Imagine yourself in a staff meeting with your manager and several coworkers, where you all are sharing and bouncing ideas off one another to find a solution to a specific problem in the workspace that you’re in. You remain silent, and ponder ideas on your own while your coworker sitting next to you obnoxiously yells out every idea that comes to mind, but none of them can help solve the problem. Now imagine being in your office speaking to a friend privately, about an idea that you believe would be the best solution for the company. Your loud and obnoxious coworker from earlier decides to eavesdrops outside your door, and when you’ve finished explain your idea, runs and tells your manager the perfect idea, claiming it as his or her own. That coworker is now promoted to a higher position because your idea worked so well, but you have not received any credit for it and he or she feels no sorrow.
How do you feel?
For generations, African-Americans have been treated this same exact way. New trends in hair, fashion, music, dancing and even body shapes have been profoundly influenced by the African-American culture, but the credit has not been given to the initiators.
To keep this post short, today I will be focusing on how the black culture have been ripped off of their hairstyles and techniques.
Style #1: Twist Out or a Rope Trick?
For those of you who don’t know, a twist out is when you put a whole bunch of two-strand twists throughout your hair(whether done on wet or dry hair), you let them air-dry, and then separate the twists and wear them out(as a twist-out). Recently a non-black YouTuber by the name of Alexandra featured a hair tutorial on her page called “The Rope Trick”. The only problem is that her “rope trick” is literally the same thing as a twist out. In the video, Alexandra washes her hair, applies product and proceeds to two-strand twist her hair into small sections. She even flat twists the front (of course she doesn’t call it that.)
Some think the re-naming isn’t a big deal. Sort of like hair tie vs. ponytail holder. Others argue that black women with natural hair started the twist out trend and her “rope trick” idea isn’t original and should be called by its real name…a TWIST OUT.
The video below is by one of my favorite YouTuber demonstrating how she gets her perfect twist out
If you watch a twist out the tutorial by a natural YouTuber and adapt the technique for your own curls, that’s awesome! Glad it’s working for you. Shout out the natural hair community, or whoever you got the idea from, and keep it moving. And at the very least call the style what it is – a twist out.
Style #2: Mini-buns or Bantu knots?
Mane Addicts posted a tutorial, telling readers how to replicate what they called "twisted mini buns inspired by" Marc Jacobs' show.
Sorry to break it down to you Marc Jacobs, but those are called BANTU KNOTS
Bantu knots are said to have originated centuries ago with the Zulu tribes in southern Africa.
Style #3: Cornrows or Boxer Braids?
A mainstream outlet—MTV UK—tried it and felt the need to appropriate something that black people have been rocking for decades.
When black man and woman walk around with cornrows, people treat them differently implying that the hairstyle or the person is “ghetto”. But when a white person wears them, not only it is praised, but no credits are given to the black culture.
People need to learn how to pay homage and give credits when it’s due. African Americans struggle been through enough already and it saddens me to see that when a non-colored person does something that has already been done years ago by black people, they get worshipped for it. I’m not saying that other cultures should not exploit the black culture. I’m simply saying that the black culture should get the credits for what derived from it.
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