The early 1900s saw a huge shift towards straightened hair among black women in America, away from cornrows, braids and other natural styles. Some reasons for this:
- “Good hair” was a sign of class: the black upper and middle classes were still largely light-skinned and heavily mixed, so their hair was straighter in general than that of most blacks. In 1916, for example, 80% of students at black colleges were light-skinned or mixed-race.
- Good hair in a box: the creation and marketing of black hair care products by Madam C.J. Walker and others which made it much easier to straighten hair. In particular the hot comb and, later in the 1960s, chemical relaxers.
- The change from country life to city life. Women in the cities were more likely to straighten their hair which, in time, made cornrows, etc, seem country and old-fashioned.
- Freedom: No longer slaves, blacks were now free to work their way up from the bottom of American society – but they still faced white racism. Whites saw African features as a sign that one is given to violence and lacking in intelligence. Many blacks lightened their skin and straightened their hair to appear more acceptable to whites in order to get ahead.
During the early 1900s every single black beauty queen and black model on a magazine cover had straightened hair. Even men straightened their hair, as Malcolm X painfully recounts in his autobiography.
This led to the great hair debate. Many Christian ministers, civil rights leaders, black newspapers and black nationalists argued against straightening hair, seeing it as a sign of self-hatred. And yet it was the wives of these men who sent the louder message by straightening their hair. It was seeing Booker T. Washington’s wife’s hair, for example, that led Madam C.J. Walker into the industry.
Another strange twist is that much of the black press where this debate was carried on was underwritten by ads for hair care products! It was one of the few profitable black-owned businesses of the time. So while Marcus Garvey, for example, argued against straightening hair, 75% of the advertising in his newspaper came from the hair care industry.
As both Malcolm X and Maya Angelou point out, there was an element of self-hatred to it, but there was more to it than that. For example, while black women straightened their hair, they rarely put it in a hairstyle common among white women – and even when they did it came out looking different. So it was not simply a case of copying whites or trying to look as white as possible.
The hot comb, by the way, was not the invention of Madam C.J. Walker. It was invented in Paris in the 1800s at a time when Egyptian hairstyles were the fashion. Sears started selling them in America in the 1880s, long before Walker. But it was Walker who marketed the hot comb to black women as an easier way to straighten their hair.
See also:
- black women’s hair: a brief history: 1400-1900
- good hair
- Langston Hughes on wanting to be white – writing in 1926, near the middle of our period
- Booker T Washington
- acceptable blackness
Hair worn in a straight style is/was considered a staus symbol you could afford to get that style and maintain it. I mean some could argue that today having the new fake hair trend a lacefront wig is seen as a status symbol because those things are expensive, the really good ones that nobody can catch on wheter it’s yours or not.
it’s a big contradiction having an activist saying one thing and the comapny supporting them is saying another. The black hair industry is a big thing and it is a shame that many of the comapnies are no longer in black hands.
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Abagond,
Where are you getting the statistics of how many light skinned people that were in college?
I think it may have depended on what school and what region.
My Dad’s class of 1939 looked like a good cross section of Black people, including the professors.
I am also getting a little tired of blanket statements about light skinned black women. I have never seen the privilege that so many Black folks attribute to us and when I wore my hair natural ( I have nappy hair) for almost forty years, I was looked upon mostly as an aberration. Hardly ever complimented, especially from Black men.
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In HairStory the book mentioned a woman whom becasue she chose not to wear her hair natural she wasn’t a true black rights person she couldn’t be pro black becasue her hair didn’t say so. I think by being all pro black and choosing to wear her hair straight and not in a afro of something she was maybe trying to prevent how natural hair would be seen today as being something so political wheter she knew it or not.
I mean that Glamour magazine editor saying how they were shocking and inappropiate. Because it makes white people uncomftable that they could possibly be a member of the black panthers.
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Hathor:
That number comes from the book “Hair Story”, page 47:
“At Black colleges, whether or not there was an official or unofficial standard for skin color and hair texture, it was estimated that as early as 1916, 80 percent of students were light-skinned and of mixed heritage.”
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I love how your researching all of this. I can’t wait to read about hair relaxers, copied and linked the article to my blog.
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Yeah, that statistic is kind of iffy to me too. How could you objectively calculate something that is purely subjective?
In any event, black women’s relationship with their hair is all over the place. Many believe in “good hair”. Many wear their hair natural and see it as a symbol of black pride. Many change their hair with the weather. I’m not sure if hair is a true indicator of a black woman’s personality or her attitudes towards her blackness.
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aiyo, you wrote:
“I mean that Glamour magazine editor saying how they were shocking and inappropiate. Because it makes white people uncomftable that they could possibly be a member of the black panthers.”
