NYC Art Exhibit Lets Strangers Touch Varied Textures of Black Hair

[Foxglove]

I had to come back and post this. Couldn't be me

 

[Ogoma]

Did you just enter the workforce or college? What is this assumption that these simple things you speak of are not done quite often by a lot of people?

I am surrounded by non-blacks regularly and constantly. I probably see a black person 1-2x a week on average. These issues come up regularly and we discuss them regularly. It does not have to be a lecture, it is just a conversation.

Example: I am wearing a wash and go today. My hair shrinks up. I am in ladies room after lunch cleaning my teeth. A co-worker comes by the sink.

Co-worker: "I don't know why I thought your hair was long. Maybe because it is always up."
Me: "It is about medium length, but it shrinks up when I have it out." I pull down a curl.
Co-worker: "Of course. Because of the curl it would look shorter."

We then go on to discuss some other thing. A simple easy conversation. I didn't need to treat my hair as anything other than normal for me to discuss it. My hair can just be my hair. I don't need to come up with compensatory mythical stories or descriptions about it.

As I have said many times, you need to do whatever works for you. But, it is ridiculous to assume the issues you have with your hair, everyone else does. If I don't want people poking around my hair, it is not because I am ashamed of it. Maybe it would be that way for you, but it is not that way for everyone else.

How in the world did you get all that from what I said? You want to talk about racism and issues, let me ask you, have you ever had an honest conversation with a white friend of yours about the "white privilege" they enjoy and are oblivious to? I have, on numerous occasions. Have you ever talked to your Hispanic and Asian friends about how they're considered "honorary whites" by white people until it doesn't suit their agenda, as in the case of immigration or foreign trade? I have, because I'm not afraid to go there, because that's how we get rid of all this racism nonsense, by getting it out in the open and seeing it for the stupidity it is.

We are not responsible for racism. But we are responsible for being part of the solution. And part of that is reaching out to other people and showing how our differences make us more alike than not, and that this world would be quite the boring place without our differences to appreciate. That is never going to happen if I am sitting in my own home, accusing people of saying things they didn't say.

 

[koolkittychick]

Did you just enter the workforce or college? What is this assumption that these simply things you speak of are not done quite often by a lot of people?

I am surrounded by non-blacks regularly and constantly. I probably see a black person 1-2x a week on average. These issues come up regularly and we discuss them regularly. It does not have to be a lecture, it is just a conversation.

Example: I am wearing a wash and go today. My hair shrinks up. I am in ladies room after lunch cleaning my teeth. A co-worker comes by the sink.

Co-worker: "I don't know why I thought your hair was long. Maybe because it is always up."
Me: "It is about medium length, but it shrinks up when I have it out." I pull down a curl.
Co-worker: "Of course. Because of the curl it would look shorter."

We then go on to discuss some other thing. A simple easy conversation. I didn't need to treat my hair as anything other than normal for me to discuss it. My hair can just be my hair. I don't need to come up with compensatory mythical stories or descriptions about it.

As I have said many times, you need to do whatever works for you. But, it is ridiculous to assume the issues you have with your hair, everyone else does. If I don't want people poking around my hair, it is not because I am ashamed of it. Maybe it would be that way for you, but it is not that way for everyone else.

I'm glad you dialed back the racism accusation, because that was uncalled for. I am in my forties, and I have worked in a number of environments and lived in a number of places where I was the only Black person, period. I have had many conversations like the one you described as a matter of course, so it's not a big deal to me, and I am glad it's not for you, as I have run into many a Black woman who gets riled up when a non-Black person even acknowledges their hair.

But why do you keep insinuating that I have issues with my hair when nothing I've said in my previous comments would point to that in the least, as you did yet again in red above? There are many who would say that is classic projection, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Let's just agree to disagree and keep it moving. Life is too short to waste time on arguments of this nature. You reject my point of view, and while I can see where you come from in terms of personal space, the negative connotations you place on it ("being blessed my the white man's hands" and all) take it to a place that I feel is counterproductive for all involved in this discussion.

 

[EnExitStageLeft]

No thank you.

