As I stressed before, the idea about Black Hair is complex.
I mentioned the historical ramifications in my previous post. Now I will mention its concept in Pop Culture.
I follow a number of Black-related Nerd accounts both here and on Instagram.
One of those Insta accounts, I believe it's called BlackNerdProblems, posted an old topic with Black boys and Black men from a handful of '90s cartoons. The joke is it was the same character because the same hightop fade was used for different characters from different cartoons!
I also witnessed a heated discussion among the Twitter's Gaming community: how wyt characters could have every style, and yet, the same tired hairdos for the Black characters. Again, the inside joke among the Black gamers is it was the same two characters!
What is worrisome is just as there is a lack of imagination when it comes to Black characters, there also is a lack of imagination when it comes to Black characters' hairstyles.
Black hair and those with similar texture can become much of what speculative media can make it. Many Black hairstyles have been around for thousands of years. Their techniques aren't either. Weaves, extensions, and sew-ins are not new. Some, even longer. Like, for a millennia.
Cornrows and canerows (depending on whether you were on the North American continent or in the West Indies Islands) actually served as maps and informed and guided enslaved peoples for hundreds of years.
The Afro was not just a hairstyle but the identity of many Black Americans going all the way from the Gilded Age (1920s). You think Afro-American was a 60s-70s identity? Think again.
The Afro also became a political statement from the Modern Civil Rights Movement as Black Indentity as well as a direct confrontation to the Hair Care and Style industry.
An industry still now so Euro-centric that profesional Black actresses are still doing their own hair, Black hairstylists have to often pay higher fees to become licensed, and Black folks can still be punished here and abroad for their natural hair. However, when non-Black and white people wear what are known as 'Black hairstyles', they are lauded, rewarded, and even receive compensation.
Part 3 will speak about paying attention to Copyright©️* and understanding and respecting IP (Intellectual Property) when it comes to explaining and illustrating Black Hair.
Thanks for being patient, Dear Readers!
