S WHO STARTED IT.
Sure white people started it. But only WE have the power to stop it. Blaming white people isn’t going to get us anywhere. We’re responsible for ourselves, and our own empowerment. Being the minority in the society, in a lot of ways, makes us the strongest in the society. I don’t expect whites to have the same fortitude and strength we have. I don’t expect them to cast of societal pressures the way I know we can. It’s up to US to be the best we can. And that starts with loving, embracing, and rocking-the-shit out of everything we are. We’re beautiful, radiant, and powerful!! It’s time we started owning it.
It hurts me to see beautiful black women essentially try to hide their beauty behind weaves and wigs because we’re different from white ladies. They sold us the lies (a long time ago), but they can’t MAKE us believe them. I wish more black women would wake up, stop holding back, and really show this world how amazing we truly are. Black womanhood is a gift. And it’s a shame that so many of us don’t know it.
Disappointed in Wendy Williams. I have watched her show from time to time (whenever I’m not at work) and enjoyed her humor and wit.
Oh well. Hopefully someone will set her straight about the beauty of natural hair.
Here’s the thing: natural hair is a growing trend, even in the celebrity world (just take a look at all the the natural haired celebrities that Curly Nikki has interviewed over the course of the past couple of years). As the beauty of natural hair becomes more widely recognized, wigs/weaves/extensions (which are currently seen as desirable and as an indicator of a higher social status) become less important, less desired, and less necessary. Those celebrities who have achieved a certain amount of notoriety through their weaves are suddenly going to have a lot of competition from women who are just rocking what grows out of their heads. To a celebrity that is still uncomfortable with her own natural hair (which is completely understandable…we all know how hard it is to break away from the “nappy-is-bad” mentality), it might be easy to lash out at this new, unforeseen threat, because how can you compete with it? The celebration of Viola’s natural hair is taking away the power of the weave.
I believe that we should have the freedom to rock our hair naturally, or relaxed/weaved up/with extensions. I think that sometimes, however, natural hair is seen as a threat to people that are still stuck on weaves as the only option, which is why naturals are often hated on. I wish it weren’t so, and that we weren’t tearing each other down over something as trivial as hair. :/
I feel like we are continually tip-toeing around this issue as naturals so as not to appear judgmental. The fact is – it’s not just hair. You don’t see girls with straight hair going out of their way to transform their hair to look like a afro calling it “just hair”. It’s still “us”, trying to be like “them” – the more we look like “us”, the less we look like “them”. Viola Davis is the personified threat to the civilization of black folks and our century’s long quest to assimilate. Hey – I just bc-ed in October but I can call a spade a spade and admit when my hair was straight – it’s because I felt more beautiful. It was a personal uphill battle to feel beautiful with natural hair and it’s a community uphill battle. Wendy Williams and company are wounded. It’s NEVER just hair. I just wrote a piece called Planet of the Naps on weofhue.com. Its a satire on this very issue. Let’s just put it out there. Yeah… it ain’t just hair, folks.
Thank you for your honesty. I agree that there is WAY too much tiptoeing around the deep issues regarding our need to fundamentally alter the structure of our hair. When it’s really “just hair”, black women will feel no need to alter it. As long as we’re trying to make our hair look like “theirs”, there persists some serious baggage, pain and shame. Why are we pretending like that’s not so.
Wendy Williams and the word “empathy” just don’t mix; they’re like oil and water.
Viola Davis is beautiful– both inside and outside. Has anyone heard the precious nuggets of wisdom that come spilling out of her mouth during her interviews?
The woman personifies the strength of fragility and the fragility of strength.
Listen to her.
She’s special.
Very special.
As for Nicki Minaj and friends — [yawn!]
Peace & Love, y’all.
RT
Yes, Ms. Davis is special-very wise, gracious, and beautiful woman.
I think women, but in particular many black women have an innate need to tear another woman of color down. There is a black woman that I work with who recently BCed after seeing me be natural. Well, once she cut her hair off she constantly compares her hair texture to mine and makes sly insults about my hair texture to degrade me. She says that she will never grow her hair out because she doesn’t want the white people in our office to see her hair nappy. smh
I think women, but in particular many black women have an innate need to tear another woman of color down.<——really?
This isn't just a black women thing; women of all colors do this.
