SPIN-OFF: Black people with Type 1 Hair

[Eritreladiee]

Very little of what we're talking about has to do w/ genetics, per se, but social contructs which assign certain traits (phenotypes) to certain groups based on "the eyeball test". Nothing is really more inaccurate than this in terms of science, but here we're talking social mores. IOW, someone who has "Andre type 1 hair" can't be Black because society says they MUST BE mixed. Frankly that's illogical given the genetic diversity of humans, but people ain't logical! Much of this is tied up in the venal "one drop rule" which seeks a simple answer to a complex question.

At the end of the day, we simply don't know what soemone's racial make up is by looking at external traits. This is why if someone says they're "Black" I accept it (same for other categories) because these things are more about culture, experiences, and ethnicity than genetic make up.

I just find it funny that some folks say "I'm mixed" and people get mad and say "You're Black and you just don't wanna be" then other people will say "I'm NOT mixed...I'm Black" and they get argued down citing "atypical" phentotypical traits (see Type 1-2 hair). Based on what...where's the dispute? People can't win for losing sometimes and it's sad.

This is an awesome post! Race as a social construct, which doesn't rely on genetics, but visual markers as being the primary tool of classification (phenotype vs. genotype)

Your post just reminded me of how many blacks (black because of the one-drop rule, but looked white) back in the day would live their lives "passing" as white because it was much easier to navigate through society that way. And hell, it worked for some people, even though their brother or sister would have to live "black", because of how they looked.

Race is such a crazy concept.

 

[Maracujá]

I havent gone through the entire thread but Im going to say NO.I also do not think there are any Caucasians or Mongoloids with type 4b hair...

Liya Kebede and Zoe Saldana are examples of black people with type 1 hair and I've seen Caucasians with type 4 hair.

 

[jamaraa]

I havent gone through the entire thread but Im going to say NO.I also do not think there are any Caucasians or Mongoloids with type 4b hair...

If I were you, I'da read thru the thread. Fact is, you're wrong. It's rare, true enough, but it exists. Of course at one time, most people thought the world was flat and a few people still do.

 

[NikStarrr]

Liya Kebede and Zoe Saldana are examples of black people with type 1 hair and I've seen Caucasians with type 4 hair.

Liya's hair is actually curly. She's like a 3b-ish (like a lot of Ethiopians. I didn't say ALL but "a lot". haha). Here's a quick pic I could dig up. But I've seen others...

 

[Maracujá]

Liya's hair is actually curly. She's like a 3b-ish (like a lot of Ethiopians. I didn't say ALL but "a lot". haha). Here's a quick pic I could dig up. But I've seen others...

I always thought she had type 1 hair, thanks.

 

[almond eyes]

Liya does not have type one hair. I have followed her for a long time when she competed in Face of Africa. Liya's natural hair texture is curly.

And Many Ethiopians do not have 3b/3c hair; that is a stereotype. We only notice the ones who have that type of hair when Ethiopia is comprised of many tribes and the hair literally runs from curly, coily, spongey, cottony and c-napps.

Best,
Almond Eyes

 

[almond eyes]

I don't agree that every black woman wants swanging hair that's very American thinking. In America, its a big deal to be racially mixed while in Africa it just is; your a person and you are identified with your ethnic group or paternal or maternal line rather than race.

And I will reiterate my point again and again. Subsaharan Africans may vary in skin colour, features and body type but you will never find one with stick straight hair unless they are sick.

Best,
Almond Eyes

 

[LadyRaider]

Some Indians (as from India) are black and they have straight hair.

I'm not following what is meant by "black" in this thread.

We have established that race is social, not genetic. There is no package of traits that go in a set in accordance to skin color.

Black people do have straight hair. Black Indians (India) for one group.

Let me see if I can find that map of skin color in the world. Here it is. So many black people have straight hair... those from India for example.

 

[Helpmeblongagain]

I have never seen a black person with type 1 hair. Ever. Type 2, yes.

ETA: not saying it doesn't exist...I just haven't witnessed it.

 

[LadyRaider]

Hair looks a little wavy though.

aborigines

 

[Helpmeblongagain]

^^ as previously mentioned...the issue may be that the definition of black is subjective..because I definitely would not consider the woman in the above pic black.

 

[LadyRaider]

That's fine. There's no definition in the textbooks of what "race" is. A huge part of what makes you black is your self-identification.

I know a girl in my class who is from Guyana whose ancestors are from India who if I put my arm next to hers, her skin is darker than mine.

I know that the principal at my old school was Latino but also darker than me.

I guess what I am saying that dark skin color doesn't come with a package of a certain type hair. If "black" means something different than dark skin... then, I guess that's why they call race a "social construct" and not genetic.

 

[LadyRaider]

 

[almond eyes]

Black skin colour is different than being a Black African.

Best,
Almond Eyes

 

[LadyRaider]

 

[LadyRaider]

Black skin colour is different than being a Black African.

Best,
Almond Eyes

Ah! So the thread is about AFRICANS (black) with straight hair.
Got it. I'll stop posting pics of Australians/New Zealanders.

 

[LiberianGirl]

I didn't mean to imply that West-Africans are not mixed because they seem to have mostly type four hair. IMHO it is a generally understood fact that rural West-Africans avoid inter-racial marriage for cultural reasons. In fact, in many West-African villages, people don't marry outside their own tribes. My point was, rural west Africans are generally unlikely to be mixed and they seem to have thick type four hair.

