by
Christina Patrice
I’m not a member of the Beyhive. In fact, I don’t own a single Beyonce album. Personally, I’ve been a fan of Jigga since my parents let me get my first “Parental Advisory” labeled CD.
But that’s neither here nor there.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know who Blue Ivy is. You know who her parents are and you might even be aware of the petitions, blog posts and social media draggings dedicated to her hair. The topic died down recently, with more attention being paid to the little girl cheering on her mom and dancing in her daddy’s lap while Bey performed at the VMAs.
But BET and the writers at questionably relevant 106 & Park couldn’t leave well enough alone. One day after the MTV Video Music Awards aired, Karrueche Tran guest hosted the music video countdown show. During a segment about six things Blue Ivy thought during the VMAs, Tran said:
“I really did wake up like this because my parents don’t comb my hair.”
She immediately followed it up with “Sorry Blue! I love you!”, as if she knew reading that joke spelled career suicide.
In the days following, Tran has received tons of social media backlash, including death threats (ya’ll gotta chill). BET President of Music Programming Stephen Hill even took to Twitter to apologize for the “stupid, unthoughtful joke” and informed everyone that BET is taking punitive measures against the writers of the script responsible, while also vouching for Karrueche’s innocence in the matter.
But Mr. Hill, the issue here isn’t Karreuche.
Although there is some culpability on her end (I mean, sometimes you should just know better), the root of the issue is BET and how a network aimed at black viewers (BET has not been black owned since Bob Johnson sold it to Viacom in 2000) speaks with a forked tongue when it comes to natural hair. The duplicitous network has no issue running commercials for Dark & Lovely Au Naturale and Creme of Nature natural hair products to collect ad revenue coins, while still utilizing multiple avenues to reinforce the notion that natural hair is unattractive and unacceptable.
Beyond the fact that making fun of a child (regardless of who their parents are) is rude and morally reprehensible, the realization that the jab at Blue Ivy was even given a green light speaks to greater issues and a lack of diversity and cultural sensitivity at the network. I’m not sure how staffing has changed at BET since the Viacom takeover 14 years ago, but I’m willing to bet that there are a lot less black staff at the Black Entertainment Television network than there was prior to Viacom’s buyout.
How else do you explain such an ill-conceived jab at natural hair coming to pass from a “black” television network?
Even if everyone was black at BET, I’d be careful not to assume that everyone liked or was even in support of natural hair. However, given that blackness does not exist as a monolith, it would be safe to say that somewhere within that (hypothetically) exclusively black group would be a segment of women and men who would have spoken up and called that joke exactly what it was: distasteful and plain wrong.
But that’s just me speculating.
Instead of BET rallying behind and supporting Blue Ivy’s gorgeous kinky coily mane, they chose to sit comfortably behind the same disparaging rhetoric that identifies phenotypical identifiers of blackness as anything but beautiful. Given the influence and platform that Blue Ivy shares with her mom, it stands to reason that the mini celebrity is one of several defacto ambassadors of the natural hair movement for kids. Her parents’ decision to let her mane flow and fro freely should be celebrated, not to be poked fun at as a trending topic for a struggle show.
In spite of how the natural hair movement has grown in recent years, the same whitewashed perceptions of beauty continue to persist in every corner of major media.
How many times have you personally been told that your natural hair looked dry, nappy, unkempt and needed to be combed? How many times do we have to have this conversation about our hair?
Prior to being sold, the veracity and integrity of BET would have never been called into question. But at the end of the day, BET and Viacom are owned by one man — Sumner Redstone. And you can bet your bottom dollar his interest in acquiring BET had absolutely nothing to do with preserving the quality and integrity of the network. As I said earlier in the year, with regard to Lisa Price no longer owning Carol’s Daughter, when you don’t own things, you have no say in what is done with them. While Johnson’s network might have been a pioneering force in black media at its inception, in 2014 BET is far from its roots.
Instead of making fun of Blue Ivy’s hair, perhaps the 106 & Park time slot could’ve been spent highlighting 6 reasons why Beyonce mailed them a pre-recorded performance for the BET Awards, but was live and in person for the VMAs. Fun fact: Viacom owns MTV, too.
Would you expect such a joke to be broadcast? How do you feel about BET’s apology?Â
105 Responses
Not everyone knows how to treat natural even celebrities stylist have no clue, I have seen a lot of make over where the black girl with kinky hair ended up with straight hair. Natural hair is for me a big step about accepting what you are born with and stop hiding it with blond weaves and perms. Natural hair has good days and bad days like everyone else. I personally don’t like how they styled her hair, but to put so much energy on it like that I don’t agree.
Its wrong to ridicule anyone’s natural hair…but mommy is strutting around w/ 22″ of semi blonde silky weave…what example is she setting for Blue anywsy? So it’s ” Blue, your hair is beautiful..but no!no!don’t pull on mommy’s $10,000 lace front.its not real!”. Explain HOW Blue doesn’t touch & feel& desire what is in front of her& part of her mommy? You want Blue to embrace her natural beauty? How about mommy leads by example? Our children learn by our actions..if you think Blue isn’t going to want to swing her me LIKE MOMMY, you are all in denial.shes doing her daughter no favors…contradiction is contridiction. What did “Murder In the First” actress Nicole Ari Parker do when she had her daughter? She decided if she wanted her daughter to embrace her beauty…she had to lead by example.telling her daughter her hair is beautiful while perming her own hair felt wrong to her.she felt it sent the wrong message.
Bey needs to take a page from Nicole’s book.Blue learns to love every part of herself by seeing mommy do the same! Just saying…Blue may end up loving her natural hair as she becomes more aware of her evolving identity & preferences but what are the chances she won’t be asking for hair “like mommy & grandma”??
So Now Beyonce is setting a bad example? did you ever notice how often bey wear braids when shes not performing , Her Hair Is Always BRAIDED & what if she does comb blues hair what if the way it looks is a result to being combed.. black people really hate looking black ! thats said I love my fro
I agree with you bey wears her weave mostly on stage or if she’s at an event. If u see photos of her when she is vacationing or home you embraces her naturalness. That person is just a hater.
