There’s no way to sugarcoat this: I always experience a flash of annoyance when I see white girls wearing cornrows. Maybe it’s because the hairstyle is being marketed as “new and trendy.” Or it could be that I, as a black woman, know it’s not a style white girls wore when I was growing up, and that they often mocked me for wearing it.
I get it; it’s a cool look. But the annoyance was still there in September as I perused backstage beauty looks at the Desigual show during New York Fashion Week and noticed the hairstylists cornrowing the heads of the (mostly white) models.
The hairstylist for Desigual, Edward Lampley, shared with me that the inspiration for the cornrows actually came from Japanese street culture, with no nod to African culture.
“We found these incredible kids who were just doing things differently,” Mr. Lampley said. “It’s about a beautiful woman at the end of the day, or at least an interesting woman.”
Valentino did acknowledge that its October show at Paris Fashion Week was inspired by African culture. The hairstylist for it, Guido Palau, created cornrows with a braided bun at the top. Fashionista.com reported that only 10 of the models in the show were black, and it was only a matter of minutes after images of the white models wearing cornrows spread around the Internet that several people decried the show.
“Valentino with the African/tribal inspo and 90% white girls in corn rows on the runway. Ughhhh.*indefinite eye roll*” Andrea @notandyy wrote.
“Valentino really has GOT to stop with the cornrows on white models,” wrote Brooke Windham @coleneiers.
But hair is just hair, and every woman should be able to wear it as she wants, right?
Growing up in a tiny East Texas town, I was enamored with cornrows after seeing other black girls in my class wearing them. I loved how intricate the designs could be and especially loved styles with colored beads woven into them. To me, not only was the look beautiful, but cornrows were also a short cut to avoiding the dreadful weekly hair pressings.
Pressing hair involved heating a comb (also known as a hot comb) on a stove and passing it through the hair from root to tip to straighten it. This arduous, sometimes hourslong process usually culminated in the burning of my scalp or the tips of my ears (because sometimes I wasn’t quick enough in grabbing and folding them down).
This was usually completed on Saturday in the kitchen by either my grandmother or mother, with gospel music playing in the background, so that my hair would be fresh for church on Sunday morning. I hated the entire process, and no amount of whining, pleading or cajoling would make it go away.
Cornrows would be my way out, and I looked forward to getting them each summer so that I could jump into pools and run free without worrying about having a hot comb anywhere near my head. But while I loved the look, I didn’t love the white girls at school who deemed my hairstyle “weird looking” or “ghetto.”
Yes, I understood that not everyone will love what you do to your hair, but my feelings were still hurt, and I remember wondering why these insults were heaped on my hairstyle.
Cornrows originated in Africa and were predominantly worn by women. I remember my grandmother telling me stories as she braided my hair about how her mother used to do the same thing, and her mother before her, to protect their hair while out in the fields picking cotton.
“Cornrows was our way to connect back to a lost land,” said Michaela Angela Davis, a cultural critic and writer in New York. “We knew where they came from and they couldn’t steal or beat it out of us. It’s black and they know it.”
Plenty of high-profile white women — most famously, Bo Derek in the 1979 movie “10” — have publicly worn cornrows, including Madonna, Melanie Griffith, Christina Aguilera, Kristen Stewart and Lena Dunham. It’s not uncommon now to scroll Instagram and see celebrities like Cara Delevingne on a red carpet or Kylie Jenner in a selfie pose, wearing them.
Bethann Hardison, a pioneering black runway model and a well-known advocate for diversity in fashion, said that she was not offended when she saw white women wearing cornrows, especially on the runways.
“I never think anything is wrong with people adapting,” she said of the white models at Valentino. “Hair is hair, and I never feel like it’s wrong.”
Similarly, Anthony Dickey, a hairstylist and the owner of Hair Rules, a New York salon that caters to textured hair, said he did not take offense in seeing cornrows on the runways because he loves all things hair.
“I worked in fashion shows throughout the ’90s,” Mr. Dickey said. “White girls should be able to wear their hair however they like, just like black girls.” He said that he believes magazines need to be more reflective of their readers and use beauty images to accurately showcase our diverse world. “If skin texture and hair texture were treated equally,” he said, “we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
Jamie Stone, a blogger in Los Angeles, is white and first wore cornrows when she was 18 and vacationing in the Bahamas.
“I honestly thought the Bahamian women had beautiful hair, and I wanted to try it out for myself,” she said. “There was no malicious intent of any kind, and I did black hair while fully appreciating and acknowledging the cultural relevancy of it.” Ms. Stone, who blogs for HonestlyJamie.com, added that she was a little sad that hair has become so racially charged.
