Is it okay to culturally appropriate? I think we can all agree that no, it is not okay to do so. We run into problems when our definitions of cultural appropriation are different, unfortunately. Should white girls be able to wear black hairstyles? Well, that’s a difficult question to answer.
It’s no news that Kylie Jenner posted a picture of herself wearing cornrows, and that Amandla Stenberg responded, saying that Kylie should stop appropriating “black features and cultures.”
As a black woman who switches between weaves, wigs, clip-ons, natural and blow-dried hair, I have had my fair share of different hairstyles. I love trying different looks, but I would never go out with long, straight hair and say, “Look how I took this bold hair to new epic levels!” Nor would I ever get photographed with captions along the lines of “Long, straight hair, the new trend for black women.” If you’ve always had long, straight hair, you’d be offended right? Well, that’s what is happening (and has been happening) to many black hairstyles.
I think it’s cool that cornrows and afros are becoming more mainstream, but let’s get one thing straight: it is not cool that people are “columbusing” these hairstyles. They’ve always existed and they will always continue to exist. The cornrow style is more than just a style to blacks, especially Africans and African-Americans, given the history behind it.
The style has been around from the existence of time, all the way from indigenous people from Africa and the Caribbeans, through the forced voyage to America—and it is still intertwined in our culture. This is why we get offended when those who do not identify with our culture try to pass off our styles as “new” or “edgy” or worse, just a trend.
And herein lies the problem: not the fact that people are wearing these styles, but rather the commentary that surrounds them.
“The comeback of cornrows”? How can something that was never out of style have a comeback? Bo Derek looked beautiful in her braids, but we got very upset when they were referred to as “Bo Braids” as opposed to what they really are: cornrows!
Kristen Stewart rocked the half-cornrow style, but we did not sit back quietly when it was described as “a new trend for white women.”
Katy Perry looked cool in her baby hairs, but we were confused when they were described as “urban fabulous” as we value our baby hairs.
Kylie and Kendall Jenner have shown love for their cornrows, but we were outraged when a lifestyle site for women said that they were “new” and “epic.”
I was tasked with answering the question of whether white women should ever be able to wear black hairstyles, and I struggled to answer it. My personal opinion? I don’t care if white people wear black hairstyles. Just don’t do so in mockery or with blackface, and don’t refer to it as a novel trend. If you like afros, go for it. If you like cornrows, you wear them. If you want baby hairs, you do that too. But we should all be aware of the history associated with black hairstyles. Today, many black men and women are still being persecuted based on their hair choices, whereas white women are being celebrated for rocking a “new beauty trend”—even major publications like Allure (pictured above) are guilty of doing this.
So it truly is difficult to answer this question. Different people on all sides of the issue have different responses, which is what makes it so hard to come to a definitive conclusion. But whatever your opinions, above everything, be respectful of other cultures and their habits and practices.