School Daze (1988)was Spike Lee’s way of showing how divisive colorism (hatred/shame of Afrocentric; love of Eurocentric) is within a race still wearing the mental shackles of slavery. He remarked 25 yrs later how weaves had exploded even more since then. Ebony mag had the cast of ‘The Best Man’ on the cover, proclaiming ‘Black beauty’: except Nia Long, all the women had European booty weaves/ wigs. Ironic how some things never change – we still hate ourselves – even more!!!!!
When you see toddlers & little girls getting their hair done – all that tugging, pulling, etc., they are usually crying their heads off! Why should a child have to sit for hours getting their hair done to appease ANYONE???
Let the girl enjoy her FREEDOM!!! She’ll have the rest of her life to destroy her hair on her own.
Kudos to Bey (her mom had her own har salon people), for letting her child be free, natural & HEALTHY (cuteness factor already built in)! Remember Gabby Douglas – historical Olympic gold & all folks talked about was her HAIR!?!? Some of us are STILL pickin’ cotton – SMH
What is going on? When I was a teen in the 70’s almost everyone embraced the Afro. It was such a cool time. There were like maybe two or three products out there and word of mouth on how to take care of it. We would sit on each other’s porches and do each of our hair for the other. Of course some of the older crowd thought of it as a rebellious thing, but even some of them were wearing it. We just embraced our natural hair and kept it moving.
Something else is going on here. It’s like we’re back to hating each other for something as simple as natural or not, and if you are natural it has to be a certain way, and if you aren’t you are some sort of sell out.
Stop it people. Mind your business. Wear your hair the way you like and let’s get focused on empowering Black women and men with self esteem.
Unfortunately someone will always find an excuse as to why Blue Ivy should be ridiculed. The same people who find it ok to disrespect a child are the same people who would have a fit if it was their child. It’s called having respect and knowing when to keep mean spirited comments to yourself. Have an opinion but not at the expense of a child. Because if you find it ok to say disrespectful things about someone else’s child don’t be surprised when the same lack of respect is shown towards you or even a loved one.
All that talk about uplifting the kids, instilling confidence in them and there’s a bunch of adults acting like kids and doing the complete opposite. And we wonder where some kids learn to be bullies.
It baffles me that people are very upset about a baby wearing their clean hair in a NATURAL style. My daughter’s hair was mostly left alone as a baby and I have often received ridicule for not “doing her hair.” I guess keeping it clean and untangled was not enough *shrugs*. I’m glad I have made that decision, however, because while her classmates are struggling with thinning edges and broken hair, her hair almost reaches the small of her back eight years later. I’m glad I didn’t listen to others and just left her hair alone!
Amen!
Can someone just let me know where Karrueche Tran’s broadcast journalism degree is?? Why are we teaching people that the only way to come up is to be the girlfriend (or ex, or side piece or whatever she is to Chris Brown) of someone famous? There are SO many hungry young black (not diluted either BLACK) girls who have worked and are working hard to try and get in on the broadcasting game. I don’t care about Blue Ivy, Beyonce, or Jay, I’m really annoyed that this girl did no work to get to where she is, now host of a (dying out any-way but still) television show on a black network.
She’s a toddler. Toddlers are crazy thus running, rolling, and jumping around. Little girls, and boys with hair will almost ALWAYS be in their hair ( lord knows I can’t keep my hands out of mine lol). So even though styled hair that isn’t up will be out there. My mom always picked my hair into a fluffy afro because not only did she like the look but mainly it was better than trying to fight me into some barrettes. Her hair’s not matted, she’s not balding and missing edges, and it’a clear that her hair can be styled. You ever think she just likes her hair out? I love it and personally I love a good bedhead Clearly some of you think children are neat combed little angels, News flash that’s sooo far from the truth.
I love blues hair. Adults should be ashamed of themselves for making such nasty comments about her hair. There’s nothing wrong with her fro. The headband was perfect, too.
What do you expect from.a network that only promotes light skin long hair girls white gild Latin girls and mixed girls . What do expect from a network that just shows woman with long straight weaves or Wavy weaves ? Remember everyone and BET made a big deal just because Kendrick put one dark skin pretty girl in His video ! Elle Varner straightened her beautiful curly afro hair and bleached and cut it just to promote herself and fit in .
I haven’t watched BET since 2013. Their music has gone down hill since 2007.
What kills me about this post and others like it is that this is a natural hair blog which is supposed to be dedicated to uplifting, celebrating, and teaching black women to love their hair the way it grows. Looking at half of these comments you would think that none of y’all had relaxed hair bc truthfully Blue’s hair looks exactly like most people hair on this and many other sites dedicated to black hair. Everyone complaining has hair that probably LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE BLUE’s when they do a wash and go sans curl defining products, but y’all don’t want anybody to tell y’all to comb your hair … Smh I’m over the hypocrisy that is the natural hair community
Some of the people on here are so ignorant and don’t understand about other natural hair types themselves. There is a wide range of textures,coils and shrinkage levels. Obviously haven’t learned much and probably trot around looking for curl define cream. It’s fine for people to want that but talking about a child and pressuring others to over manipulate there hair so it can be up to their ignorant standards is not ok.
Have you ladies noticed the expression on beyonce ‘ face while she is looking at her daughter….it nearly brings tears to my eyes….she is in live with her baby…as she is…
I do not watch BET anymore. I am a child of the 1980’s and the programming was good. We had Teen Summit with Ananda Lewis, Rap City with Big Tigga and Big Lez, Mad Sports and many more sitcoms geared towards African Americans. I will not be supporting that network. Blue Ivy is a kid and she can wear her hair the way it grows out of scalp, if her parents choose so.