“Do I think any woman should be telling another woman how to wear her hair?” she asked. “No. I do understand why this might be offensive to some, but not all, black women. I’m not ignorant to that, and I appreciate and understand the history.”
Aly Walansky, a journalist in Brooklyn who is white, argued that it was not O.K. for white people to wear historically black styles.
“Black hairstyles aren’t just about hair,” Ms. Walansky said. “Black hair has a history and culture behind it. White women like, say, Miley Cyrus, thinking she can go onstage and just ignore that context and wear it — it really is the hair version of wearing blackface.”
There will always be varying schools of thought about what’s culturally appropriate when it comes to hairstyles, but I am not sure that the annoyance I feel when I see cornrows on white girls will ever disappear. Perhaps if my childhood experiences had been different I would be more accepting. Maybe if I were able to open a beauty magazine like Allure and see more black hairstyles instead of stories on how to create an Afro with a picture of a white model attached to it, I wouldn’t care so much.
“Our hair is a sacred thing,” said Ms. Davis, the writer. “You can either accept that or not.” Although she doesn’t blame white people for wanting to do it,” she said, “look at what you’re stepping into. You can’t just take it and not deal with us.”
I Think the REAL issue is the lack of black models. I don't care how anyone does their hair, but I do think it's pretty....annoying that the show has plenty of white women in a "nod" to Africa but few black women.
Anecdote - when I was about 10 I REALLY wanted braids/cornrows done after going to Disney world and seeing so many black kkds with them. I still think they're beautiful
I don't understand. If my 4 year kid wants me to braid her hair in corn rows, I should say no? I wouldn't do it because her hair is wispy and annoying and I can barely do a ponytail but that is a separate issue. I do look at the photo of Melanie Griffith (I think) with the braids and the beads and she looks ridiculous. But Leba Dunham has her hair in braids like we used to do for skating competitions.
I am not trying to be dumb or annoying. I feel like the article wasn't clear. Almost like she personally didn't like it, but go ahead. She will just seethe in the corner.
Growing up in a large cruise shop port town, I think I associate them equally with black women and white sunburned tourists.
I'm neither of those, so I've never had them. But I'll admit in college I really wanted braids. As someone who's never been taught how too many wavy hair the idea of low maintenance really appealed to me.
But the annoyance was still there in September as I perused backstage beauty looks at the Desigual show during New York Fashion Week and noticed the hairstylists cornrowing the heads of the (mostly white) models. The hairstylist for Desigual, Edward Lampley, shared with me that the inspiration for the cornrows actually came from Japanese street culture, with no nod to African culture.
I just don't understand why anyone without a kinky hair texture would want them. Part of the issue with braids/cornrows is the amount of time involved in getting them done and we already know that the styles don't last as long on straight hair anyway. So spending 2+ hours for a style that is going to get fuzzy in 3-4 days doesn't make much sense to me, but whatever works.
Post by earlgreyhot on Nov 4, 2015 10:47:20 GMT -5
I so wanted braids and beads when I was in elementary school! I was mesmerized by this one girl who's beads matched her outfit everyday! I have memories of the unsuccessful attempts to shove beads in my own hair.
I think lg28 nailed the real issue, which is the lack of actual diversity among models. Not how their hair is worn.
But the annoyance was still there in September as I perused backstage beauty looks at the Desigual show during New York Fashion Week and noticed the hairstylists cornrowing the heads of the (mostly white) models. The hairstylist for Desigual, Edward Lampley, shared with me that the inspiration for the cornrows actually came from Japanese street culture, with no nod to African culture.
I just don't understand why anyone without a kinky hair texture would want them. Part of the issue with braids/cornrows is the amount of time involved in getting them done and we already know that the styles don't last as long on straight hair anyway. So spending 2+ hours for a style that is going to get fuzzy in 3-4 days doesn't make much sense to me, but whatever works.
Right? I ain't trying to sit anywhere long enough to get my hair braided unless it's gonna last WEEKS. My butt goes numb just thinking about getting my hair braided.
I once sat in a salon getting my hair braided (so you know that's where my ass was the entire day) listening to a woman with a stylist about getting her hair braided. The woman had brought in some really slick faux hair and she had suuuuuuuper straight hair. The stylist said she could braid her hair like she wanted with the hair she brought, but it would likely start slipping out the following day. The stylist was really cool about it while the other lady yelled at her and finally huffed out.
Re: more black models. Yes, that would inevitably be a good thing. But I also think that black models wearing corn rows translates to, "Oh, that's the way black women wear their hair." White models wearing corn rows equals, "Oh, that's so cute and trendy!"