I agree it is an issue with all women of all colors, but since the article is refering to “nappy headed'”, which is a comment often used to describe a woman of color/with afro-textured hair, so yes, I have expereinced so far in my life, a large majority of black women giving the side eye and making rude comments about black women’s hair.
Agree with you somewhat — ALL women do it, but black women are the worst. And it starts from real young too- This need to just tear down. just last week i was walking down the street and this young girl I guess she was about 8 or 9 was walking down the street with her mother and she was wearing a wig, and they were coming toward me. Behind me these 2 black girls were walking about10-11 years old, also heading toward the girl and her mother. When they saw that little girl with the wig. They just burst out laughing and talking really bad about the little girl, and guess what BOTH of them were wearing very bad weaves – Now can you imagine? When I heard them walking behind me talking and laughing I really wanted to see what they looked like, and I got an eyeful when they passed with their bad weaves about 10-11 years old mind you. I was so disgusted. Now they didn’t know if that girl had cancer that forced her to wear a wig, or what her situation was, but I guess that they felt they were all that with weaves on. Sad to say many women are like that, and Black women in particular – can be extremely nasty.
I dormed with white women in college and I work along side them (I work in corporate America) and let me tell you it is the same. It isn’t a race thing, it’s a woman thing. The worst comment from a woman to another woman that I heard was from a white woman and she said the woman was so ugly she should kill herself (said it to her face too). When you leave the black community and experience another, you realize the grass isn’t greener.
+++1 I have experienced black women to me much worse.
The insulting words have never left any community that has black culture. I personally like WW and I don’t care about that remark its her opinion. I would rather hear comments from WW due to her having a platform that isn’t all condescending to our culture. People like Nicky M, Lil Kim, Byonce, Ciara etc you can see these ladies trying their BEST to be anything other than black by any means necessary (this is what the natural hair community should be working to abolish) . Many blogs have spoke about WW comments, but truth be told she has never had a relaxer in her life as for as I know. Under ALL that wig–lolll– is natural hair. I blame her parents and family for her negative reflection of not just her “thin natural hair” but also her weight, her height etc. We as a community need to build up these young ladies that are coming up behind us, the elders didn’t do it for us so we have an obligation to do it for them– not just their natural hair, but their dark skin, thick bodies, broad noses and large lips the entire package.
Other cultures can look in awe and give compliments of our features, but we cant– as a society we all need to do better ‘to know better is to do better’
“We as a community need to build up these young ladies that are coming up behind us, the elders didn’t do it for us so we have an obligation to do it for them– not just their natural hair, but their dark skin, thick bodies, broad noses and large lips the entire package.”
Yes, this is the real issue.
To be honest, wendy williams is an a$$ i dnt even watch her show after watching one or 2 of her shows when she first started (trying to support my black ppl) but im not surprise that she would say something like that. Viola looked stunning and being a natural black woman i was sooooooo happy to see her up there looking all flawless an all. Nicki minaj does not have any gage on what comes out of her mouth. she will never be respected from any mothers who have daughter because of her lyrics and the way she carry herself. dnt get me wrong she has her own sense of style but its over the top for me. these women on tv (especially black woman) need to stand up and be more supportive when it comes to other black woman and watch what comes out of their mouth bcuz the media gets a kick out of women like these.
Wendy William evidently lacks self love. This wouldn’t be the first time she’s made backward comments about black hair. While Wendy William is still on that “good hair” non-sense, strong beautiful black women like Viola Davis, Solange, Janelle Monae, and Esperanza Spalding are making it known that natural hair is beautiful.
My initial reaction was to bash the above mentioned women. However, I realized that makes me no better than them. I wear my natural hair, weaves, braids, and wigs. It just depends on the mood I’m in and/or the complete look I’m going for that day. The only thing I don’t do are chemical processes because I don’t want my hair permanently altered. As black women we have the style and grace to pull off just about any look. Our hair isn’t the issue. Its how people perceive the choices we make that is the issue. What others find beautiful about us is the fact that for those whom are secure in who they are exude a self confidence that most people don’t have. The ones who are critical of other people often have issues within themselves. I have heard natural girls bash other natural girls because they aren’t “natural enough”. Woman who prefer weaves and relaxers bashing naturals. We are blessed to have so many options to do with our hair. I have always loved my natural hair…. long before being natural hair was mainstream. Being natural is about self awareness … not trend that people are following. I know when I go out no matter what I chose to do with my hair I get lots of compliments from men and women of all races. Its the genuine smile and the sincere respect that people notice and find attractive.