I was impressed and in awe of the fact bey left blues hair in its natural state….my mother did the same to me….I had a relaxer because a second cousin got a hold of my head…didn’t need it (non of us did) my.mother didn’t relax until her mid 20’s due to pressure for her sisters…blues fro looks better then a lot of you natural ladies and she is. Baby. …let her be. I tried to get my lil sis to do the same thing. .. and she asked me “why would I ley my baby walk around with an afro if I don’t”..I told her “because you don’t want her to have the same hair issues as you”. She can’t grow, moisturize,style or even tolerate her natural hair. …her mother (we have different mothers) can’t grow more than a couple of inches of hair because it constantly break…she still relaxes and will leave that ish on for 30 mins…
When I started doing my own hair again it grew like a weed…I wish I had gone natural sooner even if I knew nothing more than bunning…I think beyonce wants her baby girl to be familiar with and love her natural hair. …I love blues.lil fro….If/when I have children they will have big wild fros until they request otherwise. …But no chemicals (relaxer) allowed. …
I hated having my hair relaxed. ..Whenever my mother wasn’t looking I was playing in my hair with water and punk lotion…finger coiling before I even knew what that was. …
Please be gracious enough to excuse my typos. ..it’s late…I worked a long hard day…Thank you
I read a teleprompter for a living. I know when someone is reading cold ie reading a script they haven’t seen. People read more slowly because they’re concentrating and do not ham it up like she did. Plus people with COMMON sense don’t agree to read something they haven’t read when it wasn’t like breaking news.
When I think of free and independent thinking persons, Karruechi doesn’t seem to embody those characteristics. She strikes me as very easily manipulated and coerced.
To Princess Blue:
Spiral-hair = “concentrated antennas.” The nappier the hair, the more ‘Spiral Power’ it has…or maybe the reverse is true! And the more concentrated, powerful, and advanced will be its abilities relating to the Spiral Principle. This is evident even physically, for nappy hair Âbeing a spring, will “snap” back to the head when pulled out and released. The more the spring is coiled, the more power it has and the less space it takes up (concentration). Right after nappy hair is vigorously brushed, the nappy hair which has accumulated in the brush holds far more electrical static charge than straight hair; thus like a magnet, it will attract light items Âpaper for instance, whereas straight hair hardly or does not do this. Possibly, this mean that spiral hair has higher magnetic attraction for higher energies. It may also have the ability to concentrate or focus these higher energies like a magnifying lens concentrate sunrays. Whatever abilities it has are surely increased or intensified, the nappier the hair is. Thus the nappiest hair, the hair which Afrikan people are conditioned to reject and despise the most, turns out to be the most valuable, like “the stone which the builders rejected” which turns out to be the most important stone. SUZAR
Que?
exactly, I read it twice and I still do not get it
I literally cried laughing at your comment.
Barely
Entertaining
Television
I have seen a lot of pictures of Blue’s hair in new and old twist outs. They are obviously taking care of her hair. She has kinky hair, its going to look like it is clumped together. That is how her hair is. Simple.
No I wouldn’t expect a insensitive joke directed to a little girl. I saw this thread on Black hair information and the lady dissing Blue’s hair. I was floored when I saw that and I was like,”That’s a baby. You guys are grown people poking fun at a baby.” It really raised my blood pressure up and I asked my Mom,”Would you poke fun at a child?” She said,”No.” This was immature. It got to the point where I wanted to defend Blue by wearing my fro’ at the VMA’s. only if I was a singer.
This is a baby they are poking fun at and criticizing. So what if she wears a coily, kinky Afro? That’s Beyonce’s daughter. Beyonce doesn’t seem to have a problem with it and blue doesn’t either. Beyonce is famous and popular, she has millions of dollars, she can pay any stylist to put chemicals and relaxers in her hair. That’s a baby we are talking about. It’s ironic how the people who are against racism internalize racism onto their own, especially a baby and not feel anything by it. These are grown people and the joke was senseless;not funny. No you don’t love her because people who love you don’t put you on blast like that. We all knew you two were trying to save yourself because the media came back at you.
There are people who don’t like natural hair but it is rising rapidly so nothings stopping it.Women are going back to their roots whether you like it or not.
I don’t see anything wrong with her hair…at all.
Blue Ivy has beautiful natural hair. I have seen little girls with her hair type with no edges and a little ponytail. B is doing a great job keep it up. I don’t care for the BET network they have been wack lately.
Is there no more voting on comments at BGLH?
the thumbs up/down comments on BGLH are no longer…I miss thumbs
What the heck? Why? Black Girl Long Hair? I think nobody likes this new system. The voting helps you join the conversation in the comment section without making comments. There are great debates that go on in the pages, and sometimes I just want to agree without saying “hey! I agree 100X”. Anyone else agree with this statement? We want votes back?
Yes, I agree! I mean, if you’re trying to avoid cyberbullying by getting rid of downvotes, fine. But please give us the ability to upvote again!
While allowing negative comments about Blue’s hair isn’t right… advertising has nothing to do with the values of the network. Advertising is about money, whether it’s relaxers or natural hair products, BET doesn’t care about either other than the ad revenue coming in.
Although I think it’s awful that they are picking on a child I feel the need to point out that this has very little to do with NATURAL hair. The issue is that Blue’s hair, be it natural or not, is neglected by her glamourous mother. It’s about the lack of care. They aren’t going in on natural hair, they are going in on the ridiculous neglect that Blue Ivy seems to be subject to.
No one is asking for her hair to be permed or braided, just cared for. Combing hair does not result in alopecia, Blue’s not going to get thin edges from having a soft brush or wide toothed comb run through her hair from time to time.
We know full well that if this was Keisha from down the street’s kid people would let her know how inapropriate it was for her child’s hair to be in that state while she was looking so glamourous.
Beyonce and jay Z ought to be ashamed of themselves for exposing their child to such ridicule. They are responsible for her care and her protection, and it’s not okay that they let people come at her like that over something that they could do something about.
It strikes me as very egotistic, they’ll put their “we do what we want” egos over their child’s well being. She’ll soon be old enough to understand ridicule, I hope they’ve taken care of this by then.
Well said B..my thoughts exactly!