Nonsense. Whites feel no discomfort over the members of the black panthers. Moreover, it is comical to think that editors at Glamour would consider black panthers anything more than models upon which to base fashion statements.
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What would be the reaction if Michelle Obama decided to go natural?
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tulio
Good question.
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Interesting how nobody seems to be commenting on the reaction of BW (who aren’t natural) to natural hair. Weave wearing/chemically processed BW can be just as ignorant as white people and BM can be when it comes to natural hair. Granted there are few “natural-nazis” out there, but the cards definitely seem to be stacked against us naturals at times it would seem.
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natural hair is awesome. i’m natural going on two years. I shamefully must admit I used to have some self-hatred issues though, I hated my natural hair texture and used the term”good hair,” because my father’s El Debarge-like hair was constantly doted on and mine wasn’t. I woke up and now I love my hair, its very versatile and i’m learning to style it in new ways. its great. I learned to cornrow my own hair, I used rollers, braids and sometimes i flat iron it. I am not a natural hair nazi though. I think that some bw do just prefer to straighten their hair and are also open to natural. Its only when you hate your natural hair texture and that’s why you chemically treat it (like i used to) that its a problem. I had been fed such negativity towards the texture of my hair and had seen/been told since I was a baby that the only beautiful hair was straight or loosely,silky curly hair that it became second nature to associate my hair w/ being “bad.” But thankfully, I woke up and now I learned that african hair extremely diverse and beautiful in its natural state. I love my kinky, curly hair, its beautiful.
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honestly though, i do love some of the vintage press and curl looks that my grandmother’s generation of black women wore. They were unique hairstyles different from ww, so i agree that it wasn’t merely just imitation. There was a real culture behind it, but I still prefer natural hair and that is what i’m learning is my true preference. you know, i always hated relaxers. From the first time i got one at the age of 12, i hated it, it burned my scalp and i remember hating it. But i was forced to go. My hair broke off and I realized later that i didn’t have a choice to wear my hair naturally. Once i got to a certain age it was considered unacceptable to wear the hair in its natural state. So i intepreted this demand that I relax my hair as saying something was wrong w/ my hair. That I don’t think is fair and I’m glad I finally can wear my hair the way I want now that i’m older.
Look at the great vintage hairstyles on these sites: http://bvikkivintage.blogspot.com/
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Well, for years I kept my hair natural. I didn’t perm my hair on a regular basis until I was 23 years old. Before that I wore my hair in a Afro Puff. My hair was very long and extremely thick. I loved it because it was healthy and the Afro puff looked good on me. My boyfriend however suggested that I perm it and that is when I started perming on a regular basis. Because I kept my hair natural for many years, my hair was very long after I permed it. But as the years went by my hair became thinner because of the perms. I have decided not to perm it for awhile. I may keep it natural for 2 or 3 years. I actually like my hair natural because it looks thicker. When I perm it, my hair lays flat on my head and it seems to lack bounce. Also I am concerned about the damage the perms are doing to my scalp. So I am done with perms for awhile. I am going to condition it on a regular basis and use oils such as carrot oil and coconut oil. Also, cholesterol conditioner is good for hair.
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@tulio
Remember that cartoon in the or new yorker of Barack Obama as a muslim terrorist (becasue that what’s muslims do) and Michelle Obama as a black militant and he hair was in a huge afro
So yeah like I said above if she were to wear her hair unstraightend then white people will think she’s a black millitant because the hair in an afro brings up all those connotations
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The entire hair straightening phenomena also opened the door for entrepreneurship within the black communities. This allowed many women with a skill for hair to become financially fruitful. Enterprising natural hair enthusiast have caught on and now you can find hair shops catering solely to those who keep their hair natural.
@Jeri, I am not mad that you relaxed your hair, I am just mad that you did so at the suggestion of your boyfriend. I wonder if he was skinny and you told him to go to the gym to beef up, how he would have felt?
Deep conditioning, natural oils, keeping hair away from heat and not pulling the hair into tight ,severe buns and ponytails will all help to repair the hair and sleep on a silk or satin pillow case.
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Tulio,
Michelle Obama’s hair is natural (not chemically altered), but I guess that’s not good enough for some people. She gets some kind of fancy blowouts done, but I think some wouldn’t be satisfied unless she was rocking an Afro and a headband (not taking into account those of us whose natural hair wouldn’t form an Afro).
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@jeri:
Please forgive my ignorance, but this perming you’re referring to, do you mean perming curly hair into straight hair?
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You would think all of this nonsense about “good hair” would be played out by now but unfortunately it’s not. Our generation of people are still too ignorant. If it gets better it would be in the next generation or may even after that.
