The video “Gev(l)echt met je haar” by RTL4 has caused quite a stir in the Black community. Very understandable, because just as it is falsifying history to claim that Columbus discovered America, it is at the very least unfactual to report that the so-called boxer braids were first worn in the boxing world. Anyone with frizzy hair knows better; this braiding technique comes from Africa and has not only been worn by Black people for centuries, it has been a fairly well-known hairstyle for years, made popular by the hip hop movement.
That you may not have time to find out that these braids date back to 500 BC or even before, I can understand. I could also forgive you for missing the developments of the 90s, because you may not be a hip-hop fan. But the fashionistas of RTL must have missed even the latest #blacktwitter developments, in which it becomes clear that MTV UK made a mistake by calling these braids Boxer Braids . The correct English name is Cornrows. In Suriname we know this underhand braiding technique on the head, as Pina Bere.
What it's really about
That other peoples borrow cultural elements from Black people is not a bad thing and would probably even be applauded, if the reality were different. It would be great if the Western world would not only give credit where credit is due, but especially if they would applaud the cornrows of Black people as much as they do with other peoples who copy and adopt the same hairstyle. The facts are unfortunately different.
Here are my Cornrows for winter
Unequal rights
Black people are the only people on this planet who do not have the basic human right to wear their hair naturally.
All hairstyles that go with kinky hair like dreadlocks, cornrows and afros are stereotyped. These hairstyles are all perfect for kinky hair but are not accepted in a work environment. Black people even have to go to court to be allowed to wear these hairstyles that naturally go with kinky hair.
So it is more than understandable that Black people react with shock when suddenly the same hairstyle that they are not allowed to wear is adored by the same society that virtually forbids people with afro hair to wear the hairstyle.
For Black people, cornrows are considered indecent and criminal, for other peoples, on the catwalk, the same cornrows are suddenly super hip. For example, an Afro is said to be for militant personalities and Dreadlocks are worn by drug users, but for an actor like Jason Momoa, dreadlocks are cool.
The inequality that underlies it seems subtle, but it is not. The reality is that Black people have been deprived of their culture. That is not only super frustrating underneath, it has far-reaching consequences. That is especially evident with kinky hair.
One of the consequences
73% of Black women, more than any other race, experience hair breakage and hair loss. This is purely due to trying to conform to a standard that afro hair is not genetically designed for. If it sounds unbelievable, answer the following question for yourself:
Why does a braid stay in place in frizzy hair, but come loose in straight or curly hair?
The answer is simply because hair types are fundamentally different on a DNA level. Just as smooth hair would have to be manipulated terribly to get an afro, Creole people have to manipulate their hair just as much to get it smooth.
Black women have not only been doing this for centuries, they are expected to do it because of the dominant western standard that is present in every business. Can you imagine a straight haired person being turned down for a job because their hair was down when the standard was to wear their hair in an afro? The absurdly high rate of hair loss underscores this reality that is never talked about but Black women struggle with every day.
Cultural appropriation
None of this is new, of course. It’s been going on for centuries. It’s something Black people in America have been talking about ever since slavery was abolished. Hunger Games star Amandla Stenberg responded to a similar incident last year with the following comment, which has now been viewed over a million times. Where was Editie NL?
Diversity is missing
While there are more than enough hairstyles here that will blow most people’s minds, I don’t expect the fashionistas who make the news to spend all day on kroeshaar.com. But one, just one Black person on the newsstand could have told them where these braids really came from. Diversity in a work environment is important not only to show different perspectives, but also to point out historical facts that are too easily overlooked. In short, it leads to better reporting and a more complete picture.
Bad hair uprooted
With the aim of positively changing the perspective on afro hair and its hairstyles, the aforementioned social injustice is highlighted in the exhibition and book of the same name, “Bad Hair Uprooted.” This exhibition, which was on display last year in Brooklyn, NY and is on display this month in Paramaribo, not only addresses the daily social struggles of afro hair, but also highlights the beauty and versatility of afro hair with revolutionary hairstyles, which have led to the current growing online natural hair movement.
The book can be ordered now via the Kroeshaar Webshop . For more information about the exhibition visit kroeshaar.com and badhairuprooted.com .
Here is a link to the video Braiding your hair: Boxer braids