I have hair like Blue Ivy. When I first went natural, I would pick it out, fluff it up and shape it into a fro. A few hours later, I would look in the mirror and it would be hamming it up on top of my head. I have more than one texture in my hair and the textures did not play well together and they did not react to the climate in the same way either. So, yes, If I wanted perfect hair, I would have to constantly be picking it all day long. Here is the thing. Blue Ivy is a baby. She is extremely active. Her hands are probably constantly in her hair. She probably lays on it and rolls around on it. She does not have bounce back hair guys. When I look at her hair, that is what I see. A baby who is extremely active whose hair is going a little ham but who cares? She is a baby! These types of comments made me hate my hair and caused so many problems for me after my second big chop. I wanted hair that behaved which was not what I got. Beyonce and Jay Z are probably trying to teach her to love herself and not obsess about hair. If they constantly combed her hair, they would be sending the message that something was wrong with her. This is the message I unintentionally got from my family about my misbehaving hair as a child. Leave that baby alone. Let her be confident and proud. Let her have fun and be a carefree child
Are you serious right now? You could have commented on the fact that adults are making fun of a toddler. You could have commented on the decline of Black targeted network television. But you zero in on Blue’s hair and insist that it needs something it doesn’t. How old are you, B? Because your stance tells me you’re over 30, but your logic doesn’t agree.
Soft brushes and wide tooth combs do and can cause some people’s edges to thin. I’m one of those people, and my hair has never been better after abandoning combs. Blue isn’t being hurt by the lack of a comb, hell, you have no evidence that her hair isn’t combed–it very well could be. What’s egotistical about caring for your child’s hair in the way you wish? In this case, nothing. The only egotism I sense here is yours, B. It takes some kind of ego to demand things from people you don’t know because you think it’s better that way.
I don’t do internet wars, Danana. I called it like I saw it. If you see it differently, more power to you.
I sincerely hope that this is not how you conduct yourself in real life. Insulting people for having a different opinion than you is a sign of immaturity and perhaps sociopathy, IDK. What is so hard about stating your opinion respectfully?
My opinion differed from that of the writers of this article but I did not insult them in anyway. I stated my opinion and kept it moving. Whatever ever valid opinion you may have had is burried under the heaps of insults you were so desperate to throw at me and I am disinclined to go digging for it. What could have been an interesting discussion between us has now become a very short exchange.
PS:
In your hurry to defend the Carters you missed the fact that the first thing I pointed out was that it was awful that they were picking on Blue.
If you don’t do internet wars, why did you directly respond to me instead of crafting a response to everyone who disagreed with you? I didn’t insult you for having a different opinion, I insulted you for insinuating that not combing hair and laying it sleek is a form of laziness and neglect stemming from egotism…so we traded insults, because I’m one of those so-called egotists who doesn’t use a comb.
Furthermore, my comment didn’t heap insults on you. I pointed out that you have an antiquated view (must be sleek, professional, and laid at all times, no matter the age) on the care of natural hair. If you truly possessed the logic and maturity of someone over 30, you would recognize that there’s more than one way to skin a cat, and Blue Ivy isn’t suffering by Bey’s method.
I’m not a Bey or a Jay stan. I actually can’t really stand either of them. I rushed to defend Blue Ivy because I get weary of seeing little Black girls being torn down by everyone, everywhere. You may not think you’re a part of the damage, B, but by saying that Blue Ivy’s hair isn’t just fine the way it is, that it NEEDS to be visibly combed, you are contributing to the idea that Afro-textured hair is unacceptable for public consumption in its natural state. And I will always come after folks who enforce that poison.
@B you don’t do internet wars yet you attack back with a non related dig….?
Your opinion was steeped in a lot of ignorance and loathing for natural Black hair. Your example of Keisha on the block being told off about her kid does not support the fact the culture of calling Black children nappy head or unkempt because their hair is in it’s natural state is dead wrong. Blue’s hair is exactly what thick, coarse natural hair looks like when it is in a out free state. It looks clean and that’s really the most important part of caring for hair not that it is laid or in a style especially not for a child. In fact we need to see more kids and adults doing this so people stop seeing out natural hair being “too wild”, “unkempt and/or “unprofessional”. The rules for grooming are always changing and Black people need to actively contribute to stopping the cycle of relaxed and weave being the standard and natural being counter culture.
Would you be saying this stuff about a White child who just wears their hair down? Maybe you would and you would still be wrong.
The follow-up comments aren’t just about disagreeing with your “opinion”. You said ignorant and untrue things about Blue’s hair and people called you out. Take sometime and learn something instead of feeding the system of degradation and hate.
i see it differently from you. and i agree with danana and the girl above. her hair most likely *is* combed but because she’s active, like toddlers should be, her hair is *not* going to stay in place unless her parents are constantly in her hair trying to keep it that way.
even when i put locs in my son’s hair i had to constantly redo them several times a WEEK because he constantly rolled around on his head. i’ve only just gotten to where, now after months of them being in, they don’t unravel and even still the ones in the back do. So i can only imagine what it would be like staying on top of a child’s loose natural hair. my own hair won’t even hold a style for long without frizzing out. it’s totally and completely unrealistic to expect such a thing of a child’s hair.
..but that’s their child…so they kinda can do what they want..
I have no idea what you are talking about because I don’t see her hair as neglected. It’s not overly styled and that should be fine because she’s a kid and really that should be fine for anyone. Would you have this same criticism on White celebrity kids when they just wear their hair down?
First and foremost, Blue’s hair should not be a topic of discussion like it has been. She’s a young kid and her parents have decided that she should be afforded the freedom of wearing natural hair. Do you have natural hair? I ask because you seem surprised by how it looks. Her hair looks out and gently taken care of with finger detangling. Personally, I haven’t used a comb or brush since I went natural and that works for many naturals. But again, the issue is that Black people have a strong desire to ridicule this little girl and her parents. Those “criticisms” are more of a reflection of the communities inability to accept their own natural image than it is about “care”. To put it frankly, that is how Black hair grows and we look when we aren’t desperately trying to manipulate ourselves to look “kept”. She looks like a happy, healthy and free kid. Why is that a bad thing?