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another poster about hair. when will people realize, we as black women, should have a choice as to whether or not how we wear our hair? it seems if we wear our natural, we’re called nappy headed hoes, it needs straighten but if we do straighten it, wear weaves or wigs, we’re getting caught up into the white supremacy. i wear my hair natural but i do like to straighten my hair because that’s what i like so why should i or any woman feel bad about it? i’m still black and it doesn’t make me any different. just because you wear weaves/wigs, permed hair or flat iron doesn’t mean you want to be white. just as wearing your natural hair doesn’t make you better than everyone else. i straighten my hair but i also give it a break because after a while it gets damaged and sometimes causes split ends, for me it does. i wear my hair natural but it’s hard to manage at times so black women have other reasons as to why they do what they do to their hair and i don’t it has anything to do with what white people think. regardless of what my hair looks like i’m still black.
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Ok, I have an issue. People, especially Black Americans (and not Africans) do not know the difference between a perm (short for a permanent wave) and a relaxer! When you go to a salon to get a perm, you are chemically and permanently altering your hair to to have a wave or curl pattern.
When you relax your hair, (you know when you put in the relaxer) it AGAIN PERMANENTLY and chemically alters tightly curled or kinky hair to soften or loosen out the curls to make it bone straight. Relaxers are even used by people who already have straight hair to make it even straighter. Both dehydrate and breaks the natural protein that all hair is made out of.
If you want to go natural, like I did. You have to either shave it all of, it’s called “The big chop” or you grow in out in protective styles. Like braids, cornrows, twist, bantu knots, wigs and even weaves and head-wraps.
You have to watch out for the new growth of your natural hair because it will be still meeting your permed or relaxed ends…that damages or breaks off your hair greatly. So, you have to cut off your relaxed ends as soon as your desired natural length is there.
Shaving it off is just easier and more satisfying I believe. I did the big chop…very liberating. My mother still doesn’t think natural hair is easier to maintained than relaxed or permed hair. At least now, she has been very accepting of my hair. At first she was sad and I believe quite disappointed. I seemed boyish and rebel-like to her. I always had thick, curly shoulder length hair even with the relaxer but like another lady mentioned it lacked the fluff and bounce. I was one of those kids who was not given a choice to either be a natural or a chemically altered kind of hair. My mother just did what she though was right and I continued doing the relaxers because I thought it was normal. I never knew about natural black hair! I thought my “relaxed hair” was my God-given hair!
It wasn’t until I kept wanting to rock an Afro look instead of donning a wig EVERY Halloween. I put all these products and did not understand…and then I discovered my hair was somewhat of a fraud. It hit me that my hair was “my” hair. If that even makes any sort of sense. I actually had gotten at my mother for not giving me a choice…I still resent her for it BUT given her traditional African background. I can’t really blame her…she only did what she knew and thought was best.
Now at 20 yrs of age, I’ve been chemical for almost 3 years! Sometimes…I can’t lie but I envy the long hair that flows and moves in the wind like the Caucasian, Asians, Latinos and the Natives BUT when you look at how different our hair is. I couldn’t care less. We cannot easily imitate that kind of hair and honestly their hair can’t even come close to ours so, I say natural hais is the most amazing thing ever.
I also have to say that even though back in the days Black American men and women alike straightened and chemically altered their hair…it had a certain style to it. It didn’t copy whites exactly it mimicked it and then when into its own. The black Americans had killer swag, no lie.
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Well, I happen to envy the “cotton-candy” puff that many blacks have. I think it’s about the prettiest hair in the world.
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*[…] shave it all off […]
*[…] grow it out[…]
*[…] Halloween that I […]
*[…]was not “my” hair[…]
*[…] had gotten mad at my mother […]
*[…]chemical-free […]
*[…]I say natural hair […]
*[…]then went into […]
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Thad – seems like I’m always answering your post! You said, “Well, I happen to envy the “cotton-candy” puff that many blacks have.”
I am white and growing up my whole life I had the black coarse hair, “cotton-candy” puff. I was made fun of throughout my childhood until in my teens I actually grew to appreciate my hair. All of my friends were amazed at how I could go swimming and never mess it up!!! (unless it was longer, at which point it would revert to normal in about a minute of getting out.)
There are a lot of Irish descendants or people of Irish origen that have natural afros. I’m not talking about curly hair either. I’m talking about curly COARSE hair.
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I was trying to find some images to help “demonstrate” the fact that “Whites” as a group can and do share the same gene that also gives “Blacks” those curls and hair type. My mother was white with red hair but hers was as coarse and curly as they come. (she couldn’t even tan!)
