African vs. African American Women Views on Hair Practices

[Aireen]

(oh, and can we talk about the caribbean as well? even if the article didn't?). cuz long-stay visits to different parts of english caribbean (jamaica, t&t, barbados) has shown me there are differences even on each island.

I was born and raised in Trinidad for 10 years so I can give you a portion of the "English Caribbean" perspective. Our island is very diverse culturally with a lot of intermarriage and typically tries very hard to keep up with American trend. So I would say because of those points mentioned the influence of anything hair related on those of mostly or a significant amount of African Caribbean ancestry (and to be honest, it spills over to the opinions of the other races in Trinidad as well) stems from those two factors.

Hair that is long and/or thick is assumed to "not need relaxer" and those with short hair usually get a relaxer in some point of their lives. There isn't a formal age or transitional period, it varies from household to household for various reasoning. There are hairdressers though that are against the use of relaxers on anyone younger than 13; I would say because of this relaxers are usually gotten but aren't limited to those that are attending highschool which is after form/standard five (or grade five as North Americans say). It's usually a styling choice but people with tightly curled hair can decide in favour of one because of the perceived notion that their hair is nappy (nappy being used as a negative term) AND short, therefore making it less desirable. Sometimes texlaxing is preferred to get loosely textured hair after processing to again, ease styling but mostly for the look of "good hair" and to allude to the fact that you're mixed. (Note: Being considered mixed in Trinidad is not limited to having a certain texture of hair.)

In closing, I find that those with long, tightly curled natural hair are exempt from the notion that they need a relaxer and their hair too is considered "good hair" and is desirable. In Trinidad, we're bombarded with media's perception of beauty like anywhere else, we too see the stars and celebrities with long, flowing hair. So to condense all what I just wrote, I think the look those try to achieve with relaxers is one of long, stretched out hair, that may be easier to manage which appears more favourable to the masses as opposed to the opposite.

I hope that made sense nzeee.

 

[hothair]

Why is it that African women (in Africa, not living in the states) seed to have just as much 'cultural baggage' around hair when they are the majority (in terms of race)?

I'm still mulling this over...

Simple. Most of Africa apart from Ethiopia was at some point a colony of England, France, Portugal etc People aspire to be/look like the people in power. In my experience it is not a question of self-hate just aspiring to be whoever is at the top. Today, influences are from musicians, celebrities etc, if Beyonce with curly hair is plastered in mags and billboards and now youtube, kids in Nigeria will all aim for curly hair. If Kim Kardashian is in fashion with long flowing waves, Rihanna with short hair, or blond shaved head, then that's what people will wear.

Its funny when I hear all these deep rooted debates, dealing with Nigerians, I can say they are fashion forward people just interested in looking the best whatever the trend- they do follow trends like crazy but in the majority it doesn't occur to them to want to be "white" just up to date and issues of slavery or colonisation when it comes to appearance does not occur to the average Nigerian woman, they are just interested in looking good which is why you would find folk with weaves flowing to their butts alongside people with cornrows/braids or in head wraps and as long as they look "done", there really isn't a difference in perception its really not that deep.

I actually believe Nigerians (I can't speak for all Africans) in the diaspora think more about the issues raised by African Americans, in Nigeria they just don't care about those issues, that is just not their reality, one doesn't look at colour issues when your leaders and billionaires reflect what the population look like, they are more interested in looking good and being or perceived as successful in their communities.

That's a long *** post sorry lol

 

[Queenmickie]