Believe me, Blue wants for nothing and I’m glad her parents aren’t fussing with her for hours to achieve “laid” looks. You should turn the mirror on yourself and figure out why you are uncomfortable with that.
very well said.
You are missing the point, and I think it’s sad. The problems with people making fun of Blue Ivy are as follows:
1) She’s a child for goodness sake! Have some decency.
2) Her hair is the subject of contention because it is free-flowing, natural, kinky, coily hair.
3) Blue Ivy has nothing to do with your disdain for Beyonce or Jay Z. Leave the baby alone.
I’ll expand on point two because it is somewhat more subtle. The fact is that Blue’s hair IS maintained and HEALTHY. Anyone with kinky, coily hair knows what matted, dry, unmanaged hair looks like. Blue Ivy’s hair is absolutely gorgeous and healthy. Yet, many BLACK people argue otherwise because they still believe that twistouts, braidouts, wigs, weaves, and extensions are the only acceptable styles for black hair, especially in position of power or public attention. If you have kinky hair and wear it in it’s most natural texture, in a free-formed state, it is considered unacceptable, ugly, and unkempt. Yet, straight and wavy hair in its most natural texture and free-formed state is deemed beautiful. Heck, even messy buns on straight hair are considered beautiful. I see so many women with straight hair intentionally rocking an unkempt look as a form of beauty and fashion. Yet, kinky hair in its healthiest, natural state is never considered beautiful.
Putting braids, annoying clips/beads, wigs, and weave in Blue’s hair isn’t going to make it healthier or more managed. Those styles can be very painful for adult heads, let alone delicate heads of children.
(Personal anecdote) My aunt is from Nigeria (I’m first generation Nigerian-American). She put braid extensions in my baby cousin’s head before she was even one years old!!! She put at least 8 inch braids in that poor baby’s head, and my baby cousin looked so ridiculous because she had 8-10 reddish-brown braids attached to her little brown kinky patches of hair. Naturally, she didn’t even have a full head of hair yet, and my aunt attached extension to it. My aunt is a product of this horrible mindset that kinky hair can never be beautiful. In my experience, my Nigerian mother slapped on a perm in my head by the time that I was 4 years old.
It is toxic to have this mindset that natural is unacceptable, especially when it is applied to children. The natural hair movement is worth having for this very reason alone. I think there is some what of a backlash against the natural hair movement coming from our own people (black people), which I find really sad. I think this petition against baby Blue is an example of that.
One more point…. We should all be grateful that we even have hair on our heads to grow and display as a form of beauty. Many people cannot grow hair naturally. It pains me to see black women destroying their natural beauty so much that many have to continue wearing wigs and weaves because they have completely DESTROYED their hair. Black women mutilate their bodies so much even though what they have is already so beautiful. That makes me sad.
I wish I could “thumbs up” your post! We’ll stated!
*Well *stupid autocorrect*!
I know right! It baffles me that a messy bun on straight hair is considered beautiful and a free form fro is not!
Wow, yes.
i dont know.. i dont think it’s neglected. you really shouldn’t pull on a childs’ hair to braid or put in ponytails. It’s fragile and easily breaks. it really should be left alone to flourish and grow. I’ve never really paid attention to her hair until it has been pointed out in recent months. It looks to me to be hand picked out into a fro and a bow put in it. i personnally like it.
And I think Jay-Bey can do what they want, ridicule or not. They are adults, now..and its their child. Any of us can say what we want it won’t change a thing. I’ve seen nothing wrong with Blue’s hair and still don’t. And, ofcourse u r entitled to your opinion. I just don’t agree.
They should have went in on Kelly’s hair..y she lookin like Jeromy-Rome from Martin. What is that?
This has everything to do with natural hair. Her hair is very much cared for. What people like you really mean to say when you talk about how Blue’s “glamorous mother” won’t “do something” with Blue’s hair is… Beyonce is entirely too rich to allow her daughter to walk around looking so… soo… black!
How else do you explain people’s need for a two year old not to wear her hair in its natural hair? How else do you explain people feeling the need to humiliate a toddler on the internet and television because her parents dare let her wear her hair in its natural state? How else do you explain people criticizing Beyonce and Jay’s parenting for letting their two year old daughter’s hair grow freely and naturally.
Exactly.
Also how dare anyone say that Beyonce and Jay were “exposing their child to such ridicule”. People should not humiliate a little black girl for her natural hair. Period. The end. It is not her parent’s responsiblity to make their daughter, a two year old, accommodate to people’s antiblack ideals and eurocentric beauty standards.
Rayanna I want to up vote your comment so bad! But I can’t… le sigh.
I wish I could thumbs you down you absolutely make no sense. How is it Bey fault for blue hair they don’t have to please people like you its their child so why you stressing???
LOOL!
That is all I have to say to your post. “LOL” and not because I find your post funny.
How do you know that the child’s well being is in jeopardy?
She looks GLAMOUROUS because she is on stage performing. WHat does her weave have anything to do with a baby? You assume a lot.
This comment is in response to the User titled ‘B’. I remember a year ago when I first returned natural. I was in a bank and a woman walked up to me and asked “Girl, why’s your hair so dry?” My only response was “Touch it”. When she touched it all manner of leave-in conditioners, moisturizing milks and hair oil was left on her hand. “She was like “Eww, what’s all this?” I responded you just said my hair is dry then I proceeded to blast her for coming up to me in the manner that she did. EVERY HEAD OF HAIR IS DIFFERENT. Just because Blue’s hair doesn’t look moisturized doesn’t mean it isn’t, it doesn’t means it’s dry either! How do you know Beyonce or someone else doesn’t run a wide tooth comb through blue’s hair? How do you know they don’t detangle or moisturize it? I didn’t know you’re with Beyonce and her daughter 24/7 and I’m pretty sure if she wasn’t detangling and moisturizing Blue’s hair, Blue’s hair would be locked right now in dread locks. Have a seat! I have a niece with super kinky hair, no matter how much water, aloe vera juice, leave-in conditioners, moisturizing hair milks, lotions, butters and oil her hair will still look dry. You can dump a tub of olive and argan oils on her head for shine and it will suck it up and still look dry! It’s just the way her hair and some other people’s hair is. Unless you can feel and touch Blue’s hair, you will never know if it’s moisturized or not! You should be ashamed of yourself for making such an ignorant comment! The people to blame in this mess are the ignorant people who are spewing such negativity about a child!