This is an interesting link to a forum/thread discussing hair types. There was a theory postulated in this thread that said, “I personally wouldn’t consider a white person with type 4 hair to be completely white. For instance, Irish people with tighter curls are called Black Irishbecause a long time ago they were mixed with the Moors. Of course, that doesn’t make them any less Irish, but those type 4 curls came from someone who wasn’t white.”
I’m familiary with the term “Black Irish”, but I’m not sure I necessarily agree with that comment –
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://seps1816.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/bob-ross.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/showthread.php%3Fp%3D1096547&usg=__-Za8g7s6857If7a-ELdC7LBaALQ=&h=347&w=272&sz=8&hl=pt-BR&start=9&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=-Qhtism6DihSEM:&tbnh=120&tbnw=94&prev=/images%3Fq%3DIrish%2Bfro%2Bhair%26um%3D1%26hl%3Dpt-BR%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1
Now I’m off to do some more digging around on the internet……
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My real hair has a mind of its own but I never get mad at it. That’s because its supposed to be course, curly, thick, cotton-y…I have no opinions on how others wish to wear their hair, I just hope others aren’t judging me by it (I wear extensions). I have my own personal reasons for wearing fake hair but it has nothing to do with not loving that I am black at all. It is more of a style/fashion issue. It’s much easier to wear the style I like in extensions without worrying about rain, snow, wind, hail, sleet, etc…I have worn my hair out of extensions and I didn’t like how flat it was and God forbid I get caught in a rainstorm. I love volume but I can’t have straightness and volume at the same time naturally.
I feel in this day and age, it should be a personal choice to wear your hair any which way. It may be natural but dyed blonde, relaxed but its natural color, etc…Who’s to judge?
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I’m a first-time poster and long-time lurker. I would like to add how hair straightening has been seen as a right of passage for many young black girls. I know PLENTY of family members and friends who got their first relaxers at between the ages of 12-14. As a young girl, they were either in natural pigtails or had their hair pressed.
I think the idea there is that straightened hair is seen as more “serious” “grown-up” and something to aspire to. I remember in high school RARELY seeing any natural girls. Even if they did wear ponytails, they were broken-off, relaxed ponytails. If I did see girls who had kept their hair natural, they were usually bi-racial or black girls with looser curl patterns. That was always very interesting to me.
I actually had my first kiddie relaxer at two-years-old. My mother used it just to make my hair “easier” to coax into little ponytails. The first time I got my hair professionally relaxed and flat ironed, I was around 9 or 10 and I vividly remember feeling like I had “grown up” and become a “real black woman”. I’ve got natural hair now (which I LOVE!), but I notice this same “right of passage” being practiced by the little girls in my own family.
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“YOU need to stop, clearly the child in the video is mixed she is a light skinned black girl, I have the same hair type the child does.”
Who are you the ethnicity police? For all you know, she could be German or Italian. There are plenty of women walking around who look just like her, and no it’s not all because of the “mori”, who in fact were a multiracial band of people from different places.
Here’s a video for you. All of these women are not “black”
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natural hair might had a symbol at some point in the past, but i don’t think it is always the case nowadays..I’m black and I’m telling you..for me relaxed hair is way much easier to manage and it saves my time ..honestly,that is all about it ^_^”
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Honestly, the little girl in the video may not be “biracial,” but she does look like she could have some african-ancestry going back in her lineage. However miniscule, she does look like it and its not just the hair. Although I have seen many many black people with that hair texture.
The big question is though, ethnicity aside…why is straight hair considered more desirable or acceptable than curly hair (no matter what grade of curly hair) none of the women they show on tv ever have curly hair, whether its loosely coiled, or tight kinky, its just not there. None of the Miss Americas in the pageant this year had curly hair…none. Why is that? Is it just that straight hair is considered “in,” now? As during the 80s curled hair was in…???
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I don’t know that I would call the little girl “black/mixed” its true she does look like she could be, but most places she would be “white,” and she is white, even if she did have some distant ancestry. I think the perception of what is “black,” or “white” is hard to define actually. Kola boof would only consider someone with “like-coloring,” and “the proof,” to be black. Therefore people like Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey wouldn’t be black by her standards. My pop-pop would not be black by her standards and my dad doesn’t really have “the proof,” but both his parents were considered black. I personally considered anyone who can directly trace their ancestry back to Africa and who is culturally connected to the black identity to be black. Thus, the little girl is not black to me. Sure, she could probably pass herself as mixed if she wanted, but so could alot of people.
