I still get comments under my videos concerning misappropriation of Black hairstyles asking “then why do Black women wear straight hair” so I’m trying to figure out if there’s a genuine disconnect (as I assumed the reasons were common knowledge by now) or people are just speaking in bad faith 😅
2 years ago | 36
I’m white and Asian, and I didn’t know about Black people being discriminated against simply due to their natural hair styles until people starting calling out K-pop stars for appropriating them within the past few years. Hearing that context in the conversation definitely helped contextualize the entire appropriation of Black hairstyles, why it’s an important topic to keep discussing, and how to be better.
2 years ago
| 29
I’m not black but French - South Asian and I knew this. If I’m not mistaken the French singer Aya Nakamura talked about her experience as a black woman in the French music industry and she mentioned that her hair and skin color were deemed as non-marketable for the French audience, some producers(?) even told her to bleach her skin but she refused and went elsewhere. She’s hugely successful all over Europe and other continents now, but the French media still bullies her and use unflattering pictures of her in their articles, they also paint her as a mean person. She’s been getting a better treatment lately from the media and I hope it’ll stay this way. Its like this with most black woman trying to get big in the French music industry, there aren’t many so they’re easy targets.
2 years ago
| 17
Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Alexandra Burke, Normani and other black artists discuss it. Artists no longer hide the abuse they have endured since Blacklives-Matters brought the issue to the forefront of public discourse in the UK.
2 years ago
| 7
I grew up with Brandy's music. She was definitely one of the few wearing braids. I figured the hairstyles chosen by many women artists was due to their respective communities.
2 years ago | 17
I found this out a while ago and it made me so sad. Amara la negra was told by that goofy dude on love and hip-hop that she needs to get rid of her afro and wear a weave similar to Beyonce's hair and I just lost hope in humanity and I was happy that she refuses but it still was wild to me that she was told that in the first place. Both Amara and that dude are Latina btw but Amara is afro Latina.
2 years ago
| 5
I knew, but I was never told explicitly. I’ve always heard about the discrimination in other areas of life, so imo it wasn’t hard to figure out that it happens regardless of profession and such.
2 years ago | 8
Not surprised, but still disappointing. When I think of black female artists and groups from the 90’s or 00’s, I can only think of Lauryn Hill with her locs or Brandy with braids. The rest are straight/wavy hairstyles. Hearing from Kat Graham (TVD) and Monique Coleman (HSM) on their crappy experiences with hair stylists and expectations in predominantly white tv/movies, it’s safe to say that the entertainment industry in general doesn’t/didn’t care for encourage natural hair. I grew up wanting relaxed hair and got it by the age of 12. Probably the overwhelming amount of straight hairstyles pushed in the media influenced my desire for it as a child which is bs.
2 years ago (edited) | 10
They have to be palatable to a Caucasian audience and fan base and the industry is colorist and discriminates with hair texture ex Alicia keys got away with braids because of her appearance as a biracial woman it was fine it was trendy
2 years ago
| 10
i am not black and braids are really papular in my country and i didn't even know they are from africa and belong to black people
2 years ago | 1
Adeola Ash
Did you know that Black women singers & rappers are often told by their labels and teams that they can’t wear their natural hair texture nor traditional Black hairstyles like braids, afros, etc as they feel it isn’t marketable to a non-Black audience?
2 years ago | [YT] | 96