@ B: I am going to have to respectfully agree to disagree with you. And just in case you assume I am a Beyonce fan, that is not the case. Never owned any of her albums, not interested in her stuff. This isn’t a matter of who the child is or who her parents are. I couldn’t care less. It’s about principle.
You stated, “The issue is that Blue’s hair, be it natural or not, is neglected by her glamourous mother. It’s about the lack of care”
What is your definition of neglect and care? My sister appears to have the same hair as Blue. I can use tons of moisturizer and seal it all in with shea butter or oils and her hair may still appear dry, dull “unkept”. Especially when she wants to wear it in a twist out or braid-out for a few days. As the days go by it appears more and more dry. Yet when touched, it feels very soft and moisturized, sometimes oily. Now when she puts it up into a pony tail, high bun or some other style that requires hair ties with loads of gel or curl puddings, that’s when it is shinny and appears defined, “neat” and or “well kept.” But my sister has accepted and love’s her hair as is and she enjoys wearing it out in all it’s glory no matter how it appears to some. She washes and deep condition her hair 1x a week and is extremely gentle with her hair. It is almost midback length when stretched but shrinks up like Blue’s length. She prefers the big poofy afro look because she say’s its easiest to style since that is the way it grows from her scalp. She also loves the fact that her friends call her lioness because of her frizzy poofy hair. She is only 12.
So my question to you is, are you saying that if you saw my sister in a twist-out which looks exactly like Blue’s hair in photos and in person, you would immediately assume her hair is not cared for or is neglected?
You may not like the look and that’s fine, it’s all about preference but to make arbitrary assumptions based on photos is another thing. My sister’s hair and scalp are healthy and always clean but yet to some it may not appear so on the surface. Does that make it right to judge, coming to conclusions based off of very little information? You speak as though you’ve styled Blue’s hair or thoroughly inspected her hair some how.
In my humble opinion, what matters most is the health and cleanliness of both the scalp and hair. How one chooses to style their hair doesn’t matter because it is about one’s preference. I know how certain textures respond to products and the elements so I would never look at someone’s hair and assume the worst.
Oops I meant *Unkempt*
I don’t agree that that child’s hair is neglected. I also disagree that Beyonce’s hair is all of that glamorous. Perhaps based on European standards of beauty, maybe. I think that people aren’t taking into account that she is a natural haired toddler. She plays, her hair is going to get messy. If you look at recent pictures her hair is growing. That wouldn’t happen if her hair was being neglected.
BET’s gone downhill since they canceled all those good shows from the 80’s-early 2000’s and what do they have but 106&Park crap. They don’t know what the hell they’re doing anymore. Making fun little Blue’s hair while advertising natural hair products. I don’t think 106&Park’s been on air all week due to this mess. Might as well pull the plug anyway nobody’s checking for that.
“This hunger strike will continue until BET is taken off the air, the offices shut down, and all its top executives commit Japanese-ritual suicide.” -Huey Freeman, The Boondocks
I’m going to watch the Hunger Strike episode of the Boondocks again. The Boondocks is way funnier than I remembered. Here it is-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_9laatFHJE
This is a new low BET.
Unfortunately, some people( blacks included ) still believe the “Silky hair=Beautiful, Kinky hair=Unacceptable” mentality.
Some people in my college( especially black females ) make fun of my natural hair because they prefer scary-looking ratchet weaves( I learnt the phrase “Ratchet weave” from KevOnStage on YouTube and it tickles me whenever I hear it; that’s the perfect way to describe their weaves ).
So, I’m obliged to think that there may have been Black people, working in the BET office, who actually approved of the joke. There is still a considerable amount of black people who prefer relaxers, weaves, hair extensions, etc to natural hair. Like one of my classmates who felt the need to ask me( when my hair was in a beautiful wash-n-go ) “Why are you wearing your hair like this?” with wide-eyed astonishment and emphasis on the “like this” as if to say “Your hair looks really really bad, change it”. Another day, she told me to change everything about my hair. Her exact words were “Your hair doesn’t look nice like this. I think you should change everything about it. Make it straight and change the colour”. I smiled politely and did no such thing!
She’s an African but she and her annoying friends make fun of natural hair( in general ) but see nothing wrong with trying to imitate it by wearing ratchet weaves that look so fake that they could NEVER be seen as natural hair. Their actual hair is short, relaxed, damaged and seems like it’s not growing( Yes, I’ve seen their hair ) so they hide it under ratchet weaves… and they want me to take their bad hairstyling advice, Sorry, I’ll pass.
Blue Ivy is just a child and I love her hair! I may not be a member of the Beyhive either but I admit that I find it very brave and noble for Beyoncé to keep her daughter’s hair natural and free despite all efforts by the media and some nosy people, to make her change her daughter’s hair. Beyoncé, more power to you!
People forget that Blue Ivy is just a child( a child who has celebrity parents IS STILL a child ). No matter what you call this, this is actually bullying. Why pick on a child? They don’t have anything better to do with their lives? The worst part is that the persons behind such rude comments are often ratchet-weave wearing blacks. Seriously, she’s just a child, leave her alone. She has a right to love and rock her natural hair, let her be.
I don’t watch BET because most of what I’ve seen there is stereotyping and a generally embarrassing/ ghetto image of black people. They also don’t seem to have any particular respect for black women. Anyone with natural hair knows that Blue Ivy’s hair is taken care of because with little coils like that it would probably start to tangle and loc if it really was entirely uncombed! It is not “styled” but I like seeing a little girl with free hair instead of a receding hairline because her hair is always pulled back or braided too tightly.