Anyway…
One thing I don’t like is on the heat setting on the flat iron i have, the settings are
1.Fine, thin hair
2. Wavy to medium hair
3. Thick Hair
4. Coarse, hard to style hair
Now my hair would fall in the 4 range, but why is it the always use such negative terms to describe super curly-kinky hair. Not all kinky hair is hard to style. It just takes some people who have kinky hair sometime to learn to style the hair because historically people w/ kinky hair were pressured to straighten or cover their hair or put it in fish tail braids. In terms of “course,” the dictionary defines coarse as lacking in fineness, delicacy,harsh, inferior quality. I don’t understand why that term has to be associated w/ any type of hair, its not a nice term. Thats the subtle type of thing that makes people hate their hair and people don’t realize that.
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Straightened hair sux. ESPECIALLY when it becomes that American specialty known as “helmet hair”.
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Lynette –
I have to disagree with you – respectfully. I am white but people have often thought I was mixed based primarily on my hair. I am sure if I were sporting my natural fro in New Orleans, you would think I have a “foot in Africa”. (as my Brazilian friends all say) Sorry, it is a cultural thing as I’ve lived in Brazil and speak Portuguese. Just trying to translate the expression. Many Black Americans have thought this too and always ask politely, “What are you?” When I give them my answer, most are shocked.
I tried posting a link in a previous comment I made about “Black type Hair” from a forum handled by Black females discussing this same subject. It doesn’t seem to be working. If you can’t get to it, I can try and provide a better way, but I thought it was very good at talking about the genetics behind very kinky/curly/coarse hair and its variations. It included mostly comments from females and quite a few pictures. I think a lot of women posting here on this same subject would find it fascinating. It also proves that while rare, white people can have “Black hair”.
Peace & Love to all….
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is this not the cutest hair?
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Color of Luv,
Who’s not to say that you don’t have some African ancestry? Many, many whites do.
I agree with Lynette, that girl got some Africa in her veins. Just look at her features! LOL.
I don’t see anything wrong with women changing their hair. As long as they are not altering their hair to something than they feel is better than their natural grade of hair. No one’s hair is inferior or superior to anyone else’s.
Also, another commenter above, needs to look around. Tightly curled hair is not an exclusive black trait. At all. You envy people straight hair because you consider it a non-black trait and therefore see it as superior.
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mynameismyname —
I’m glad you mentioned that. Growing up, I often wondered if I was one of those white kids that had an “unknown relative” down the line.
I think this is why I’ve always been interested a lot of the questions posed on this board. Like many here, when I was younger, I was made to feel inferior and I hated my hair. As I got older, I was proud of it and my “uniqueness”. As I got even older, I got sad because it started thinning!!! I want it back! LOL….
I’ve done a lot of digginng to try and understand myself (short of a DNA test). I’ve found others like me in my life’s journey and most of the “white people” I’ve met that had “Black hair” were either Jewish or Irish. I realize that i am now guilty of stereotyping these groups, but I am only speaking of my personal experiences. I’m 90% certain that it is due to my Irish ancestry. My olive complexion comes from my father’s side of the family and my hair came from my mother’s side. I will one day get a DNA test.
On side note: there was a recent study done I saw on PBS where there were white people (appeared completely white) who had more genetically Black DNA than certain prominent African Americans. – Can’t think of the name but i will try and locate it. Kind of raises the question: Is it appearance or genetics? (In my honest opinion, it really doesn’t matter and we as a people need to be united, independent of the racist propaganda pushers.)
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9438648/
Genetics….
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sorry – I posted a link to the wrong article. I had meant to post this. Twins that ARE GENETICALLY related: one black and one white.
My apologies for the confusion.
http://www.snopes.com/photos/people/mixedtwins.asp
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28471626/
Recent research has suggested that this can be more common than the articles allege as being “one in a million”.
For this reason, there are many whites in the United States today that have had black ancestors and never know it – and carry those genetics.
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You’re welcome Lynette. I wanted to post the story because i think a lot of people tend to generalize and think black parents can’t have a white baby or vice versa. This proves that a white baby can be born to a black couple, and also goes to show how a black baby could be born to white people.
I could just see this “white girl” trying to tell the black community that she is “black”, that her family is black, and nobody believing her, or even treating her bad – because she is white.
Genetics are a funny thing. Here is a link to hair types that I referred to in an earlier post that didn’t work. This one should since it is shorter:
http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/showthread.php?t=62254&page=3
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Another couple. Different than the article before having black and white twins —- TWICE!!!
