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Do white people care how black women wear their hair?

Do white people have an opinion on ethnic hairstyles

  • As long as said ethnic hairstyle looks kept, I don't care

    Votes: 5 9.6%
  • I think ethnic hairstyles such as afros and dreadlocks are unprofessional

    Votes: 3 5.8%
  • I think straight hair looks better on black women

    Votes: 4 7.7%
  • I've never even gave it a thought

    Votes: 44 84.6%

  • Total voters
    52
Who are these little black girls who feel like this because i have never met one.
Straight hair = easy to manage. Curly hair is a bitch to keep under control.

It is a fact and there have even been shows about it. One woman even wrote a book for young girls that is all about loving their hair. I cannot think of the name of it right now though.
 
Strawman.



Pretty and professional are two different things, did I defend forcing kids to have certain hair?

I wouldnt want Mohawks, paysas, wierd color hair, Sikh head gear in a professional setting either.

You still did not explain WHY you feel that Afros and braids do not belong in a professional setting. Tell me your reason?
 
It does. If the most you do to your hair every morning is grab a pick and start combing it out it's safe to say you are ghetto as ****.

- Half black man.

Afros take some work and a lot of times people put oil on their scalp even with an afro to keep it soft.
 
Afros take some work and a lot of times people put oil on their scalp even with an afro to keep it soft.

G.h.e.t.t.o.
 
Yeah but you're pretty fastidious about your grooming habits. I don't think an afro would ever be acceptable to you because of who you are and the expectations you have for yourself.

I am not tedious with my grooming. I can't help the fact I was blessed with beautiful curly hair, soft brown skin and a great body. I can't. It's all in the DNA. However I do add to it by making sure my body doesn't completely annihilate itself. I eat healthy. I exercise. And even if I wasn't Afros are a sign of the motherland. Ghetto.
 
I don't really give it any thought. I've never noticed Michelle's hair. Actually, I've never noticed Michelle, for that matter. I don't give a **** what she wears or how she parts her hair.

That said, when I consider the options... I'll have to say trimmed fros are okay, but big fros are just... bleh. On men or women. I love braids and dreads though. LOVE them. I have always wished that I could pull off either style. And I think that when women over-style their hair, no matter their race, it's unattractive.
 
Oh puh-lease. This isn't a race issue. I don't know a single woman over the age of 25 who doesn't color, highlight, straighten or perm their hair.

I'd venture to guess that at least half the men over the age of 50 have used either a grecian formula type of hair dye or some sort of rogaine type of product.

It's called grooming.

I've never colored my hair, or straightened it. I haven't had a perm in it since I graduated high school 20 years ago. I get highlights occasionally. Like, once every 5 years or so.



It does. If the most you do to your hair every morning is grab a pick and start combing it out it's safe to say you are ghetto as ****.

- Half black man.

LMFAO

I brush my hair with a vent brush in the morning. That's it. It's rare that I even look in a mirror in the morning.

Sometimes I put on a baseball cap. (Actually, up here in Alaska working out in the rain everyday, I put on a ballcap everyday)

I'm just "ghetto" like that. :lol:
 
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It seems that it's being suggested on this thread that black women can't look professional if they don't process their hair, or change it to an extreme and unnatural degree.

What looks "professional" is a matter of opinion, and if this is the prevailing opinion, then it needs to change. Now. Because it's racist and discriminatory.
Assertions to the contrary notwithstanding, white women do not generally treat and process their hair; there is certainly no unspoken social dictum that they must do so in order to look "professional".
I don't do much of anything to my hair; neither do most white or hispanic women I know. There's nothing "unprofessional" about natural straight or wavy hair, unless it's hanging in one's eyes or is grotesquely long, greasy, or unkempt.
Therefore, there is nothing "unprofessional" about natural African-American hair.
This is merely a prejudice that white-dominated society suffers from, and that they need to make an effort to overcome.
 
It seems that it's being suggested on this thread that black women can't look professional if they don't process their hair, or change it to an extreme and unnatural degree.

What looks "professional" is a matter of opinion, and if this is the prevailing opinion, then it needs to change. Now. Because it's racist and discriminatory.
Assertions to the contrary notwithstanding, white women do not generally treat and process their hair; there is certainly no unspoken social dictum that they must do so in order to look "professional".
I don't do much of anything to my hair; neither do most white or hispanic women I know. There's nothing "unprofessional" about natural straight or wavy hair, unless it's hanging in one's eyes or is grotesquely long, greasy, or unkempt.
Therefore, there is nothing "unprofessional" about natural African-American hair.
This is merely a prejudice that white-dominated society suffers from, and that they need to make an effort to overcome.

