H&M is always good for a sale and sparking outrage on black Twitter. The latest issue is an ad campaign with a young black girls hair “undone”.
The Swedish retailer released a statement to Yahoo following the social media backlash:
“We are aware of the comments regarding one of our models for H&M Kids. We truly believe that all kids should be allowed to be kids. The school-aged kids who model for us come to the photo studio in the afternoon after school and we aim for a natural look which reflects that.”
While all the kids’ features had messy hair, African-Americans have still not accepted natural hair without slick edges and a high bun holding bountiful curls despite the well-known Natural Hair Movement claiming to embrace all curl types.
Source: H&M / H&M
The backlash over her natural hair comes from the same social media that takes over our feeds with #NaturalHairMovement. Through blogs, influencers, and festivals the NHM (Natural Hair Movement) has pushed for black women to rewrite the narrative typically associated with black hair. While that seems to be the message, there is still underlying propaganda throughout the NHM. The NHM hashtag has over 7 million results on Instagram. However, it’s take over of social media has left out the reality of what #natural means to everyone. There’s even a separate hashtag if you have hair like the girl in the recent H&M ad: #4cChick, with over 4 million results. #Naturalistas like Tracee Ellis Ross and countless influencers have made natural hair care look somewhat painless and liberating. But let’s be honest. If everyone had hair like Tracee Ellis Ross would there even be this huge push in going natural? Everyone’s natural hair won’t look like Tracee Ellis Ross. Truth is, if you could go natural without wanting shave your head and throw your hair in the trash then the NHM probably wasn’t new to you.
Even the popular curly hair products that have emerged out of this movement are just that – products for curly hair that don’t truly cater to all hair types. Rarely do you see a 4c girl on a Cantu or SheaMoisture ad because 4c needs more than leave-in-conditioner. Methods like ‘wash-n-go’ & ‘twist outs’ are grueling and almost elusive tasks. Curls cannot always be coiled to perfection and it often turns out just like the young girl in the H&M ad.
The pictures of this beautiful black girl and her 4c hair presented an opportunity to exercise and uplift the original motives and principles of the #NaturalHairMovement but instead, it created controversy. Are we pushing for natural hair? Or “good” hair?