Father is black and mother is White.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Black-And-White-Twins-Born-Dean-Durrant-And-Alison-Spooners-Second-Set-Of-Different-Coloured-Twins/Article/200812415195720?f=rss
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It annoys me sometimes, when people tell me cut off my hair and go natural. Or ask why I dye my hair. (I have dark red-chestnut brown color hair.)They don’t believe when I say that “It is my natural hair. But I think it’s silly to think that having kinky hair is ugly. My hair is in-between kinky & straight and grows very fast. I have a hard time keeping curls in my hair. Both sides of the fence are annoying. What about the blacks that don’t naturally have “black hair”? This is why I don’t understand the movie “Good Hair”. If I were to wear hair extensions to my butt, people (both black & white) would think that it’s my real hair. My grandmother is 85 years old and still has a full head of hair. Bad hair to me is having a lot of spilt ends, dry and breaks off. All types of hair can be beautiful, depending on how the person wears it.
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Glad you enjoyed it! When I first found that forum, I had a good time reading all the posts, and i learned a lot more about hair types! lol….
Glad you acho my point about people not understanding genetics! In Brazil, there is so much mixing that I know families that are black and white and everyhing in between. Many Americans (both black & white) that are never exposed to many mixed cultures (such as Brazil) just don’t get it.
The hatred and segregation that seems to persisit the way it does in the United States just doesn’t exist in Brazil. When I go to my wife’s family get togethers, you can’t tell where White starts and Black ends. Its a rainbow and everybody is related.
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ColorofLuv says,
On side note: there was a recent study done I saw on PBS where there were white people (appeared completely white) who had more genetically Black DNA than certain prominent African Americans. – Can’t think of the name but i will try and locate it. Kind of raises the question: Is it appearance or genetics? (In my honest opinion, it really doesn’t matter and we as a people need to be united, independent of the racist propaganda pushers.)
For this reason, there are many whites in the United States today that have had black ancestors and never know it – and carry those genetics.
laromana says,
Thanks for the clear evidence you’ve given that support the fact that “race” is an invented concept. Human beings that “APPEAR” TO BE FROM DIFFERENT “RACES”
can ACTUALLY be born from THE SAME PARENTS and SHARE THE SAME GENETICS.
Perhaps some day human beings will be able to ACCEPT each person’s ACTUAL identity without feeling the need to be racist towards certain groups.
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AMEN Laromana….
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Very cool to hear Lynette. I think New Orleans has a lot of similarities with Brazil, especially where my wife is from which is Salvador, Bahia. A lot of the food is very similar in spice and ingredients. (Thanks to the African roots! yummy!!!)
Just like New Orleans is different from the rest of the U.S cities, so is Salvador, Brazil different from the other parts of Brazil. There is blond hair and blue eyes in my wifes family too! lol…
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FOR LINKS ON GENETIC TESTING STORIES:
Here is an excerpt from a column with link at the bottom –
Test results can be surprising to whites as well. Mark Shriver, a white geneticist at Penn State University who helped develop the test that detects multiple ethnic backgrounds, learned his background was about 11% West African.
“People have multiple ancestries,” Shriver says. “I don’t have to just say that. I’m proof.”
PBS
Harvard professor Henry Louis “Skip” Gates Jr. concluded from tests that he’s 50% white.
Using DNA to pursue ancestry has not been a positive experience for every black American who has tried it. In Oakland, a member of Melvyn Gillette’s amateur genealogical group was crushed to learn that her line of male ancestors traced back to a white Italian, and not a black resident of Madagascar as she had expected.
“She couldn’t get past it,” Gillette says. “She ordered more tests.”
At African Ancestry, an unhappy customer peppered company President Gina Paige with e-mails after DNA testing of his male line indicated that he had descended from a white man. “He was especially upset that (the ancestor) was German,” she recalls. “More so than white, he had a problem with being even a little bit German.”
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/genetics/2006-02-01-dna-african-americans_x.htm
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colorofluv,
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Peanut, I’m at work (shhh, don’t tell anyone! lol ) and the volume on the computers here is disabled. Can you recap what this kid is saying or give me basic premise?
I’m laughin at his hair though! He needs to get some gel or conditioner on that bird nest!!!
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he was responding to a video called “A Girl Like Me,” he talked about not changing for anyone, except yourself and how he gets laughed at for his curly “white-boy fro.” He has a nice accent.
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I’m not really good w/ western european accents, but he sounds like he has a slight…Irish accent? I don’t kno north or south, what do you all think?
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Peanut –
Thanks for explaining the video. Good message about accepting who you are and being happy with yourself.
Were you able to see the link I posted about hair types and curly hair? lots of good pics and comments in there! I need to find a picture of me when I was younger. That white kids fro didn’t have anything on what I used to sport!