i agree with you 100%
Nicki Manaj, Wendy Williams, Beyonce, Lil’ Wayne are not black intellectuals. I doubt that these people have taken a course in, read book about, or even know about colorism, colonialism, inferior complex etc., so to expect them to be experts on substantial issues related to the African experience is absurd. They are here to sing, dance, gossip, etc. Every blue moon we get a Lauryn Hill or “old Kanye” who can reach the masses and still be deep but it’s a rare occurrence. What is sad is that many young blacks throughout the diaspora are getting their information about who they are and what they are supposed to look like from the uninformed, uneducated, fame/money- driven and many times ignorant celebrated individuals in our society also known as “celebrities!”
They may not be black intellectuals, but are you saying that someone has to be an intellectual to decently rep your own race, especially when you’ve been given a public platform?
The very least that the black community should expect from these black celebrities is that they don’t make RACIST comments about the same black people that have supported them and made them superstars.
If black people can’t at least demand that from their own, they have NO RIGHT to expect non blacks to refrain from IDENTICAL abusive rhetoric.
It’s not better when Nikki Minaj calls a black girl a ‘nappy headed hoe’ than when Don Imus says it. If anything it’s FAR FAR WORSE. It cuts deeper, and does more lasting damage to young IMPRESSIONABLE minds.
When is the black community going to start caring enough about young black children to stop them being POISONED by downright evil racist ideology being spouted by white supremacists in black skins?
What I’m saying is that these black celebrities are not exempt from the racist ideologies that have plagued the black community just because they are famous. If Nicki Minaj or Wendy believes that “nappy hair” is negative or Wayne praises “red bones” it is because that is what they has been taught or conditioned to believe the same as many of us were brought up believing. They still hold on to insecurities about their race, hair, features, etc but like you said they have a larger platform to express and pass those insecurities onto others.
I get your point that many in the black community itself share these views, but out of sheer self preservation a line needs to be drawn at some point and black celebrities need to start getting called out publicly.
If enough pressure is put on them, they’ll start to bite their tongue before spewing out racist crap.
It’s really all about money to these fame whores, hit them where it hurts and they’ll learn to keep their poison to themselves. And if they can’t censor themselves their handlers, managers, record labels etc will force them to in order to protect their own bottom line.
It’s about time black women learn how to wield the sort of power that we’ve just seen used to constrain the likes of Rush Limbough, for our own survival and the psychological health of young black girls and boys.
I don’t think any well mannered person would call their “sister” nappy headed. It does not insult me it simply announces to me that you hate yourself and that entreats my pity. I also do not think that someone not accustomed to our hair rituals would be bold enough or even knowledgeable enough to call someone else nappy headed. I could say alot about Wendy Williams, none of it positive, but that wasn’t the question. I have a TWA and have had it for a few months now and my first concern was that I’d look more masculine but I am confident in my femininity, my natural God given softness that it is not my hair that makes me a woman.
You didn’t mention what she said afterward. I am not an avid Wendy fan, nor do I seek to defend her, but she didn’t make it a point to say that she wasn’t being malicious and that she was simply giving her personal opinion on natural hair.
Wendy Williams openly prefers weaves and wigs as opposed to natural hair. We can’t be upset everytime somebody doesn’t prefer our hair.
But you don’t have to tear down something you don’t prefer.
Amen, a lot of people do not like natural hair, thats fine everyone is subject to thier own choices. But it is wrong to put down someone because of that choice. And what WW don’t understand is that black women are going natural everyday and when she made that comment about Viola Davis, she might as well called each one of us out by name. It was a stupid and ignorant choice for her to make that comment.
I love my natural hair and I was glad to see natural hair represented at the oscars! Viola looked wonderful and I didn’t agree with Wendy’s comments at all concerning that but I like Wendy Williams and I am not going to start putting her down concerning her choice to get plastic surgery or for wearing wigs. She is entitled to her opinion and all the people that are mad at her for what she said and putting her down are doing the same thing to her that you don’t like her for doing.
you mean to say ‘everytime somebody doesn’t prefer [THEIR OWN] hair’???
because our hair is her hair and vice versa, that is the point of the comments I think.