 

[theAlist]

I had to come back and post this. Couldn't be me

This pic bothers me lol

 

[CodeRed]

I had to come back and post this. Couldn't be me

That picture pretty much personifies why people are against this activity

 

[Ogoma]

You wrote an epistle stating that people that have a problem with strangers rubbing against their hair are not comfortable with it or hate it. I expect so much more from someone of your age. I guess I was right in my statement you were projecting.

I expect so much more from someone in their 40s.

I'm glad you dialed back the racism accusation, because that was uncalled for. I am in my forties, and I have worked in a number of environments and lived in a number of places where I was the only Black person, period. I have had many conversations like the one you described as a matter of course, so it's not a big deal to me, and I am glad it's not for you, as I have run into many a Black woman who gets riled up when a non-Black person even acknowledges their hair.

But why do you keep insinuating that I have issues with my hair when nothing I've said in my previous comments would point to that in the least, as you did yet again in red above? There are many who would say that is classic projection, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Let's just agree to disagree and keep it moving. Life is too short to waste time on arguments of this nature. You reject my point of view, and while I can see where you come from in terms of personal space, the negative connotations you place on it ("being blessed my the white man's hands" and all) take it to a place that I feel is counterproductive for all involved in this discussion.

 

[CodeRed]

By the way, I'd be genuinely interested in where some of you grew up and had conversations about your hair. I grew up, from the age of 4, around all Caucasian people (I was usually the only or one of the few black people in the group) and I still live around mostly Caucasian people but work around a lot of Black people. I've had more conversations with the black people I work with about our "different" hair than I have in my whole life surrounded by Nascar loving rednecks and I get along fine with everyone.

 

[Everything Zen]

*Checks join dates, number of posts, grammar complaints*

I am too damn old and tired- some of you seasoned vets know better.
Off to happy hour!

 

[FemmeQ]

That picture pretty much personifies why people are against this activity

That photo really upset my stomach. I seriously just experienced a flash of anger.

 

[koolkittychick]

You wrote an epistle stating that people that have a problem with strangers rubbing against their hair are not comfortable with it or hate it. I expect so much more from someone of your age. I guess I was right in my statement you were projecting.

I expect so much more from someone in their 40s.

And now you have just sunk into pettiness because I can use your words against you and you cannot do the same. Go ahead and have the last word after this, because you have already shown yourself for who you are.

 

[koolkittychick]

Here is video from the event. Looks to me like the above pic was taken out of context to be inflammatory, because it seems that most of the participants were people of color:

http://youtu.be/Lx4eIfRDSGg

 

[greenandchic]

I had to come back and post this. Couldn't be me

I'm mad homegirl's (on the right) nail polish is chipped.



I don't have a problem with the concept but that photo made my stomach turn. I know its just .0001 second of a snapshot but the women with the locks doesn't look like she want's to be there.

ETA: koolkittychick Thanks for posting the video. I figured the photo was posted to ruffle some feathers.

 

[ellebelle88]

That video was quite literally the dumbest thing I've seen all day. A couple of black women standing in the streets letting everyone feel all up in their heads because their hair is different. Reminds me of the Hottentot Venus. We aren't being celebrated. We are actually being looked at as creatures because we're "so different" and an even wider line is being drawn between us and the other races.

 

[koolkittychick]

Here is an article about the event from the Huffington Post, including this quote from the girl with the locs in the picture:

Joliana Hunter-Ellin, who has strawberry blond, shoulder-length locks, had a different reason for volunteering her mane to the masses. "I thought it would help me with my own problems with people touching my hair," Hunter-Ellin told The HuffPost. The 23-year-old, who works as a finance officer, says her biggest issue is being asked ignorant questions about her locks. Thankfully, her interactions during the exhibit have been positive. "Everyone has been really nice," Hunter-Ellin explained. "I know it's all just curiosity."

Here is the article

 

[koolkittychick]

Another image of the same girl:

 

[CodeRed]

Here is video from the event. Looks to me like the above pic was taken out of context to be inflammatory, because it seems that most of the participants were people of color:

http://youtu.be/Lx4eIfRDSGg

I don't really think that picture was taken out of context. That video is only 1:33 seconds long and if they were standing out there for a few hours then that video can be just as skewed as those two pictures posted.