I love LHCF! I can count on this board to consistently surprise me on topics and the honesty and passion with which they are discussed. Here's my story.
My parents are Caribbean. I was the first in my family to be born in the US. My parents did not believe in relaxing children's hair. Pressing and curling was done for special occasions only. Relaxers were a kind "rite of passage." It was sort of like becoming a woman. That's how I remember it being presented me. That it was something that happend when you were mature enough. When I did get a relaxer all of my hair broke off. So much for becoming a woman! I went to a small, private Lutheran school in Brooklyn where it was frowned upon to wear your out. Everyone's hair was to be neat and "controlled" at all times. Most of my classmates also had Caribbean heritage. In the sixth grade almost everyone still had natural hair. I went to public school in the seventh grade. That's when I learned about "good hair and bad hair". When I got to HS I transitioned to natural. My mom gave me a bunch of black conscious books. I think she saw me struggling with the onslaught on media messages about beauty. I read alot. From Malcolm and Maya and back again. I began to see relaxed hair as oppressive. By the time I was 16 I forgot what my natural hair was like and I wanted it back. I didn't even know if i had good hair pr bad hair! Lol I was making a political statement for sure. I became a source of curiosity for a lot of girls at my HS. They wanted to know why I was going natural. They wanted to touch my hair. Some said it wasn't real. I am your typical brown skinned girl with 4a/b hair. I wore Bantu twist outs and the assumption was my hair should not and could not be wavy. Most of my friends thought I was crazy for not relaxing my hair. People asked if they could touch my hair often. Most people did not understand why I did not want to relax my hair. They couldn't fathom it. I think I lost a few friends lol. In college a group of African American girls nicknamed me, wait for it: NEED A PERM. LOL I kept thinking to myself who NEEDS a perm? Ever? This was all in the 1990s before the natural movement took root. By the way I am relaxed now because I want to see how long I can grow relaxed my 4a/b hair. I will probably go back to natural in five or six years because it's actually my personal preference.

 

[Chioniso]

Why is it that African women (in Africa, not living in the states) seed to have just as much 'cultural baggage' around hair when they are the majority (in terms of race)?

I'm still mulling this over...

I'm from deepest darkest and from my experience even though you are the majority - everything associated with your culture is considered primitive & inferior. At school we were only allowed to speak english (there was only one native language so not a question of leaving people out) many parents went to the extent of speaking only english at home so their kids could 'get ahead in life'. Eating traditional foods was considered primitive and instead eating western 'salads' and stuff was something to show off about.

To use an example in the media waif thin models are not the norm but are raised as the ideal so women with different body types (I'm not talking about overweight just 'sturdy') even though they are in the majority are still subject to all the baggage about weight.

Since this is a hair forum... in regards to hair, if you had relaxed hair it was a sign you were 'modern and westernised' I even remember seeing a begger with a relaxer...

 

[lilyofthenile]

I'm African but born and bred Dutch girl.

I'm from South Sudan. We had the Turks, the Arabs and the British in our country (I think more but not uptodate with reading on my country's history).

Although Britain has long left my country, I do not believe it was them who had some of the influences on us, I think it was the Arabs. The Arabs up north are heavily mixed with black and for many decades we have experienced discrimination from them. They believe they are 'Arabs' and sometimes denounce their Southern heritage. I think they've associated the Southern tribes with inferiority b/c our skin tends to be dark, we have a culture they don't understand and we have features that they sometimes deem as less desirable. The Northeners - do sometimes relax their hair, but bleaching does also occur.

I think the Northeners dislike for the Southern people can be noted in our previous wars and attemptive ethnic cleansing and the destroying of our culture (through teaching Arabic and only speaking that in schools down South). We were super oppressed - but I think a lot of us stayed strong enough throughout.

From what I can gather though, the Dinka (my tribe) weren't so concerned about hair. It just wasn't important. They braid it into intricate styles, then put it away. Then war broke out and then it became very unimportant.

My mom relaxed my hair when I was about ten years old. I remember hating my hair b/c it was so unmanageable. I believe our baggage regarding hair isn't always due to Arab or European influences, but also due to our experiences with it as well.

Not sure if it was worth for me to even post this b/c I haven't really asked about how hair is viewed there. But I know the South Sudanese diaspora have this stigma regarding it. This may have simply been due to trying to assimilate in Western culture and of course, media influences. What doesn't help is black people making offensive comments about our hair either. Knowledge is power.

I disliked my hair and it wasn't b/c of what people said b/c my mother never said a bad thing about it, but simply b/c I didn't know how to take care of it I felt the urge to hide it under weaves, extensions and relaxers. My two cents.

 

[Chioniso]

I'm sorry but hair baggage is ancient in Africa, even if those born and raised there never truly witnessed it. It's as old as dirt and falls along the lines of softer, wavier to straight against harder and kinkier. Same with skin. Europeans didn't truly have that much to do with it. Of course, things went south like crack when they came on the scene...but they didn't invent it in the continent. As much as we'd like to blame the white man, he didn't have the initial thought of who's or what's "better." Messed up, innit?