My question to the poster then was, if this is the case how can one ask white folk to look to Africans for an explanation for their straight hair when the group of Africans that are best known for being as pure bred African as possible DO NOT have straight hair?

this is the post i was replying to:
Why isn't that they have straight hair BECAUSE of their African ancestor? or why can't a Black person have straight hair because of their African descent? The color of ones skin has no determination of straightness or nappiness.

btw, the thick type 4 hair that im referring to when i discuss rural west-africans is not common in the areas you mentioned. Northern and Eastern Africans have mostly type 3 hair or very loose type 4a.

What countries are you referring to in West Africa?

 

[NikStarrr]

Liya does not have type one hair. I have followed her for a long time when she competed in Face of Africa. Liya's natural hair texture is curly.

And Many Ethiopians do not have 3b/3c hair; that is a stereotype. We only notice the ones who have that type of hair when Ethiopia is comprised of many tribes and the hair literally runs from curly, coily, spongey, cottony and c-napps.

Best,
Almond Eyes

I didn't say ALL ethopians have 3b/3c--but I would say MANY. I have quite a few Ethio/Eri friends (there is a big population of them here in ATL) and all of them are 3b/3c. The majority of them that I've encountered period (not just here in ATL) do. I have met others who don't. But from my personal experience, I would still say "many".

 

[Maracujá]

Ah! So the thread is about AFRICANS (black) with straight hair.
Got it. I'll stop posting pics of Australians/New Zealanders.

I haven't read the entire thread so someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it was about black people as in descendants of the continent of Africa, not just Africans in particular.

 

[Eisani]

 

[almond eyes]

Hello NikStar, first there is a reason why it might appear that all the Ethiopians you encounter have 3 range hair: 1) There are others who don't have the typical Habesha look so they might be regarded as Rwandan, Somalian, or even Sudanese 2) In Ethiopia, there are so many tribes and not everyone has that typical 3 range hair and 3) Ethiopia like many African countries is very poor and those who come from the more rural areas who are not from the same tribes as those in the capital cities do have the opportunities to come to the States and Europe.

Many of my Ethiopians friends do not have 3 range hair; they have type four hair. And two of them had very damaged relaxed hair unlike the stereotype that they all have long luxurious hair.

Best,
Almond Eyes

 

[almond eyes]

The argument began to split off because some African-American and Caribbean-American women pointed out that because of racial mixing in the States and the Caribbean that some of their relatives or friends had this type one hair; thus making it possible for a black person to have straight hair.

Then, it was pointed out that on the continent of Africa even with racial and multi-ethnic mixing that it was extremely rare and non-existent to find a black African with stick straight hair. And people are determined to prove that it can't be true that somehow there must be some black Africans with stick straight hair so now some are posting pictures of black people (Sri-Lankan, South East Asians, Aborigines) with straight hair that are not Africans to prove a point. However, these black people do not have the same DNA composition as black Africans.

So I guess the bottom line is that those black people in America and Caribbean see themselves as having the same genetic composition as Indians, Sri-Lankans, Guyanese, etc because afterall race is fluid and while Black Africans just didn't get the memo that our genes retained the afro-hair.


Best,
Almond Eyes

 

[Maracujá]

So I guess the bottom line is that those black people in America and Caribbean see themselves as having the same genetic composition as Indians, Sri-Lankans, Guyanese, etc because afterall race is fluid and while Black Africans just didn't get the memo that our genes retained the afro-hair.

Interesting.

 

[Kurlee]

why are "black" people soo insistent in internalizing a concept that DOES NOT serve any purpose except to marginalize them? The concept of race is NOT real. The mongoloid, negroid stuff is not accurate. Genetics does not work that way. The 1/2 this and 1/4 that is not at all accurate. Why do we insist on holding on to these notions, when they have NO basis in fact and are actually oppressive? I don't get it.

 

[Kurlee]

Genetics is nowhere near this straight forward.

EXACTLY!!! and the genes that 'decide' skin colour are in no way related to 'hair type' soooooooooooo..........

 

[almond eyes]

Then my next question is why are we as black women on this site? If black women have the same hair issues as White or Indian women then why then not join those sites. Obviously, we have different hair care needs and I could less about black women with naturally stick straight hair because I know its not the norm. It only becomes relevant if that women/man has a relaxer which again is chemically altered hair and requires special care. Many of us are on here I suspect because black hair whether it is natural or relaxed is different from the other races because it is naturally drier and curlier/coily and therefore requires different care than our other counterparts and we want to support in each other in that endeavour. Where is the forum for black women with naturally stick straight hair?

Best,
Almond Eyes

 

[ccd]

 

[Almaz]

They don't need one

Then my next question is why are we as black women on this site? If black women have the same hair issues as White or Indian women then why then not join those sites. Obviously, we have different hair care needs and I could less about black women with naturally stick straight hair because I know its not the norm. It only becomes relevant if that women/man has a relaxer which again is chemically altered hair and requires special care. Many of us are on here I suspect because black hair whether it is natural or relaxed is different from the other races because it is naturally drier and curlier/coily and therefore requires different care than our other counterparts and we want to support in each other in that endeavour. Where is the forum for black women with naturally stick straight hair?

Best,
Almond Eyes

 

[ccd]

Liya's hair is actually curly. She's like a 3b-ish (like a lot of Ethiopians. I didn't say ALL but "a lot". haha). Here's a quick pic I could dig up. But I've seen others...

I don't know what type she is but she's in my siggy Beautiful whatever type....very versatile!

 

[almond eyes]

I say let's not leave any black woman out let's create a forum for the black women with naturally stick straight hair. Join the movement!!!!!!!!!!

Best,
Almond Eyes