Braids: Cultural Appropriation or Not?

By Amanda Tejuca on September 20, 2015

The recent braids controversy is in the midst of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. It also comes in a time when some say that tragedies like Ferguson and the Trayvon Martin case are sparking the need for a second civil rights movement . Braids went from a seemingly innocent hairstyle to a topic of conversation and a deep divide between races when twelve year old Mallory Merk showed off her box braids on social media. Right away, social media platforms went hay wire with hate comments, rants, and arguments by the thousands.

Since then, Evelina Angulo (@Linerz), a Latin Miami native also received hate for her braids.

Naturally, two opposing views formed. While both of them have valid points, there is no denying that today’s pop culture is laden with black culture. @nickiminaj tweeted “Im not always confident. Just tired. Black women influence pop culture so much but are rarely rewarded for it.”

Taking this into consideration, it is clear why one half of the argument is offended by Mallory and Evelina’s choice of hairstyle. Like Nicki Minaj pointed out, black women feel as though white women are appropriating their culture while not giving them credit.

In her YouTube video “white girl with box braids RANT,” Sensei Aishitemasu says ”When we wear braids and afros and locks, when we reclaim our natural hair it is a journey, it means something. It is not just hair.”

Not all comments were negative. The other half of the dispute felt like women of any race should be able to do whatever they please with their hair, as it is “just hair.” Those publicizing their opinion noted that this was not a race issue until black women made it a race issue. It is clear that “claiming” a hairstyle and making it off limits to other races causes more problems than not, but the issue seems to be whether black women have the right to do so. One side believes that after all they have persevered and are still persevering, yes. The other side holds that hair should not belong to a race, and doing so manifests further segregation in America.

It is important to point out how the two views that emerged were not race specific. Comments from men and women of different races poured in showing support for the opposing side as well.

The pictures that prompted this argument serve as a critical point of race issues in America. At first glance they are pictures of girls trying out a new hairstyle, as girls tend to do, but they had the power to ignite strong passions in people.  The deep-rooted partition that still persist in the country was unveiled with something as harmless as a hairstyle, and that is something worth noting.

 

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