Well for some it is ancient but for others more recent. My parents grew up with apartheid. My father had to get off the pavement and walk in the road when a white woman was coming in the opposite direction. Neighbourhoods were segregated by not only race but also skin tone. A mixed race girl could work in a shop but not a dark skinned one - she would have to be a domestic. These are things that were the LAW in the 1970s for some people, so just because time has passed it does not mean things automatically change. Those same people will still wish they had lighter skin, & straighter hair to get on in life and pass that onto children born in the 1980s and 1990s. You can't just 'snap out of it'. some things take time.

 

[werenumber2]

A young Nigerian women who grew up in Ghana discusses how it was a rite of passage for girls to get relaxers after graduating high school b/c when up through the end of high school you had to wear you hair very short, like 1-3 inches.

I've often wondered about this. Is it part of the uniform/dress code that school-age girls in certain African countries have short hair? What is the reasoning behind that?

 

[Guitarhero]

Nonie

, have you read the book "Hair Story"? I don't think hair baggage is something our ancestors before colonial times used to live with. It seems they were proud of their hair and wore it in elaborate ways to represent their village and their status in the village. Wearing groomed hair was our pride and joy which is why 400 years without a comb was very traumatic to us and part of why natural hair is foreign to many.

No, I haven't read it but it seems their points of reference are of West Africa and the slave trade. Perhaps left out are other parts of Africa or even pockets of West Africa and it's peoples who do have a physical preference along those lines. Of course, like I said before, it's not everybody's experience, but it's not unique to the Americas. It's exacerbated in the Americas and the focus shifted, obviously.

As for Africa, it's not just hair texture but includes phenotypes as well, history of rival etc. Hair, feature and color prejudice is ancient in Africa. Whether a clan or tribe is proud of themselves or not, that's one thing, but it doesn't mean there isn't or wasn't some type of such prejudice existing among them or against them. Afterall, it's a continent that is so diverse and huge that not any one clan or tribe can represent them all but is certainly the opinion of most westerners and Asians.

 

[Southernbella.]

I don't see why African women wouldn't have baggage. As others have said, they were colonized at one point and like us, they still deal with mental colonization.

I do think it's interesting that the natural hair movements (if you want to call them that) have happened in America. I think our proximity to white people has caused us to be subversive where black people who are the majority in their country wouldn't need to be. I can believe that it's not that deep or serious for continental African women, because while they are subjected to the same media images as African American women, they probably feel more comfortable subscribing to certain ideals of beauty. They don't have anything to prove to whites or each other so they just do what they do.

In other words, I think resistance to white cultural domination is such a large part of African American culture that we are a lot more vocal and sensitive about this issue, especially since we still live among our oppressors. Yes, all diasporan Africans are dealing with baggage, but we deal with it in different ways.

Great thread!

 

[KimPossibli]

Barbados checkin in.. we are the majority here

however the economic power still largely lies with the former plantation owners- offspring

i'm mid-late 20s and it was considered an informal rite of passage that around the time you entered secondary school/purity you got your hair relax

I was one of a class of thirty in my school that had never had a relaxer at age 15.

I think the tide is changing as you see more middle aged ladies go back to their natural texture.

I know in my mothers time chemicals was seen as the 'prosperous/working womans' domain and children (up to age 16) were only allowed the occasional press

 

[Nonie]

Nonie




No, I haven't read it but it seems their points of reference are of West Africa and the slave trade. Perhaps left out are other parts of Africa or even pockets of West Africa and it's peoples who do have a physical preference along those lines. Of course, like I said before, it's not everybody's experience, but it's not unique to the Americas. It's exacerbated in the Americas and the focus shifted, obviously.

As for Africa, it's not just hair texture but includes phenotypes as well, history of rival etc. Hair, feature and color prejudice is ancient in Africa. Whether a clan or tribe is proud of themselves or not, that's one thing, but it doesn't mean there isn't or wasn't some type of such prejudice existing among them or against them. Afterall, it's a continent that is so diverse and huge that not any one clan or tribe can represent them all but is certainly the opinion of most westerners and Asians.

Guitarhero, but the fact that you are saying this hair baggage is more prevalent in other parts of Africa rather than West is what I'm having a hard time grasping. I have never gotten that sense in Kenya and neither has my mom, aunts or grandma. So that's about a century of being oblivious to the fact that this "baggage thing" even existed. Then in southern Africa you have the Himba people who don't seem at all bothered with what the rest of the world is doing with their hair. So can you be specific and specify the countries where you see this baggage?

 

[Guitarhero]

I'm saying that it exists in AFRICA. If someone didn't experience it there, then they didn't experience it but that doesn't mean it's non-existent. That's what I'm saying. I won't give the cultures, though. You know how LHCF is.