That was a weird video too.... It didn't look like an art exhibit... it looked more like something 3 women just decided to do for whatever reason and some people were curious as to why it was happening erplexed

 

[koolkittychick]

I don't really think that picture was taken out of context. That video is only 1:33 seconds long and if they were standing out there for a few hours then that video can be just as skewed as those two pictures posted.

That was a weird video too.... It didn't look like an art exhibit... it looked more like something 3 women just decided to do for whatever reason and some people were curious as to why it was happening erplexed

They were out there for 2 hours. And according to the article, the participants thought it was a positive experience. And yeah, it does look kind of...organic in organization. But such is often the nature of performance art.

 

[CodeRed]

They were out there for 2 hours. And according to the article, the participants thought it was a positive experience. And yeah, it does look kind of...organic in organization. But such is often the nature of performance art.

At least it had more of a purpose than Tilda Swinton or Mila Jovovich in a box

 

[koolkittychick]

At least it had more of a purpose than Tilda Swinton or Mila Jovovich in a box

LOL! I know that's right!

 

[Froreal3]

Um, you're wrong. Most of the white people I know who have gone to Africa and gone on safari have had no problems interacting with people on that level (one of the first things the children and women there would ask is if they could touch their hair or skin) and it did not make them feel like animals or fetishized in the least.

And none of the participants in this exhibition are there against their will; they are inviting people to come up, interact, and hopefully engage in a dialogue towards better understanding. I don't know where you are getting all these negative connotations from.

I'm getting "negative connotations" because I feel that it is objectification. I don't like it...at all. Yes, I understand that the people involved are doing this of their own volition. However, I also feel that it perpetuates a message of "other." Why can't our hair just be our hair? Yeah, it's different...get over it. It doesn't need to be assessed, examined, prodded, and probed like a science project.

 

[koolkittychick]

I'm getting "negative connotations" because I feel that it is objectification. I don't like it...at all. Yes, I understand that the people involved are doing this of their own volition. However, I also feel that it perpetuates a message of "other." Why can't our hair just be our hair? Yeah, it's different...get over it. It doesn't need to be assessed, examined, prodded, and probed like a science project.

I will pose a question to you: when you say "other," what do you mean? In every ethnic community, people who are not a part of that community are considered an "other." This is only a bad thing when you equate "other" with "less than," which I do not. I am very much an "other" to non-Haitians, to straight people, to people who are not from New York or Florida, to people who are thin, and to people who are not into Japanese anime. And I am fine with all of that, because that makes me a part of many other things as a result. I presume, however, when you refer to "other," you are talking about how non-Blacks view us. Using that logic, are you saying that you want to be viewed the same as them, i.e., non-Black, because Blackness and its attributes (like hair) might be a bad thing? I assume that is not what you meant, but some other people (including the non-Black ones) might not make the same assumptions. Just something to think about.

 

[miss cosmic]

My son has always gone to schools where there aren't that many black kids. For whatever reason, he says the other kids like to touch his hair. They say they like how it feels.

This happened to my son (and to me) when we lived in micronesia. It quickly got old, but no one was rude about it.

This exhibition is stupid. I agree with the comments in the OP.

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[intellectualuva]

Hmmmm......

I couldn't participate or cosign this event. I have to say that the "whats the harm in letting white people have their way...entertain their curiousities..etc" mentality makes me wonder if that's how we all got here in the first place.

Anyway, I'm glad the ladies got something out of it, but I would never do it.

 

[miss cosmic]

Another image of the same girl:

-dont know how to quote pics but
Looking at that pic 'feels' like looking at a pic of someone patting a dog/other animal on the head and making baby/cute noises. It's like when i took my son to the petting zoo and they kept saying "touch the animals, stroke them, they like it".
This is like a petting zoo but only with people and i cannot believe there are people who think this whole concept is in anyway a positive thing for black people. What?

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[miss cosmic]

I have lived in africa all my life and the only people i have seen/heard ask to touch white hair/skin are children. Children. Then again i have never seen how blacks and whites interact in the rural areas so maybe black adults there go gaga in fascination over white hair when white tourists are 'on safari' (didnt know people still said that). But i doubt it.

