It's More Than Just A Hairstyle.

March 3, 2020 - As an avid social media user, Lamya's story is just that of hundreds of instances where Black children are forced to remove their hair, or have their hair forcefully removed by teachers and coaches.

Many white celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Danielle Bregoli, and more have recreated Black hairstyles with a lot of backlash from the media. In the same breath, they've also received a lot of support, mainly from non-Black folks who think these hairstyles are simply just that. But that is far from the truth.

Braid's such as Bantu Knots, and Box Braids, or even Intricate Braids can be traced back to African culture, signifying a range of identities such as marital status, rank, and wealth of the person who is wearing (and rocking) the style. As a signal of self-identity in our modern society, these seemingly simple hairstyles have also become a source of political controversy and debate- but only if you're Black.

Cultural appropriation and appreciation is alive and well, but these hairstyles are more than what they are being represented (and misrepresented) as. How is it that a young, Black child in elementary school can have her hair cut by her authority figure, but non-Black folks can recreate these looks and are nothing more than praised for it? Whether or not they know the history behind the look, and whether or not their intention was to appreciate or appropriate it, there is a double standard when we focus in on what is an "acceptable look" for Black peoples as a whole.

Hair discrimination is something that the Black community has faced for hundreds of years, with natural hair and braids or dreads being laced with the idea of "ghetto-ness," "ratchet-ness," and bad grooming. But when a non-Black person has these hairstyles, they are praised for spreading awareness and appreciating the culture. Which is fine- cultural appreciation is amazing. But see how the double standards are wrecking the lives and self-esteem of Black bodies?

From Black wrestlers, to Black news anchors and teachers, Lamaya's are everywhere in the world- being harassed and even assaulted because of their hair. And there weren't any laws specifically made to protect them from this senseless discrimination because of their hair.

But more recently, in the summer of 2019, New York and California became two states that enacted a law that bans Natural Hair Discrimination, specifically, but not exclusively, towards Black students, teachers, and other Black workplace bodies. New Jersey, Illinois, and Michigan, as well as other states, followed with similar legislation.

My take? The point of my voice on this topic? Appreciation can happen by other races and folks who are non-Black, but I think it should happen without recreating these hairstyles. Non-Black people who benefit from their race and are sitting in a position of power should, instead of wearing braids without speaking on the Natural Hair Discrimination, use their voice to bring awareness to the issue.

The perpetuation of the double standard is created when non-Black folks wear these hairstyles with little to no regard for the consequences (because quite honestly, there aren't any- for them), whereas Black communities are discriminated against. It's more than just a hairstyle- it's our identity. And we, as a Black people, should be able to own it to fight against Natural Hair Discrimination without having young children question why their hair is political when they see non-Black girls wearing the same hairstyle without facing any repercussions.

It's more than just a hairstyle. It's our life.

Reach out to me for some friendly debates- I'm all ears! My social medias are down below.