Ummmm there isn't anything racist about considering an afro to be unprofessional. I consider it unprofessional and so do a lot of people. Some hairstyles are simply not professional or aesthetically pleasing regardless of who wears them. If a white guy came into an office with a mohawk it would be unprofessional. It has absolutely nothing to do with race. It has to do with what is aesthetically pleasing and what isn't. 'Afros' aren't aesthetically pleasing outside of phone company commercials or those for Viagra. Dreads are gross. And so is that nasty **** Asian guys do with their hair. You know the ridiculous curve on their hair that looks like something Tony Hawk could do a 360 off.

I'll give examples :

Professional :

400_F_7286760_3dBK6jMqHtWVM7jSF7wmNORkBY9Iv6zo.jpg


Unprofessional :

2006-afro-curls.jpg


Professional :

white_man1.jpg


Unprofessional :

mohawk-50913.jpg


Nothing to do with race. Just what looks good in a professional environment and what doesn't.
 
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Ummmm there isn't anything racist about considering an afro to be unprofessional. I consider it unprofessional and so do a lot of people. Some hairstyles are simply not professional or aesthetically pleasing regardless of who wears them. If a white guy came into an office with a mohawk it would be unprofessional. It has absolutely nothing to do with race. It has to do with what is aesthetically pleasing and what isn't. 'Afros' aren't aesthetically pleasing outside of phone company commercials or those for Viagra.

Is an afro what happens when black people do nothing with their hair?
(I seriously don't know).
Do you realize that a great many white people including myself roll out of bed each day and go to work having done absolutely nothing to their hair except possibly brushed it for five seconds and maybe pulled it back in a ponytail, and are still considered to look absolutely, 100% "professional"?

If the implication of your statement is that black people need to try harder, spend more money, and do more unnatural things to their hair than white people do in order to look "professional", then society needs to change.
"Professional" is a subjective- not an objective- value judgement. It can change. It should change, if its current definition requires black people to have to do a lot of extra crap that white people don't have to do.
 
Is an afro what happens when black people do nothing with their hair?
(I seriously don't know).

Most of the time? Yes. I've seen very few clean afros.

Do you realize that a great many white people including myself roll out of bed each day and go to work having done absolutely nothing to their hair except possibly brushed it for five seconds and maybe pulled it back in a ponytail, and are still considered to look absolutely, 100% "professional"?

If the implication of your statement is that black people need to try harder, spend more money, and do more unnatural things to their hair than white people do in order to look "professional", then society needs to change.
"Professional" is a subjective- not an objective- value judgement. It can change. It should change, if its current definition requires black people to have to do a lot of extra crap that white people don't have to do.

No. The implication of my statement is that there are certain things which are pleasing to the eye in certain environments and things that aren't. If I went to a party and saw a chick with an afro. I wouldn't care. It's a casual environment. People are allowed to let go and be easy. If I saw a white kid with long hair at a party? Same thing. I wouldn't care. Why? The context of the environment we're in. A party. But best believe if I had a meeting at 9 am in the morning with either of those people, the first thing I would notice would be their appearance. Not because they are white or black but because it's important to people. How you dress, whether you have make up on, how you keep your hair. Those are all signs used in most working environments as cues to whether the person you are dealing with is 'serious' or not.
 
I work with uber-geeks so no one really pays much attention to the hairstyles. One of the gals has long jet black hair but the bangs are always a different color (yellow/white/pink etc). I've gotten so used to it that I don't really even notice it anymore.

I think dreads on any women look unkempt. I don't care for the afro style on any woman either. Corn-rows can be attractive if done right. I personally think black women look terrific with the long relaxed bouncy and flowing look, or with medium to long length straight hair. IMHO both styles serve to frame and accentuate the beautiful facial features of black women.
 
Unprofessional :

2006-afro-curls.jpg

I never would have considered that an afro. But if that's considered an afro, then I like that very much. Moreso than the so-called "professional" picture you posted above it.

However, I don't consider traditional, natural afros 'unprofessional' by any stretch of the imagination.
 
I work with uber-geeks so no one really pays much attention to the hairstyles. One of the gals has long jet black hair but the bangs are always a different color (yellow/white/pink etc). I've gotten so used to it that I don't really even notice it anymore.

I think dreads on any women look unkempt. I don't care for the afro style on any woman either. Corn-rows can be attractive if done right. I personally think black women look terrific with the long relaxed bouncy and flowing look, or with medium to long length straight hair. IMHO both styles serve to frame and accentuate the beautiful facial features of black women.

Neither "bouncy, flowing" hair nor straight hair are natural to 99+% of African Americans.
While respecting your opinion, I do not believe that anything so contrived and unnatural can "accentuate" or enhance beauty.
I also believe that we still live in a very anglocentric society, which does not yet recognize natural Black hair as attractive or professional, and which rewards black people who try to emulate whites.
Most black people have to do very cruel things to their hair in order to achieve a "long, straight" hairdo, if this is even possible at all.
What our hair does naturally if we just leave it alone, they have to torture their hair in order to get it to do.
I would like to see our culture become more accepting of the diverse natural beauty of various ethnicities, including becoming more tolerant of the fact that various ethnicities have different hair textures, and not all of them aspire to look white, nor should they be encouraged to.
 