Great article! I was stunned by her comments but then I took a step back and remembered who she was – a woman with so much plastic surgery she is barely recognizable. She is filled with so much self hate how can she possibly celebrate or even understand Viola Davis? I actually wrote something about this today in a satire over on We of Hue (http://www.weofhue.com/planet-of-the-naps/), would love to hear your thoughts!
Hilariously poignant!!
Tiara,
I haven’t laughed like that in such a long time! Love your writing style and satirical approach.
TIARA I HATE YOU FOR MAKING ME LAUGH SO HARD HAHAHAHAHAHA
BWAHAHAHA, that was awesome!
Nicki Minaj is a disgrace, as is Wendy Williams, for their comments about hair in its natural state/texture. Media/Slavery did a superb job brainwashing black people overall; Sad that hair and skin color still remain divisive issues within non white groups of people.Self hatred is a sad sight.
These two women hear tons of makeups, wear clothing that exaggerates their breasts waists and buttocks, wear the most horrific wigs I have ever seen (I will never understand how tacky expensive wigs can look), and are not just a disgrace to their own race, but to women overall for what they promote (the unnatural figure and made up look with extreme contouring) via their images. Wear your layers of makeup tacky wigs, get plastic surgery, and modify yourself as much as you want, but when you do so much to stray from how you were born looking, please do not put down other women who work with what is God given and look as gorgeous as Miss Davis and other sisters look.
Ok maybe I’m different but I am not surprised by Wendy Williams remarks she is known for making very brass, and mean-spirited comments. Is it right? Hell No…It is sad that we can not get support from our own, but I bet any amount of money now that Joan Rivers said she was the best dressed now she will jump on the band wagon of support…SMH
These are sad times indeed when one of our own sends a (self)hateful comment out into the universe. I have watched Room 222 back in the day and there was a young actress I’m not sure of her name (Tamu?)
)I believe W.W might have been refering to her. Still it does not excuse her ignorance. She needs to take that weave out of her hair so her scalp and natural hair can get some much needed air maybe that would help her to remember who she is.
“These nappy headed hoes need a permenater”
Lyrics like this are listened to all around the world.
Not very helpful.
Wendy Williams, Nicki Minaj and Lil’ Kim are ridiculous anyhow. More buffoonery that is being shoved down our throats. What happened my people?? Is it me or is the movement constantly regressing instead of progressing? Use to be a time where we would support and build each other up. Now we are too consumed with tearing each other down. The 2 people mentioned are shiny examples of this. Williams has made a living spreading rumors and gossip about people. Nicki and Kim sells records trashing each other and all 3 look sad. I pray that these women wake up one day.
Complete Utter non-sense always seems to come from your own people. It’s important to choose your style correctly and wear what suits you. Some women of African descent actually look like a man with the weave on. Bear in mind I’m not weave hating hear. I just don’t let the weave determine who I am. Wendy needs to take a look before she leaves her house. Wearing way-too much make up and fake hair isn’t the essence of reall beauty. We can’t even see who the real Wendy is underneath all that. But hey,….. if you like that kind of stuff that’s just the type of person Wendy is.
“Some women of African descent actually look like a man with the weave on” I thought I was the only one who felt that way!
Anywho…Wendy is an idoit and Viola looked smashingly divine. Not much else to say on that.
I think Wendy Williams looks like a gorilla with plastic surgery and a 5 million dollar indian wig.
Insensitive as that may sound, I find my crass comparison has much more foundation than her acidic, depabssing comment which honestly sounded more like catty Jr. High jealousy to me than anything.
The lengths- the very artificial lengths, mind you- that Ms. Williams has gone to to look the way that she does (however that is) is testiment that the only place the word natural can be found in her life is a dictionary, assuming she owns one.
I mean let’s be real: where is her natural hair? (seriously- do you think she has seen it?? If so she is ashamed, because no one else has). Where is her Oscar? Or Emmy? Or audience…(wait, I’m getting carried away). And let us not forget, this is not the first time Wendy Williams has shared her unfounded, ignorant opinion on a subject much deeper than her contemplation.
Being that that is the case, my father always told me never to take advice from someone I don’t want to be like…
Let us just say anything she critiques I will automatically assume I should have a positive interest then.