 

[LovelyNaps26]

Great convo ladies

I've often wondered about this. Is it part of the uniform/dress code that school-age girls in certain African countries have short hair? What is the reasoning behind that?

According to the author she said that it to insure homogeneity among the girls. Also, it insured neatness and that girls who didn't have the money to get their hair professionally done wouldn't feel excluded. Basically, some of the reasons for school uniforms.

My view:

The underlying sentiment from the debate seems to be this: Which has a more long lasting impact on black women's psyche: Colonization or slavery?


Someone commented (in the Curly Nikki comments section) that colonization should not have been able to wipe out pre-colonization hair practices. However, I think that view underestimates how power and force can transform a group's collective memory. My family is Jamaican and like other countries with a predominantly black population the European ideal is often seen as the ideal. Lighter skinned women or "brownings" are favored in some contexts as are the women with mixed Indian or East Asian heritage.

With respect to hair my granny thought my natural hair was ugly after I BC'd years ago. I don't doubt that some women experienced that with older black women in the U.S., the Caribbean or some parts of Africa. A mindset is not specific to a region.

The Colonization v. Slavery dichotomy is a false one in the case beauty standards and one that leads to division, not understanding.

 

[maghreblover]

I'm African, grew up in Nigeria and still live there. I was relaxed at the age of 5. I still remember begging and begging my mum for a relaxer till she succumbed.

By the time I was 10 and in my final year of primary school, there were only three girls in my class who still had natural hair. Everyone else was relaxed. I wouldn't say we wanted to be white or thought anything along those lines, we just wanted long hair flowing down our backs. It was what was cool at the time. Still is, judging from my little cousin's recent statements. In some respects, it would've been influenced by the things we saw on tv, the disney princesses, etc. In other cases, people just wanted to fit in, and everyone else was relaxed.

I also had to cut off all my hair for secondary school. There is no national rule that says you have to and I wouldn't even call it a national norm. It just depended on the rules of the particular school you attended. My older sister attended a different boarding school and kept her hair long and braided throughout (still relaxed though, everyone was relaxed). My friend attended another boarding school where she had to keep her hair short for the first three years, and then was free to grow it out in the last three years.

In my school, we had to keep our hair short for the full six years. The reasoning behind it was to keep it from being a distraction to us (worrying about hairstyles and the time it took to get our hair done), a distraction to boys in the school (self-explanatory, I hope), and also to keep us looking uniform and neat. The thing is- it was still a distraction with the amount of time people spent trying to tie or pat their hair down to hide length, and there was a huge emphasis placed on texture with people that had 3c-4a hair almost becoming automatically cool or envied. And to say it was neat would be an exaggeration, when many of the first and second years failed to comb/brush their hair. It was fairly uniform though, but that could easily have been achieved by a rule to braid the same hairstyles every week, like in my sister's school.

I just got back from Nigeria two weeks ago and, although there is a growing natural trend in Lagos, I couldn't count the number of people perplexed by my decision to go natural. They are shocked at the length and thickness of my hair, yet constantly advise me to relax or texturise it. There are many naturals, but most people still have relaxers (now hidden by weaves, of course.) Very little has changed.

 

[JudithO]

Nonie my grandma was natural ... mother was relaxed when i knew her... I think the issue is much simpler than some pple on this board are making it out to be...

I grew up in lagos Nigeria.. so i can only speak for that area really...

If it's on TV.. and beyonce is doing it.. then that's the ish...

I do not agree that it's cos there is "mental colonization" anywhere... as easy as that is to believe.. the problem is with following trends and not wanting to be left behind in the social space. Now.. there may be some element of truth with colonization, but only in the sense of them controlling our media and what we watch. I dont think that if all we watched was caucasian programs we'll be that bad... it's the african american 'fashion icons' who live in 'paradise' that we r trying to emulate.

Point is... it's not that serious... pple do what the media says.. same reason u wear weaves, dance d dougie, watch countless youtube videos and spend hundreds on mac makeup.. just my 2c...

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[My Friend]

I wonder if in some cases where it's seen as a "rite of passage" or becoming a woman if your self esteem is compromised If you were not taught healthy hair care practices, once you apply that relaxer, your doomed erplexed

So your first step to becoming a woman is meet with breakage, receding hair lines, thin and lifeless looking hair, is a failure right?