Neither "bouncy, flowing" hair nor straight hair are natural to 99+% of African Americans.
While respecting your opinion, I do not believe that anything so contrived and unnatural can "accentuate" or enhance beauty.
I also believe that we still live in a very anglocentric society, which does not yet recognize natural Black hair as attractive or professional, and which rewards black people who try to emulate whites.
Most black people have to do very cruel things to their hair in order to achieve a "long, straight" hairdo, if this is even possible at all.
What our hair does naturally if we just leave it alone, they have to torture their hair in order to get it to do.
I would like to see our culture become more accepting of the diverse natural beauty of various ethnicities, including becoming more tolerant of the fact that various ethnicities have different hair textures, and not all of them aspire to look white, nor should they be encouraged to.
wtf lol. It has nothing to do with "looking white". In my opinion certain hairstyles just look better on virtually any woman... it really makes no difference at all what color her skin is. What's more, women of all races and skin-color do cruel things to their hair to obtain a particular color, blend, texture, or style.
 
No vote
I try not to be a racist, I could care less about anyone's hair unless they block by view(remember the old movie houses where a woman in front of you would wear an outlandish hat and refuse to remove it ?) or smell bad..
I have not been to a movie in nigh 50 years - have I missed anything ?
 
wtf lol. It has nothing to do with "looking white". In my opinion certain hairstyles just look better on virtually any woman... it really makes no difference at all what color her skin is. What's more, women of all races and skin-color do cruel things to their hair to obtain a particular color, blend, texture, or style.


Both Hatuey- comparing mohawks to afros- and you, claiming white women "process" their hair in order to look "professional" too- are making false analogies.

The fact is that most white people's hair is straight already. All they have to do to have straight hair is just do nothing to it.
Whereas, most black people's hair is frizzy/ kinky. African hair is a different texture. We all know this. Everyone knows it. It's not a secret.

The problem arises when the prevailing social perception is that straight hair is "acceptable/ attractive/ professional" and kinky/frizzy hair is not.
I'm sure you don't need to be Einstein to figure out why this is a problem, and why it's racially/ ethnically discriminatory, and why it needs to change.
Because it exalts the natural appearance of white people, and promotes it as the ideal, while denigrating the natural appearance of black people as being unacceptable. Rather, the natural appearance of all people should be acceptable, and diversity should be celebrated.
 
I have not been to a movie in nigh 50 years - have I missed anything ?
Umm... movies are in color now. Have been for some time :2razz:
 
The problem arises...
No. Your problem arises in attempting to dictate what hairstyle a women should have dependent on her race. Ridiculous. Every woman has the right to choose whatever hairstyle she fancies.
 
No. Your problem arises in attempting to dictate what hairstyle a women should have dependent on her race. Ridiculous. Every woman has the right to choose whatever hairstyle she fancies.

Exactly.
And every woman (and every man) should be free to choose without subtle social pressure telling them that their race/ ethnicity isn't good enough, and that they should attempt to emulate white people in order to be acceptable in the workplace (in a society which is, not surprisingly, still ruled by a white power structure).
 
I've never colored my hair, or straightened it. I haven't had a perm in it since I graduated high school 20 years ago. I get highlights occasionally. Like, once every 5 years or so.

I sometimes dye my hair to cover up the gray.
But I haven't done that in a long time.
I don't do any of these other things.

That's why I used the word "or" ladies. I didn't say all of the above.
 
And every woman (and every man) should be free to choose without subtle social pressure telling them that their race/ ethnicity isn't good enough, and that they should attempt to emulate white people in order to be acceptable in the workplace (in a society which is, not surprisingly, still ruled by a white power structure).
In the past this was a valid gripe indeed, but not so much today. You should get out more.
 
That's why I used the word "or" ladies. I didn't say all of the above.

Well, I haven't dyed my hair in a long time (not to say I never will again; I might someday).
And many other women do nothing to their hair, ever. (Missypea).

And I never colored my hair to look "more professional".
If anything, I probably look more professional with my gray streak, which makes me look older.
I colored my hair to look younger and sexier.

There's a difference. Do you see the difference?
Society is not telling me that I need to change anything about my natural appearance in order to look "more professional".
Society basically tells me that in order to look "professional", all I have to do is not to change my natural appearance overmuch (ie, the "mohawk" example, pink hair, etc).
On the other hand, claiming that black women look better with "straight" or processed hair is telling them the opposite: that their natural appearance is unacceptable in a professional setting, and that in order to be "professional" they should alter it to an extreme degree.
 
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