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Color of Luv,
Lynette pretty much said everything I wanted to say. Genetics are tricky. You truly can never predict how a child will look. It’s like taking a piece of paper, ripping it up and then throwing all the pices in the air and then trying to catch them. It’s so random.
To answer your question, it’s more on an individual basis. See, I’ve known some people who were genetically a quarter or less black who strongly identified as black. Some looked more non-black than black yet were defiantly black identified. On the other hand, there may be some people with a similar genetic background who look white and identify more so with that. It all depends on the person.
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There is a documented story of a white South African couple that had two children who were black, these were their biological children. The first born son was white and the other two children turned out black. They did a movie based on the daughter’s life called: Skin. It was a very interesting movie to say the least, because these children were born during the height of apartheid and the parents were even members of the apartheid party. The daughter’s name is Sandra Laing, there is a wiki on her and check out the movie if y’all get a chance.
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I did a post on Sandra Laing:
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ERE,
I agree that her hair would look better in a different style. It looks really dry and broken, and it seems like she just keeps putting in cheap weaves instead of actually taking care of her hair.
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To be honest, Jonna comes off like one of those girls who wants “White girl hair”, so she tries to imitate the ways some White girls do their hair, like washing it everyday, not brushing or combing, etc. (Like those girls who would claim to sleep without a scarf on a cotton pillow, then would wonder in dismay why their ends were so broken.) Someone needs to pull her aside and help that child out.
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I have to say one thing that irritates me is the assumption that if a bw is attractive, then she must be mixed and all credit goes to her non-black genes and not her african ones. I remember someone did this w/ naiomi campbell, someone was talking about how beautiful bw were and underrated and someone sure enough mentions all the time “well, she’s part Chinese…you can see it in her eyes.” Nevermind how millions of bp have her eyeshape and that’s actually and african trait also. its pretty annoying, like black traits can’t be beautiful.
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i agree lynette most blacks can claim multiracial
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With regard to:
I do agree… to a degree. However, I don’t necessarily see race as a choice. I feel Black is dominant; therefore, if there has been a Black ancestor on the family tree, an individual can not be considered White. If we mix White paint and Black paint together, we will never get White…”
I would just like to add that one should remember also the role of ‘society’.
Personally I believe society is the over-riding factor which in fact determines the racial outlook etc.
This is why in the Arab world, a Black woman with a ‘White’ Arab, which produces an offspring would be historically viewed as an ‘Arab’
Its only when that individual comes to the U.S he will be viewed as ‘Black’.
I have also heard that this has been the experience of those from the Dominican Rep. in the U.S. viz Their time in the U.S is the first time they have been regarded as ‘Black’
Even the ‘ethnic’ categories are determined by the society. In UK ‘Asian’ refers to those from the Indian sub-continent whilst in the US it refers to people from the ‘Far East’
…… if you follow the examples.
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natural hair is beautiful
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well i still think black women have a choice as to how she should wear her hair without getting criticized for it. as long as you’re happy with yourself, it shouldn’t matter what you do to your hair.
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You know the woman in the pink on the Ebony cover looks kind of like Lela Rochon.
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J – I agree with you in terms that society is the primary determination of racial outlook. (Brazil vs the U.S. is a great example. Also the D.R. -Dominican Republic)
As for the “color analogy”, I’m not sure I’m following you. Genetics can be a tough business to understand, but suffice it to say that white parents can have black children and black parents can have white children.
This causes all sorts of problems for those that wish to perpetuate the idea of racism and prejudice under the simplest terms of Black -OR- White.
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Lynette,
thanks for replying. I appreciate your comments. I tried to post my picture to back up the statement I’m going to make.
I am white but in the south, I passed for Black on many occassions. (Who’s not to say I don’t have some ancestry, but I’m just saying I grew up in your stereotypical white family, and have always been white.) Does that make me Black? That is why I really get troubled on such things like the “color line”.
Also, did you see that link I posted a while back about the Black couple having twins, and one of the children was white? My point is that girl would never be accepted as “Black”, even in the black community. (She is not even Passe Blanc, she is Blanc, you know?)
Let me know and I will share the link again.
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That is diahann carroll, she married vic damone.
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I learned that from “money talks.”
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Lynette, you are correct. I’m the darker one. I can send you the actual photo via email but then we get into the whole divulging personal email things. I would like to be able to enlarge it. It’s not the best photo, but you can also make out my fro. To find really good pictures showing how a white person can “appear” to be bi-racial, I would have to go back and scan some more pictures.
It was my combination of complexion and hair that mistakenly lead people to think I was “mixed”.