 

[JudithO]

+ don't forget that.. as american american women you have a reason to 'rebel' against anything seemingly white.... slavery was such a horror that it will take the grace of God for us to truly move on... so you have a reason to want natural hair.. even though its much harder to comb dry.

African women on the other hand have no reason to fight the white man.. he is just the 'fragile looking man with white skin and a funny accent'... as a matter of fact, most african countries were doing much better economically when they were ruled by the english.. so the white man in most cases is thot to be the good guy.. tell me.. why would i, as a 'reasonable' person want my hair to be natural and spend 5 hrs detangling, when i can relax it, swing it like beyonce and comb it in 5 minutes?

The same reason you go to the store to buy milk instead of buy a cow and milk it yourself.. it's just easier.. and truly.. if you have a cow.. you're straight up country (like if u have natural hair in nigeria)...

Im out...

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[ezina]

I don't know...there are quite a few people brushing off the hair thing in Africa (particularly Nigeria) as not that serious. I think that it is kind of serious and that this weird aloof, disaffected, or detached attitude has to do with the African mentality. I definitely think Africans have a complex, if not more, when regarding hair, or more accurately, anything that reminds them of their "African-ness". (Let me stop saying Africans and restrict to just Nigerians because not every African country or ethnic group has this issue.)

This complex may not seem obvious but it is implicit in our actions, how we speak about the issue, etc. Unlike African-Americans, we've never really had a point in our history like the Civil Rights era in the US... I think Nigerians need their own civil rights movement (or more accurately, a revolution) against the WORLD to prove their self-worth to others and especially to themselves (Biafra war was a different kind of war so it doesn't count). This emulating other cultures to the point of disregarding or ridiculing our own completely is rather upsetting. For my Nigerian people, how many times have you heard your grandma or mother say to a newly baptized baby who happened to have light skin, that he or she was beautiful because he or was "ocha" (light) even though you knew that child was butt ugly or hear a relative actively state and defend a 3c hair type over a 4c as being prettier or better. I'm pretty sure that African-Americans hear relatives say the same thing but it is most likely going to be stated from the people of the older generations, who lived in the early or pre-civil rights era. And even if the younger generation do think this, they at least are aware of the controversy and sensitivity in which the topic must be handled. In Nigeria, my 20 year old cousin will think that having light skin and looser hair pattern as being better to be a fact and will care less about sugar coating. She will actively defend it, joke about it, and wonder why you care so much about the topic. That is why skin lightening billboards and commercials don't cause much of a stir in Nigeria. It is what it is. But if you had such a thing in the U.S., boy that would cause more than just a little stir.

If we look at another primarily black country, Brazil, we can find another example of this. I personally find Brazil to be jarringly racist, but how can they not be when they have never had an honest discussion about race, color, hair, etc.? Brazil assumes a racial democracy and prides itself in it multiculturalism but the actions and attitudes of the people do not echo that. But because of this assumed racial democracy, it is even harder to approach the race conversation. "Racism? What is that? We have no racism." That is Brazil for you. Regardless, bright skin and straight hair wins.

Media doesn't explain the full story (in fact, it may even re-entrench it). Colonization, slavery, etc without the opportunity to have an honest dialogue seriously f'ed up Nigerians and black people of the diaspora. Just my opinion.

 

[JudithO]

well ezina we'll just agree to disagree.

Truth about it is we are speaking from our personal experiences and biases in issues like this and may be wrong (or right) about the problem truly is.

To your point about "lighter" skinned pple.. accepted... if identical twins came to my mum today and one was lighter than d other, she'll probably say the lighter one is prettier, even tho they look exactly alike.

Now there are areas where colonization has certainly influenced... skin color being one of them... i dont believe, at least from my experience, that relaxed hair is one of those... i may be wrong... but again, i, like you, only speak from what i 'believe' to be true... may have no correlation with what is truly right or wrong. Maybe the first person that relaxed wanted to look white... i know my mother relaxed mine cos she was tired of me screaming whenever my hair needed to be done and giving me Tylenol after each hair do.

I still think hair.... is not that serious... im natural btw..


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[JudithO]

So I feel like I just killed the thread... lol.... cmon guys.... Y the silence?

 

[My Friend]

I think the trends of today were influenced by Europeans. I believe 3a-4a hair strands was the texture in Africa. They didnt want straight hair until they saw it was associated with "Good" or "Better".