You know what they say, “opinions are like a$$holes, everybody has one.” And with the internets and other tech anyone can share them and everyone else is subject to it. There’s no perm to straighten out trolls unfortunately so best thing to do is spread tolerant, progressive ideas WHICH BET SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THE OPP TO DO WITH THIS SCANDAL. BUT, they’ve clearly been struggling to get their walking stick into 2014 so…
LOL @ the mailed-in satellite performance ref!!!!
http://mysocalledfashion.com
Nappy hair or not, she’s still one of the cutest babies.
Go Blue Ivy. <3
ummm, one of the cutest? ummm
Someone need to protect this child, if I was Bee, I would hide my baby because it doesn’t worth the sacrifice of her self esteem.
That gif of Blue Ivy dancing in Jay Z’s lap is so cute!! Yeah, that joke coming from BET is distasteful, but not shocking. Many women have gone natural only to find that it’s the (black) people in their own community who who are the harshest about their natural hair. I’m not saying that white people or non-blacks love natural hair more than black people, but sometimes black people feel entitled to talk about a “black issue”, such as hair, to another black person, even if it is in an insulting way. Just like one might think they can say something insensitive to a family member that they wouldn’t dare say to a stranger, friend, peer, or coworker.
Awwww, it sucks that BGLH took away thumbs ups and downs because I wanted to thumbs up some posts on this particular entry.
Anyway, people should leave that baby’s hair alone. I watched the VMAs and I thought that her hair was beautiful! 🙂
I get the feeling that the way beyonce allows Blue’s hair to be styled is how she probably deep down inside would like to wear her own hair. But she know’s that if she does, her handlers would not allow it and she will probably be made fun of as well as loose some of her fan base because they are all use to a “certain” look. And i’m guessing that she does not want to take that risk because that’s how she makes her money! Other than her voice, her look is probably the biggest reason for her success.
Like you Christina, I am not a Beyonce fan, never owned any of her albums, just isn’t my cup of tea. I only know what I hear on the radio or tv. But I commend her for embracing her daugther’s hair. Blue, your hair is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! Good job on that Beyonce.
To all you everyday natural women,kids and teens who wear your natural hair in all it’s glory!! Keep it up! Be your own inspiration. Don’t look to others for validation. Don’t wait until some public figure makes it cool to wear your hair as is. Wear your hair any which way you please. If you want to wear it out big, wild and care free, undefined, and not tamed with layers of product, then you go on right ahead. Set if free!!! For you grown and sexy women, you show the world how your kinky,coily,curly,un-curly, frizzy, poofy hair can be sexy! Don’t wait for Beyonce or others a like to one day make it acceptable or sexy. If you are 100% confident in however you wear your hair, eventually everyone else around you will have no other choice than to get use to it.
As long as your scalp and hair are healthy and clean then please wear your hair any which way you please. Set your own standards, be your own inspiration. Be the change you want to see.
Well Black women are the ones criticizing this childs hair, starting petitions, and making jokes and memes about it so no surprise BET would jump on the bandwagon and joke the same way the viewers do. I haven’t seen a single white media source blog etc say anything bad about this childs hair. It’s us black women and I am ashamed of some of these women cause it just reeks of jealousy
What happen to the thumbs up & down features on comments?? That’s part of the fun posting here….lol
@Truth Hurts, I was thinking the same thing. The ‘thumbs down’ make me laugh…lol sorry BGLH
Thumbs up. Lol
so true I miss that already
I don’t miss it actually. The thumbs up/down didn’t necessarily translate to what was a good comment or not. It usually just boiled down to whether people agreed or not and it was sad to see how many stupid statements the masses agreed with. Good riddance and I hope this isn’t a fluke.
Too often Black media and TV “icons” that are foisted on us are set up as modern day minstrel shows. Even when Black owned, White people were still pulling the strings. Mass media has always had an ulterior motive when it comes to Black folks and I was never impressed or interested in BET. None of this is surprising but it’s still disappointing how tasteless Black people have been acting about Blue Ivy. I remember this same sort of crap happening to Gabby Douglas (and still don’t get what anyone was talking about!).
These waste of space loudmouths need to put their time to better use and stop feeding the oppression!
Does anyone know if Beyonce has replied to all these comments on her child’s hair, why she leaves it this way? because I’ve seen a plethora of articles, commentary, blogs, vlogs for and against Blue Ivy’s hair but in true don’t-give-a-damn fashion (as it should be) nothing from Beyonce, or is there?
She looks like she is making a powerful statement, but i hate saying people are making powerful statements and trying to force them to be ambassadors to a movement for change when they are just trying to “be”.
BET ran Comicview long before it was sold to Viacom and on Comicview, you could catch endless jokes disparaging skin color, hair texture and every other Black feature. It was a vile, vile show. BET has been vile for a long time, its just now white owned vileness. The Johnsons may own horse ranches and belong to the uppercrust of society now but they built that empire on every ghetto, Black-bashing stereotype in existence.
I am 99.99% positive that joke was written by a black person sore that Beyonce gave MTV (their sister station as it is also owned by Viacom) a 17-minute performance while giving BET a video. When they should have been grateful as she was on tour and wasn’t obligated to do that (and I am not a member of the Beyhive either, I liked one song on that last album and that is it). BET thinks its more relevant than it is. I can’t think of anytime in the last year where I have actually cared about anything related to BET except for maybe wondering who was going to get shot this year at their awards show.
But I’m certain a black person wrote it because it was so below the belt and petty. The person who wrote knew what they were do it and knew who to have deliver it (A person of no discernable talent. I mean her one claim to fame is the fact that she regularly allows someone of dubious mental health to use her and her body as a doormat). NOT saying that white people aren’t petty and low (we all know they are) but we are pettier and nastier to our own and know where to strike blows that outsiders wouldn’t know about it.
BET runs those dark and lovely ads because dark and lovely pays for them. If a weave manufacturer had enough revenue to produce and buy an ad they would run that to, like they run relaxer ads. Simple as that. To paraphrase Mr. West, BET doesn’t care about black people or their natural hair.
Absolutely spot on!!