I know I am not typical, but I think Wendy Williams said MUCH more about herself and her own issues in her horrendous, self-hatred infused critique on Viola…and I think people know that better than she does.
+1. I’ve been saying that forever – “those who talk about others reveal more about themselves than those they talk about.” Wendy Williams has some pretty large issues she has to work out. And let’s be honest, her weave is only $5.
I also want to add that Sigmund Freud said that humans live to destroy each. So Wendy Williams is only acting human and within her nature. To be beyond such is superhuman.
@leah, I think most of Wendy’s rant on Viola stems from the fact that Wendy probably hasn’t worn her natural hair in public for at least 15 years.
She shows peeks of her natural hair and photos on her show and says she has “long and “good” hair underneath those wigs as proof, but you’d never know it because we’ve never seen it.
Viola has more courage than she does, because she wears her natural hair. I don’t want to put one people’s opinions above another, but it’s something wrong with US when even Wendy’s Caucasian co-host on the red carpet looked confused when Wendy made her comments — “You know, a lot of people used to say that natural hair wasn’t formal” —
about natural hair and said Viola looked great.
Why do THEY like our hair but WE don’t?
http://hairnista.blogspot.com/2012/02/wendy-williams-goes-in-on-viola-davis.html
Wendy has actually released pics of her real hair. It’s very long (almost waist length) but terribly thin. Maybe she is too ashamed to wear it out.
Wendy clearly has issues, she revealed she was 1 of 4 black girls in school growing up showing she dosen’t really know about true black issues or culture besides the celebrity world, also do to her thyroid problems her hair thins out which is why she wears wigs (she may be jealous of a black woman who is not afraid and is confident enough to rock her own short natural hair), also she has revealed self esteem issues its so sad that the same week a black woman disses what she was born with a white woman (Joan Rivers) names Viola Davis best dressed at the Oscars and along with 3 other while people raved about Viola’s hair…
Yep, and Joan Rivers is also known to be pretty vicious when discussing celebrity appearences, so to be have Joan name her Best Dressed is definitely a compliment to Viola Davis (who is just phenomenal, btw…her career, how she carries herself, what she says…just phenomenal). Wendy must be jealous.
I really don’t know if there is a resurgence of negative words being used towards black women regarding our hair.
I had no idea Wendy said that about Viola, but I’m not shocked.
Hearing negative things being said about our hair from other black women is just deplorable. I find it pathetic. “Nicki” is a joke to rap so I really don’t find what she said in that song offensive. But I don’t understand why black people want to continue to hit below the belt. THIS IS WHY SOME PEOPLE SAY “ITS NOT JUST HAIR!”
When our hair is used to constantly put us down because we don’t fit the statue quo, that’s when you realize its more than hair. Its something that people can use to make you feel inadequate when you shouldn’t.
This makes me even more happy that Viola wore her hair the way she did. She looked gorgeous.
Its sad and incredibly crazy that we have to defend our choice to wear our hair naturally to people THAT HAVE THE SAME KIND OF HAIR GROWING OUT OF THEIR SCALP!
Wendy, “Nicki,” and other black people that feel this way need get clue. Who do they think they are fooling????? Why get upset over people who were able to look amazingly beautiful WITHOUT covering their hair up?
“Its sad and incredibly crazy that we have to defend our choice to wear our hair naturally to people THAT HAVE THE SAME KIND OF HAIR GROWING OUT OF THEIR SCALP!”
I agree 100%!!
THANK YOU!!!!!
What I think? I think neither one of them are worth acknowledging. Viola Davis got best dressed on Fashion Police, (mind you a show that outwardly displays glorification for women of non color.) simply based off of her wearing her natural hair. In Hollywood for a AAW to wear her natural hair is a risk,(which shouldn’t be) one that was embraced by the very white media. Now was the time for us women to show support to each other in that area and the both of them fall short, so I say, they don’t and shouldn’t matter. They shouldn’t get the high privilege of us wonderful AAW even giving them attention,they’re children.
I am not surprised Mrs. Davis got best dressed based on displaying her natural hair. I get so many compliments on my hair by non African Americans than African Americans. I find that alot of my African American co-workers make odd comments about natural hair. In contrast, my manager has personally complimented me on my hair.