It's hard to explain, but I think the author touched on it. Fashion isn't "legitimized" until it's co-opted and deemed appropriate by whites. Hence why, before white women wanted to wear their hair in corn rows, it wasn't cool.
Re: more black models. Yes, that would inevitably be a good thing. But I also think that black models wearing corn rows translates to, "Oh, that's the way black women wear their hair." White models wearing corn rows equals, "Oh, that's so cute and trendy!"
It's hard to explain, but I think the author touched on it. Fashion isn't "legitimized" until it's co-opted and deemed appropriate by whites. Hence why, before white women wanted to wear their hair in corn rows, it wasn't cool.
I've never had them and don't know anyone (mostly white) who ever had them. I do have friends with dreds, all white hippies.
Some of those pictures are from the 70's or 80's... so my question is if it has been "legitimized" for decades now? Do hairstylists look at it as a universal look now?
My main issue with this "trend" is people acting brand new like white women invented them. A la "Bo Derek braids" or "Kylie Jenner mini braids" get the hell out with that fuckery.
Right. And the thought that if white women do it - it's TOTES cool. But, if I come to work cornrow'd up, my ass is immediately unprofessional. That's the problem for me. It's a trend now, but we've done it forever as a staple of protective styles. That's why when you see black folks at a beach - it keeps our hair protected from salt, sand and sea. It's about the ease of maintenance for us vs. OMG I wanna look like Miley Hooker Cyrus.
That's why I don't like it. It's not a trend for me. Now, unless y'all are going to stop penalizing black folks for having the hair nature gave them, don't play around with my hair for the sake of being a trend. Make it to where I can do my hair in braids, cornrows or twists and be seen as professional.
White women wore cornrows in ancient Greece and Rome, as well as Viking and Celtic cultures. I think the only reason it fell out of fashion for white women is because excessive braiding was brought up in the New Testament and seen as immodest in some Christian circles. But I think it's inaccurate to say that they originated in Africa. They just stood the test of time and took on cultural significance for Africans.
White women wore cornrows in ancient Greece and Rome, as well as Viking and Celtic cultures. I think the only reason it fell out of fashion for white women is because excessive braiding was brought up in the New Testament and seen as immodest in some Christian circles. But I think it's inaccurate to say that they originated in Africa. They just stood the test of time and took on cultural significance for Africans.
I don't know the history, but typically there was a lot of connection from Northern Africa to these areas, so I'm guessing that it actually still originated with people in Africa and was adopted in those European areas.
LOL I think some people look great with cornrows or with a shaved head.
But I've got a face that needs hair. Wah wah wah. :?
Maybe it's the contrast of scalp color and hair that bothers me? Or maybe they look flakey around the braids. It's not just the scalp because I sure ain't mad at LL or Shemar Moore for walking around looking fine.
White women wore cornrows in ancient Greece and Rome, as well as Viking and Celtic cultures. I think the only reason it fell out of fashion for white women is because excessive braiding was brought up in the New Testament and seen as immodest in some Christian circles. But I think it's inaccurate to say that they originated in Africa. They just stood the test of time and took on cultural significance for Africans.
White women wore cornrows in ancient Greece and Rome, as well as Viking and Celtic cultures. I think the only reason it fell out of fashion for white women is because excessive braiding was brought up in the New Testament and seen as immodest in some Christian circles. But I think it's inaccurate to say that they originated in Africa. They just stood the test of time and took on cultural significance for Africans.
Well, we all originated from the same place and took customs around the world and adapted them into our cultures. You're telling me the ancient Celts or Incans or whoever cornrowed their hair because they saw Africans that had done it? No. There are only so many ways to express yourself or decorate yoursrlf with your hair, especially in an age before dying it and when white women were expected to keep it waist length or longer. Braiding or cornrowing would have been a practical and decorative style. All people braided their hair and experimented with it in different ways. It's just that the style was more common and acceptable in Christian times for Africans.
It's like dreadlocks, as if they were some kind of African invention. Celtic men had dreadlocked hair, too. Not because they were copying the styles of Africans, but because that's what naturally happens to long hair when it isn't brushed or combed regularly.
There are only so many ways to style hair. Every culture is going to essentially end up doing the same types of things.
Well, we all originated from the same place and took customs around the world and adapted them into our cultures. You're telling me the ancient Celts or Incans or whoever cornrowed their hair because they saw Africans that had done it? No. There are only so many ways to express yourself or decorate yoursrlf with your hair, especially in an age before dying it and when white women were expected to keep it waist length or longer. Braiding or cornrowing would have been a practical and decirative style. All people braided their hair and experimented with it in different ways. It's just that the style was more common and acceptable in post-Christian times for Africans.