As for New Orleans, being considered black or white, etc…you are the authority on that one. I respectfully leave that to you. (Just my opinion here: but I think if that girl were in Chicago, for example: First off, nobody would believe she is Black. The more she tried to convince people, the more they would probably think she was crazy. At least nowadays, she would be able to prove here parentage via the article and back up with genetic tests.
Ironically, had I been born in a differnt time in the deep south, I would probably be subjected to the Jim Crow laws due to my appearance.
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@ Color of Luv:
You can email me the picture (abagond at gmail) and I can post it here. Or, if you wish, just email it to Lynette.
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I’ll try to get a better picture. This is the only one I have available. I’m sending it your way.
thx…
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Just sent my pic to Abagond. He can post it. I’m actually going to see if i can’t find some better ones.
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Here is the picture Color of Luv just sent:
Color of Luv is on the right in blue jeans.
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Colorofluv,
You look so much like Christopher Williams. You could easily be mistaken for a lighter skinned guy.
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thanks… I have been told I have resembled different people during different stages of my life and “look”.
Growing up, even my friends in school who knew i was white would compare me to the Lead Singer from the “Fine Young Cannibals”. It depends I guess…
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I agree with Lynette and islandgirl, ColorofLuv. You could pass for black or biracial. I have family members with similar coloring.
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I will eventually be doing a genetic test to find out what is in my background.
I’ll keep you posted on other pictures.
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Colorofluv,
I would swear on my last good dime you are Black! Wow, shows how you really just never know…
PS. Abagond, would you be opposed to doing a “get to know your commenters” post? You have a good group of regulars here, and there’s so much interesting stuff to learn (Exhibit A: CoL). 🙂 Maybe have an interesting question or something (not too personal, but light-hearted)?
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Jasmin,
I agree… I want to try and find more pictures of myself to share. There are certain “periods” in my life where I looked one way more than the other. That is why I always say genetics is a funny thing. I wouldn’t say I’m a “Sandra Laing”, but it just goes to show you how certain characteristics and traits can come together.
I was actually born with Auburn/reddish hair that was fine and wavy with an olive complexion… As I got older, my hair changed to black, got curlier and coarse. (my complexion has actually lightened with age -don’t ask me why??? (When I was younger, I was always darker.)
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sorry – I meant to say, “I agree with your suggestion, get to know the commentators.” This is a very personal thing though. A lot of people enjoy the anonymity. I basically went out on a limb, because I could continue making idle comments without any substance to back it up. This is why I decided share in the discussion a litte more personally.
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hey abagond, here is something interesting…six flags is in hot water…
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i guess all these women wouldnt be permitted to work at six flags: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrHZazQuhdM
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a history of locs would be an interesting post
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@Peanut, yeah I heard about that and it pissed me off
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If you wanna learn more on African Hair just stop by http://www.africanhairadvice.com
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[…] no muy atrás con los blancos y cuyas características raciales, por tanto, estaban suavizadas. Los negros más ricos eran los que tenían la piel más clara, el pelo más liso y los labios más f…Y este hecho, acompañado de la ancestral tendencia humana a diferenciarse de lo que se considera […]
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[…] in having their hair done due to the reality that most hair salons have some rough time fixing black women’s hair. Black women desire to have their tresses weaved because it furnishes an attractive bearing on […]
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[…] no muy atrás con los blancos y cuyas características raciales, por tanto, estaban suavizadas. Los negros más ricos eran los que tenían la piel más clara, el pelo más liso y los labios más f…Y este hecho, acompañado de la ancestral tendencia humana a diferenciarse de lo que se considera […]
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I’m african american (texturized/semi-relaxed hair) and I get my hair straightened in a salon about every 12 weeks. Once I wash my hair I go back to the natural looks because straightening my hair on my own has never turned out right…not nearly as nice as when I leave the salon.
Well, with Shielo’s Antioxidant Leave in Protectant I was TRULY amazed!! Normally my hair would straighten but the ends would be dry and stiff and I’d end up with a frizzy mess after straightening. With the Shielo Antioxidant protectant it is silky smooth, light-weight and bouncy and NO greasy film! I can wear my shades on my head with out a greasy mess, lol. I blow dry my hair and part in 4 sections. I then apply a dime-sized amount to each section…so as other have said, a little goes a long ways! I’ve gotten SO many compliments!
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[…] https://abagond.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/black-women%e2%80%99s-hair-a-brief-history-1900-1965/?s-hair… […]
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[…] 2). black women’s hair: a brief history: 1900-1965 | Abagond. Retrieved February 5, 2014, from https://abagond.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/black-women%E2%80%99s-hair-a-brief-history-1900-1965/ Stille, D. (n.d.). Self- Made Woman. In Madam C.J. Walker: Entrepreneur and Millionaire (p. 10). […]
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