The Culture Appropriation of Black Braids- Mini Project (2020)

As young Black girls, the memory of sitting down on the floor while our hair gets braided between the legs of a loved one, our hair becoming carefully and neatly intertwined, is a mutual and unforgettable memory amongst us. Even today, as we grow older, hair appointments done by professional braiders for hours on salon chairs that grow uncomfortable are felt as valuable moments. Unlike our other popular hair styles such as clean finger waves, twist outs, and rod sets, braids differ tremendously in the aspect of their ancestral roots. They represent a crucial part of Black culture, in every Black region. Being Afro-Caribbean, the feeling of seeing other Black girls with their braids and beads that made noise and slapped our face when we turned our heads gave us a sense of togetherness, and for many, that is the power of braids. Their history and the role that they played in history is special, as the discovery of ancient stone paintings depicted Black women with cornrows from North Africa, which show us that the use of braids is older than one may initially believe. In their earliest known forms, braids were worth more than just a style, as it is said that they were able to determine age, marital status, and even clan. An example of this pertains to the Fula women of the Sahel African region who wore five long braids down the back with a small tuft of hair gathered at the top of the crown. It is impossible to look at the origins of braids without looking at the impact that slavery had on African women. Not only was the trauma of slavery psychological, physical, and even generational, the erasure of priorities also took place. Before enslaved people were captured and boarded onto slave ships, those who caught them would shave the heads of Black women in hopes of stripping them from their culture, cultural erasure being the large goal amongst white colonizers and the ethnic groups that they encountered. As the goal to stay alive and be providers defeated the chance to create intricate styles, Black women braided their hair in single plaits instead, since they were less time consuming.

Apart from braids becoming an easier way that allowed Black women to maintain their hair in a particular style while enslaved, braiding patterns became a secret messaging system that allowed enslaved people to communicate with one another without the knowledge of slave owners. The braids would be braided in a way that represented passageways, or maps. To escape bondage or meet at a certain point, enslaved Black enslaved people utilized their braids to illustrate such routes. Not only could they be braided to hide secret messages, but food was also tucked into these braids for long slave ship journeys, since it was regular for enslaved people to be underfed. As time went on and slavery became abolished, the popularity of braids amongst Black women made non-Black people view braids as unprofessional and unsophisticated, simply because they were braided on the heads of Black women.

Because of the non-acceptance of braids received in a white-standard society, it caused Black women to substitute braided hairstyles for hairstyles that did not have this negative connotation, such as chemically relaxed hair and hair pressed by hot combs or straighteners. Therefore, assimilation was the cause for the integration of these straight styles in Black culture. Sadly, even today in 2020, although braids are being recognized as apart of Black culture more often, employment and education is still difficult for Black women who wear their cultural hair styles because they are still deemed as unprofessional and inappropriate, which is something many non-Black people forget when they take the time to get protective styles put in their head.

More stories like these: https://www.elitedaily.com/life/culture/black-girls-natural-hair-racism-schools/1953497

The ignorance towards the endurances of Black women for wearing their braiding styles is most likely the reason for why non-Black folk feel as if it is okay to appropriate our styles, ones that are seen as ‘trendy’ and ‘stylish’ on their heads, but ‘ghetto’ and ‘unprofessional’ on ours. The refusal to learn about what these hairstyles truly mean to Black communities is one of the main causes as to why the culture appropriation of Black braiding styles has spread, as well as miseducation received by these groups, and sometimes even the invalidation Black people receive when we attempt to educate these groups. Black braids have been appropriated by non-Black groups getting their hair braided in a cultural form, which is sometimes confused as non-Black people getting their hair braided in fish braids, for example. Black people are not bothered by braiding hairstyles like fish braids, because they are not important to our culture. Other braiding styles, though, such as lemonade braids, micro braids, cornrows, or regular box braids are where culture appropriation becomes the conversation.

Example of Black braiding styles:

Example of non-Black braiding style:

Non-Black folk appropriating these hairstyles have a more damaging effect than they may think, especially when they refer to them as ‘just hairstyles.’ Having the rich history that they have, they could never be ‘just hairstyles.’ If they were just hairstyles, Black women would not have had to endure assimilation because people did not see braids as appropriate enough when it came to employment. If they were just hairstyles, we would not get called ghetto and tacky for wearing them, but when others wear them, suddenly it is a trend worthy of hopping onto. For many of us, it is rather degrading when hairstyles that we have been told are non-sufficient for society are now trendy because they are being worn by non-Black women, but not trendy in those moments where young Black girls have had time taken away from their education because they are being threatened to be taken out of school for wearing protective braiding styles, or even their kinky afros. It also has a disrespectful effect apart from different reactions braids receive when they are worn by different non-Black groups, solely because they were important to our ancestors and a part of the endurances they had to persevere from. But sadly, these are things that cultural appropriators do not have in mind when they get braids installed into their heads, hairstyles that can actually damage their hair tremendously because they are not meant for their hair types. Braids being a protective style for KINKLY/CURLY hair, one can imagine the opposite effects that it would have for hair that are not these textures. Despite this, we still see non-Black celebrities who have built their platforms through the appropriation of Blackness.

Considering this, the appropriation of different Black braiding styles could be described as cultural exploitation, because it is the appropriation of a subordinated culture by dominant culture without reciprocity, permission, compensation, understanding, or appreciation, which usually has a discriminatory backstory or some sort of marginalized one. A lot of times when non-Black groups culture appropriate our hairstyles, they do not take the time to understand the background as to why this could be offensive by some parts of the Black community, because like in every cultural group, there are individuals who do not care too much about culture appropriation. This does not mean that it is right, especially when our history is continuously invalidated and ignored, but pulled out whenever people feel like appropriating it. In my own personal evaluation, I feel like America as a nation plays a role in the ignorance surrounding Black culture appropriation, and the culture appropriation of other cultures as a whole. For many young Black students, the first thing that is taught is American history, and even though Black people influenced this country HEAVILY and UNDENIABLY, Black history (in some classrooms, I’ve been lucky enough not to have teachers/schools this way) is treated like some sort of bitter and sweet anecdote that is very often sugarcoated, yet 'necessary' for America's economic success. We often are not taught about the extremes of America’s slavery and its treatment towards Black people, which is why when we truly learn its details, we are shocked. Because America’s schools have treated slavery like it was some sad, short, story instead of a traumatic system that affects Black people today drastically, things that come from Black culture are also not taken as serious, which is why some people downplay it’s importance and ignore our history today, even outside of just white groups. Not only is it uncomfortable to see, but it is disrespectful especially because it goes far beyond just Black people today, but our history as well. Working towards eliminating miseducation and ignorance, I imagine, would lessen culture appropriation, because many non-Black people who have done it in the past have gotten educated and have not repeated their actions. Others, such as the Kardashian sisters whose careers profit off of Black culture, who refuse to acknowledge or understand the backlash that they receive for culture appropriating and overall Black-fishing (non-Black people changing their appearance to look more ethnic/Black-passing) get praise for this appropriating, which is another reason why it has become so widespread as other non-Black celebrities and influencers do the same. Instead of negating the voices of Black folk who do not want our culture appropriated by cultural insensitivity, they should be listened to and learned from. It would be greatly appreciated on behalf of all fed up Black girls and women.

And lastly,

One of the most influential Black women I know wearing braids :)-

(I wrote this project two years ago, but the same issue remains despite efforts at educating non-Black groups on Black culture. Thank you for reading!)