I come across ignorance, bias and colorism in the black American community all the time, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Tran’s “joke” was okay-ed by blacks on the show. Despite recent increases in natural hair amongst black Americans, many blacks still (consciously or subconsciously) view coily hair and blackness in general as negative characteristics. Chris Brown and Lil’ Wayne, from what I’ve read, have made their preference for straight haired, light-skinned black women very clear.
The “ignorance, bias and colorism” is pervasive throughout our diaspora, that’s just fact, it’s not American specific.
And look who you’re alleging doesn’t value natural hair, an admitted batterer and a cough-syrup addict who constantly find themselves in trouble with the law. Do you look to them for insight? I’d also change “many” to “some”, until you take the pulse of “many” Black people, don’t generalize.
I haven’t watched or supported BET in decades….black owned, not black owned doesn’t make a difference. Their ratchet rap videos and degrading treatment of black women and girls was enough for me. Colorism, sexism, and just plain “ghetoofied” ignorance sealed the deal for me. So, I’m not suprised about the recent comments regarding lil blue’s hair. Nothing will change unless people realize that their purchasing power and their unwilliness to support all things ratchet ends. jmtc
I couldn’t agree more. The negative images of blacks in media and negative lyrics in black music are ruining the already fragmented and downtrodden community. When will black people stop glorifying ignorance?
THANK YOU. It’s way too easy to blame white folks for this…BET was ratchet LONG before Bob Johnson sold it. And black folks haven’t needed white folks’ help to hate on each other for a few centuries now. Yes, I said it…
It’s been a good 20 years since I last watched BET with any kind of regularity. It’s also been at least 20 since I listened to mainstream “urban” hip-hop on a regular basis. Many of these black-targeted media organizations get away with this kind of ratchetness because they know a lot of black folks are so hungry for ANY kind of representation they’ll tolerate pretty much anything no matter how stupid, unprofessional, lewd, etc. it is. Well, some of us ain’t that hungry…
On another note: Awesomely Luvvie’s take on this was hilarious. I have no idea who Karrueche Tran is but apparently her first name is problematic…?
Same.
Wasn’t too sure about this assertion:
“Prior to being sold, the veracity and integrity of BET would have never been called into question.”
I’m 30 and BET has been ratchet (with a few family friendly shows and sunday morning church programs randomly tossed into the mix) as long as I can remember. Perhaps more ratchet in recent years, but always ratchet.
amen and amen and amen. bet is trash. I have not watched the network in years. My teenage sons do not watch. who gives a damn what the network has to say about anything.
Couldn’t agree more. Seriously though people should take a moment and think before they post/say things that could be hurtful- especially to a child regardless of who she is or her parents. Personally I think it’s great they are choosing not to put potentially harmful chemicals in her hair or trying to send a message, subtle or overt, that she isn’t perfect just the way she is. If people don’t like how it’s being styled then I hope they will still remember that this is again a child and we should be finding ways to uplift and support- not tear her down.Just my $.02.
This would have been such a great comment, had you not used the words ghetto and ratchet.You’re saying we need to fix that, and no one here should pretend that ghetto and ratchet are not terms used to belittle black women (that we gracefully reclaimed, as we do everything) and we don’t need to fix blackness.
As KeKe Palmer said, we tease ‘ghetto’ girls but everyone wants to be a part of that ‘ghetto’ culture.
But, genuine question. what ghettoness and ratchetness are you specifically talking about? About a black network? Rap is not ‘ghetto’ its a genre of music created by and for black people to speak out. Grown women owning their sexuality is not ‘ratchet’, its a woman doing something shes been taught she cant do.
But I’m just asking for an explanation.
Blackness doesn’t need to be fixed…but our “ghetto culture” does. Specifically a culture that demeans and degrades black women via music and social media etc. A culture that often perpetuates colorism and ignorance. A culture that tends to glorify violence against women particularly women of color. If it wasn’t for this ghetto culture I believe black people in general would be in a far more better state than they are at present. It’s a culture that seems to circle at the bottom of the totem pole in regards to education, employment, health, and economic freedom.
I made it my business to raise my family outside that culture. I was raised outside that culture. I’ll be truthful, I don’t see anything positive about the “ghetto-culture”. Nothing! No one should pretend that this ghetto culture is something to be proud of or support.
“that we gracefully reclaimed, as we do everything”
With all due respect, speak for yourself. “We” are not claiming these words that “we” didn’t invent or apply to ourselves. Who proudly accepts defamation as a calling card? Certainly not Jews – and “ghetto” is Yiddish!
How do you reclaim something you never owned? Also, the poster didn’t call rap as an art form “ghetto”, they noted the modern-day, heavily-financed, corporate-conceived rap video – as trash, you think differently, okay.
I don’t see anyone who wants to be a part of “ghetto” culture, I see people who want to mock and exploit it for profit. And “owning sexuality”, or the difference between exploitation vs expression, is subjective. Hyper-sexual women shoved down our throats as the only image of women and a lack of viable and visible media-corporate-artistic alternatives (Oprah? Janelle Monae?), is problematic and hardly ownership IMO.
And that’s a shame because BET use to be so GOOOOD. Too good.
Great article! Last paragraph was the kicker!
This is getting ridiculous! This is a child! Who the hell makes fun of a child? I guess since they can’t find anything physically wrong Beyonce,they pick on her baby. Ppl have been going in on this child since she was conceived. Only a jerk would find this fun. Yes some times her hair has knots in it, but if you leave a child’s hair out, they will twist and pull at it. Let’s start a new petition called “leave Blue Ivy’s hair alone”
BET has on a program called “Black Girls Rock” annually. I’ll be contacting them to consider airing their show online or something. How can you tell us sistas to uplift ourselves when you can’t even respect someone’s child.
The ignorant
Would I expect such a joke to be broadcast? Yes, of course. BET is trash, as it has been for a number of years. The joke was distasteful, and Blue Ivy’s hair was beautiful, as it always has been. I fail to see the humor in talking about an innocent child’s hair.
Thank you!
100% Agreed!
Her hair is beautiful. ..Thank you