It's like dreadlocks, as if they were some kind of African invention. Celtic men had dreadlocked hair, too. Not because they were copying the styles of Africans, but because that's what naturally happens to long hair when it isn't brushed or combed regularly.
There are only so many ways to style hair. Every culture is going to essentially end up doing the same types of things.
When I saw you quoted me, I thought if this post says anything other than "I stand corrected," then she's out of order. Why are you talking to me about who saw what and who copied whom? I gave you those links to help you with your clear and apparent confusion about where braids originated (I was not confused). Now that you have been provided with the information, you're talking about how no one copied and how we're all African and how there are only certain ways to style hair. I asked you none of that or anything else. I gave you information so that you wouldn't keep walking around loud and wrong talking about how cornrows originated in Rome and Greece. You're welcome .
Really, aw? Corn rows are white style, too, because of something pre-biblical?
In a way, I get it. Braids and locs are going to happen for people pre-hygeine. Protective styles b/c of lice and all that. But TODAY, and for the last few centuries, that's not been the case. You can't be ignorant of that.
Nitaw is absolutely right that certain styles are deemed unprofessional, braids being one of them. Just this year I've read articles about them being banned in schools. But as a white woman I could possibly be complimented on my forward fashion sense.
Well, we all originated from the same place and took customs around the world and adapted them into our cultures. You're telling me the ancient Celts or Incans or whoever cornrowed their hair because they saw Africans that had done it? No. There are only so many ways to express yourself or decorate yoursrlf with your hair, especially in an age before dying it and when white women were expected to keep it waist length or longer. Braiding or cornrowing would have been a practical and decirative style. All people braided their hair and experimented with it in different ways. It's just that the style was more common and acceptable in post-Christian times for Africans.
It's like dreadlocks, as if they were some kind of African invention. Celtic men had dreadlocked hair, too. Not because they were copying the styles of Africans, but because that's what naturally happens to long hair when it isn't brushed or combed regularly.
There are only so many ways to style hair. Every culture is going to essentially end up doing the same types of things.
When I saw you quoted me, I thought if this post says anything other than "I stand corrected," then she's out of order. Why are you talking to me about who saw what and who copied whom? I gave you those links to help you with your clear and apparent confusion about where braids originated (I was not confused). Now that you have been provided with the information, you're talking about how no one copied and how we're all African and how there are only certain ways to style hair. I asked you none of that or anything else. I gave you information so that you wouldn't keep walking around loud and wrong talking about how cornrows originated in Rome and Greece. You're welcome .
Well I didn't ask you for your links either.
I didn't say they originated in Rome or Greece. I said they have existed in cultures since the beginning of time and that we all came from the same place so that makes sense. You're delusional if you don't think every human being has been braiding their hair in some form since the beginning of time. It's the only practical way to keep long hair out of the way without a million pins and ties. I have hair to my calves, as many women did in ancient times. Braiding it is one of the only ways to keep it out of the way without my hundred bobby pins and an updo. It's that simple now and it was that simple thousands of years ago.
Really, aw? Corn rows are white style, too, because of something pre-biblical?
In a way, I get it. Braids and locs are going to happen for people pre-hygeine. Protective styles b/c of lice and all that. But TODAY, and for the last few centuries, that's not been the case. You can't be ignorant of that.
Nitaw is absolutely right that certain styles are deemed unprofessional, braids being one of them. Just this year I've read articles about them being banned in schools. But as a white woman I could possibly be complimented on my forward fashion sense.
I'm not arguing the modern issues in this article. I only brought up that I disagree with where the article says braiding originated. As I said, it fell out of practice for whites and that's why it's seen as an African custom now. I'm not saying white people should wear corn rows now. It does feel somewhat costumey on white people given the African ties to cornrowing in modern times.
Dreadlocks are different though. I get that on white people. If I go more than two days eithout brushing my hair and just keep throwing it up in a bun they start to form in my hair. I feel like it's just sort of that white hippie culture and not because of emulating POC, but because if you're wanting to grow your hair long and not brush it or wash it, that seems like a more practical and natural style.
White people look terrible with both cornrows and dredlocks. Sorry. Pasty scalp is not attractive. And there is no possible way to pull off whitelocks without looking like you reek of patchouli and BO.
When I saw you quoted me, I thought if this post says anything other than "I stand corrected," then she's out of order. Why are you talking to me about who saw what and who copied whom? I gave you those links to help you with your clear and apparent confusion about where braids originated (I was not confused). Now that you have been provided with the information, you're talking about how no one copied and how we're all African and how there are only certain ways to style hair. I asked you none of that or anything else. I gave you information so that you wouldn't keep walking around loud and wrong talking about how cornrows originated in Rome and Greece. You're welcome .