One would assume that if white people are curious about black hair, black people would also be curious about white hair. One would assume that having a few white people in that exhibition would make sense since there are (there must be) black people who dont know what whitw hair feels like and would like to experience it, you know, to gain understanding. Or perhaps that exhibition (white people) is going on tour in countries where whites are a minority. Because you know we need to understand all that long straight blondness. We need to understand how that 100% human hair behaves in it's natural state. Bet you wont see that happening ever.

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[koolkittychick]

-dont know how to quote pics but
Looking at that pic 'feels' like looking at a pic of someone patting a dog/other animal on the head and making baby/cute noises. It's like when i took my son to the petting zoo and they kept saying "touch the animals, stroke them, they like it".
This is like a petting zoo but only with people and i cannot believe there are people who think this whole concept is in anyway a positive thing for black people. What?

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I can understand a feeling, but from the article and the video, that is clearly not what's happening here. There is interaction, discussion, and from the testimony in the article, quite a bit of discovery from both sides going on here. And I am curious since you mentioned only Black people. Would you feel the same if it was a girl from Papau New Guinea, Tahiti, or some other country-someone who is removed enough from you that you can disassociate from them-standing there? Or is it because they are African American women that it hits close enough to home to hit a nerve and maybe make you uncomfortable enough to think strangers might take such presumptions with your person? If you read the article, you'll see was not the case, and that most people would not behave that way. But as I understand it, the purpose of art is to elicit an emotional response from the viewer, be it negative or positive. And I would imagine that based on your response, the artist would still count her work as a success because she made you feel, and also think, so there is that.

 

[koolkittychick]

I have lived in africa all my life and the only people i have seen/heard ask to touch white hair/skin are children. Children. Then again i have never seen how blacks and whites interact in the rural areas so maybe black adults there go gaga in fascination over white hair when white tourists are 'on safari' (didnt know people still said that). But i doubt it.

One would assume that if white people are curious about black hair, black people would also be curious about white hair. One would assume that having a few white people in that exhibition would make sense since there are (there must be) black people who dont know what whitw hair feels like and would like to experience it, you know, to gain understanding. Or perhaps that exhibition (white people) is going on tour in countries where whites are a minority. Because you know we need to understand all that long straight blondness. We need to understand how that 100% human hair behaves in it's natural state. Bet you wont see that happening ever.

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Why would you assume that? Straight hair is everywhere; Asians know about it, Arabs know about it, Hispanics know about it too, because it grows out of their own heads or the heads of their relatives. Most of the dolls have it, so if you have had at least one white doll (or even Black one) you know what it feels like; hell, even most of the ANIMALS have it, so there is no mystery to straight, "white" hair. And every Black woman who has worn a human hair wig or weave had touched "white" hair, so there is no mystery there. There isn't even a mystery to the color, as it can be replicated fairly easily and cheaply on most heads of hair. So no, there is no need for an exhibition of that sort at all.

 

[Ogoma]

It seems like one of the women that participated in this event is on this thread. If not, this persistent need for everyone to cosign having their hair examined by a bunch of strangers is really weird.

 

[miss cosmic]

I can understand a feeling, but from the article and the video, that is clearly not what's happening here. There is interaction, discussion, and from the testimony in the article, quite a bit of discovery from both sides going on here. And I am curious since you mentioned only Black people. Would you feel the same if it was a girl from Papau New Guinea, Tahiti, or some other country-someone who is removed enough from you that you can disassociate from them-standing there? Or is it because they are African American women that it hits close enough to home to hit a nerve and maybe make you uncomfortable enough to think strangers might take such presumptions with your person? If you read the article, you'll see was not the case, and that most people would not behave that way. But as I understand it, the purpose of art is to elicit an emotional response from the viewer, be it negative or positive. And I would imagine that based on your response, the artist would still count her work as a success because she made you feel, and also think, so there is that.

I'm not african-american so i already feel kind of removed from it. The only way i could see this happening here (africa) is if they paid the 'exhibitions/performers'. Unless there is direct personal benefit i dont see black african women standing in the street for white/asian people to pat their heads, stroke them and 'get understanding' yes, i'm generalizing. In fact, i dont see any other race doing this, unless there is some monetary or other benefit. Who knows, maybe those ladies DID get paid. If so, cant knock the hustle.

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