It's been a while since you've heard from this blogger. The reason for today's blog is an article from MTV UK posted by the Grio that gave credit for corn row braids to Kim Kardashian, oh wait I mean "boxer braids". As a kinky texture having individual that has worn braids all 43 (almost 44) years of my life, I am a little ticked off by this article because african americans have been getting flack about our kinky hair all of our existence. Our African ancestors/elders led the way in the creativity of our kinky crowns and gave us the playbook on how to handle our tresses.
I have an unforgettable memory, as a little girl I asked my cousin Vickie to braid my hair like Peaches of "Peaches and Herb" with the beads. I think my mom was taking me to get pictures done at Sears or Montgomery Wards or somewhere like that so I had to be cute. Well this was 1979(i was 7) and the movie "10" had come out and Bo Derek wears braids in the movie so the photographer says "oh you have your hair like Bo Derek?" I looked at him in shock and amazement and said "No! Like Peaches from Peaches and Herb!" he did a nervous laugh and continued on with his job. I'm sure he had no idea who I was speaking of.
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| R&B duo "Peaches & Herb" |
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| R&B artist "Patrice Rushen" |
If you look at ALL of our colored, negro, black, african american entertainers, our everyday family and friends pictures, we rock locs, braids, afros and receive nothing but flack about it especially in corporate america and the military. Our hair is called "nappy" which is as bad as the big "N-word" to me although some have embraced the word and made it an awesome description, I just cannot. OH but let "someone else" wear the same style and the world goes bananas as if it's the next best thing since sliced bread. And this didn't start just now, looking back at early movies created about the bible stories which happened in Africa (in real life) they use non-african actors/actresses, with kinky wigs and braid wigs, as the main characters with of course actors of african descent depicting the slave roles. Yep they paint their faces brown/bronze and hire the ones born with kinky hair and brown skin to be... the help (pun intended). I've never really dwelled on this because it's a part of a brown skinned person's life, to know that the world will forever try to knock our self-esteem down but this topic keeps coming back to me so I had to put my words to proverbial paper. It's almost a tad bit comical watching and listening to other criticize us. Why? Because the reality is that we are "the shit" and they take our ideas, our looks and use it for their own and get their plastic surgeons to re-create it. (as close as they can come to it anyway). Oh but Halloween is THE day that our natural hair, curves and everything else is put out front, this time as a joke. Yes some of our beloved non-black brothers and sisters find it hilarious to put on wigs, butt pads and other crazy looking accessories to pretend to be some sort of african american character. So sad.
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| Elizabeth Taylor as the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra |
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| Braid wig - Halloween Costume |
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| Really? |
Yes this email conversation really happened, check it out. Page 1 is my initial comment at the bottom and MTV UK's response at the top. Page 2 is my second statement, which apparently did not warrant a response. Yes this was last month and every time I try to just Let it gooo (you sang that.. lol), something else comes to my attention about this same topic. Go ahead and read it:
This topic probably does not bother any of the younger generations (and some of the older ones) but I've lived long enough to see and experience face-to-face discrimation. Made fun of for being too black, hair too nappy, etc and then to see the same group of thought start to inject and tan themselves to mimic the things they once ridiculed...AND situations like this where they take our styles that, again, were publicly ridiculed and have the audacity to make it their own is hilariously sad. Now, I'm sure there are some reading this that will say "Hey lady, this is a UK news outlet printing this, they aren't aware of your US history." My response to that is "WWW". Do you know what that stands for? World Wide Web. The internet allows us access to everything about everybody, the African history is a little different in how they were treated in the UK vs the US but no excuse because the information is there.
I've stopped believing that this mindset will ever change, I mean the mindset that sees those of African descent as second class citizens. Why? Because hatred is taught and learned and the country's behavior towards our current President Obama and First Lady Michelle AND the current Presidential election shows front and center that racism is still alive and kicking. Yes, the blog topic is about a hairstyle but the sentiment behind it goes much deeper....all the way back to our ancestors.
Let me make this perfectly clear....I don't care WHO wears the style everyone wears braids..but don't give credit where credit isn't due. That's just wrong on so many levels. It's like coming to an inhabited country and claiming it as your own....oh wait...that sounds familiar.
Keep living, keep moving forward and keep hope alive....
Peace and Love...
~Are you a female blogger? Are you a female working in the arts? Check out these two support organizations: Women With Gifts SHECreatediT ~
This blogger can be reached at annissakaye@gmail.com.
Website:
The Grio - Boxer Braids
WikiPedia - Cornrows
WikiPedia - Peaches and Herb
WikiPedia - Bo Derek
WikiPedia - Patrice Rushen
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