A couple of years ago, I would see black people come onto various social media platforms and complain about how white people don’t know how to work with type 4 hair. They claim they’re professionals in all types of hair, but they don’t even know that type 4 hair needs moisture. One particular wish I used to see was that they wished white people knew how to do black hairstyles, more specifically, types of black hair braided styles. And after years upon years of complaining, they finally learned. And I have mixed feelings about it.
I’ve noticed a small surge of white hair braiders. And I don’t mean hairstyles like French braids, I mean black hairstyles such as box braids, boho braids, even locs on occasion. Back when the complaints about white people not knowing how to do black hairstyles were being made, I used to nod in agreement because, ideally, it can only bring progress. I don’t mess with white people getting braids, or at least not in this current political climate, knowing the history and discrimination black people still face because of it. But the idea of white people knowing how to braid could make it more accessible for black people in more rural areas to have access to those types of hairstyles. On top of that, it could destigmatize and normalize black hair styles if they were more readily accessible and acknowledged by all types of hairstylists.
However, now that I actually see white hair braiders getting more popularity on social media, all I can do is tilt my head to the side. Because while in my head, it’s a good idea, I’m nervous about its execution. There is a long, long history of when white people “adopt” a portion of black culture. It starts as something we’re discriminated against. After a few years, maybe even a few decades, a white person “founds” it and puts their friends and family on it. It gets popularized by said white person, and its roots to black people go completely unacknowledged and turned into something entirely different. What we were called “ghetto” and “unclassy” for is now being considered “chic” and “unique” now that white people are doing it too. The way we dress, our hair, our slang (AAVE), our music, so many things that we either created or popularized have gone through this process. Long story short, white people don’t have the best track record to correctly culturally appreciate without being insensitive or appropriative. I’m worried that’s what’s going to happen with hair braiding.
I’m in the firm belief that hair braiding is one of the only things that has stayed in the black community. It’s something that practically everybody acknowledges as something specific to the black community. I’m worried that if we give white people access to that, it’ll be turned into something it’s not. Though not everybody agrees, I believe hair braiding is an intimate and cultural experience that simply cannot be recreated.
I’ve noticed a small surge of white hair braiders. And I don’t mean hairstyles like French braids, I mean black hairstyles such as box braids, boho braids, even locs on occasion. Back when the complaints about white people not knowing how to do black hairstyles were being made, I used to nod in agreement because, ideally, it can only bring progress. I don’t mess with white people getting braids, or at least not in this current political climate, knowing the history and discrimination black people still face because of it. But the idea of white people knowing how to braid could make it more accessible for black people in more rural areas to have access to those types of hairstyles. On top of that, it could destigmatize and normalize black hair styles if they were more readily accessible and acknowledged by all types of hairstylists.
However, now that I actually see white hair braiders getting more popularity on social media, all I can do is tilt my head to the side. Because while in my head, it’s a good idea, I’m nervous about its execution. There is a long, long history of when white people “adopt” a portion of black culture. It starts as something we’re discriminated against. After a few years, maybe even a few decades, a white person “founds” it and puts their friends and family on it. It gets popularized by said white person, and its roots to black people go completely unacknowledged and turned into something entirely different. What we were called “ghetto” and “unclassy” for is now being considered “chic” and “unique” now that white people are doing it too. The way we dress, our hair, our slang (AAVE), our music, so many things that we either created or popularized have gone through this process. Long story short, white people don’t have the best track record to correctly culturally appreciate without being insensitive or appropriative. I’m worried that’s what’s going to happen with hair braiding.
I’m in the firm belief that hair braiding is one of the only things that has stayed in the black community. It’s something that practically everybody acknowledges as something specific to the black community. I’m worried that if we give white people access to that, it’ll be turned into something it’s not. Though not everybody agrees, I believe hair braiding is an intimate and cultural experience that simply cannot be recreated.
