Why is your hair nappy?

[song_of_serenity]

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h165z...layer_embedded

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4eHV...layer_embedded

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK74N...layer_embedded

4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDyUV...layer_embedded



As for the definition, yes, it's a diaper. But it's also a tight curl. I understand why some don't use the word. But she should use the definition that fits.

 

[kmn1980]

From what I learned, nap is from an English term meaning rough like the surface of a beaver cap. The "diaper" fall back did not come until later. And personally, equating Black hair to something that's defecated upon by babies and adults alike isn't any better.

nap
1.
the short fuzzy ends of fibers on the surface of cloth, drawn up in napping.
2.
any downy coating, as on plants.


Nap: Primarily, nap is the raised (fuzzy) surface on certain kinds of cloth, such as velvet. Nap can refer additionally to other surfaces that look like the surface of a napped cloth, such as the surface of a felt or beaver hat.

Starting around the 14th century, the word referred originally to the roughness of woven cloth before it was sheared. When cloth, especially woollen cloth, is woven, the surface of the cloth is not smooth, and this roughness is the nap. Generally the cloth is then 'sheared' to create an even surface, and the nap is thus removed.

 

[Nonie]

From what I learned, nap is from an English term meaning rough like the surface of a beaver cap. The "diaper" fall back did not come until later. And personally, equating Black hair to something that's defecated upon by babies and adults alike isn't any better.

nap
1.
the short fuzzy ends of fibers on the surface of cloth, drawn up in napping.
2.
any downy coating, as on plants.


Nap: Primarily, nap is the raised (fuzzy) surface on certain kinds of cloth, such as velvet. Nap can refer additionally to other surfaces that look like the surface of a napped cloth, such as the surface of a felt or beaver hat.

Starting around the 14th century, the word referred originally to the roughness of woven cloth before it was sheared. When cloth, especially woollen cloth, is woven, the surface of the cloth is not smooth, and this roughness is the nap. Generally the cloth is then 'sheared' to create an even surface, and the nap is thus removed.

Can you give your reference please? The last time someone said this, I asked the same question and gave several finds in my search that did not support this. I never did get an answer. Here's what I wrote back then:

Where did you get that from? As far as I know, the etymology of the word nap is "noppe" which means a tuft of wool and doesn't bring to mind any roughness. And the definition of nap is all about softness as far as I can see.
(Reference 1; Reference 2; Reference 3; Reference 4)

ETA: In my search of wool processing, I also don't come across any use of the word nap (or even napps) as being a bad thing to be removed. I understand it as referring to wool that is plucked to create a raised surface or just the hair-like structure found on Suede or Nuback. (Reference 1; Reference 2; Reference 3)

​

 

[kmn1980]

Old dictionary on my shelf. I have the same Oxford Dictionary that Wikipedia quotes just a different edition and it says that same thing. I don't like Wiki because it's not considered scholarly. Apparently, the nap is the rough part of the textile before they smooth it out. Basically the material in it's natural state (ironically). People can use whatever Euro word they want to describe their hair just don't come sit by me with it.

 

[Nonie]

I have looked up a few Oxford editions but I still don't see anything about ROUGHNESS:

Compact Oxford English Dictionary

It's all about softness...which is a very perfect description of nappy hair that is well moisturized. And that doesn't mean nappy hair layered with products but nappy hair that is in good condition even if it is bare.

Can you please give me the Wiki source too? I can't seem to find it. I get "Diaper" when I type in "nappy" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nappy) and I get info about a short sleep when I type "nap" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nap).

TIA for the URL to your Wiki reference.

ETA: This is the only other Wiki reference I could find for nappy but it didn't seem to echo your post either: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nappy_(disambiguation)

A link in that last reference takes you to a Wiki description of Afro-textured Hair where they simply say that "nappy" and "kinky" are used to describe Afro-textured hair in Western societies. Still nothing to do with it being a part of fabric that is rough and that needs to be shaven off. *shrug*

 

[Celestial]

Most black people hair is nappy. It has the tight, coiled, kinked hair that naps or knots. Nappy doesn't have one meaning. It can be an adjective, adverb, or noun.

 

[kmn1980]

I have looked up a few Oxford editions but I still don't see anything about ROUGHNESS:

Compact Oxford English Dictionary

It's all about softness...which is a very perfect description of nappy hair that is well moisturized. And that doesn't mean nappy hair layered with products but nappy hair that is in good condition even if it is bare.

Can you please give me the Wiki source too? I can't seem to find it. I get "Diaper" when I type in "nappy" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nappy) and I get info about a short sleep when I type "nap" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nap).

TIA for the URL to your Wiki reference.

ETA: This is the only other Wiki reference I could find for nappy but it didn't seem to echo your post either: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nappy_(disambiguation)

A link in that last reference takes you to a Wiki description of Afro-textured Hair where they simply say that "nappy" and "kinky" are used to describe Afro-textured hair in Western societies. Still nothing to do with it being a part of fabric that is rough and that needs to be shaven off. *shrug*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nap_(textile)

Nap (Textile)

References used are:

1. "Nap". Encyclopedia Britannica Eleventh Edition. 1911.
2. ^ a b "Nap." The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989.

Like I said, I don't want my hair to be related to rough fabric nor a piece of material that people defecate on. I find both explanations troublesome.

 

[DarkVictory]

My understanding was that nappy (U.K. usage for U.S. diaper) comes from the same root as napkin, completely different from nappy, an old German/Dutch word for fuzzy or woolly.

Nap (doze) and nap (on beer) come from still other roots and mean entirely different things.

It's like homo sapiens and homosexual - same sound, different roots.

Nonie: source is Miriam-Webster, the Associated Press go-to dictionary.

DISCLAIMER: Please note this is just language geekery. Not suggesting anybody describe her hair as sleepy, foamy, etc. etc. I DO NOT CARE what term anyone chooses.

 

[Nonie]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nap_(textile)

Nap (Textile)

References used are:

1. "Nap". Encyclopedia Britannica Eleventh Edition. 1911.
2. ^ a b "Nap." The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989.

Like I said, I don't want my hair to be related to rough fabric nor a piece of material that people defecate on. I find both explanations troublesome.

Thank so much for the reference. While I do see the use of the word "rough" in this citation, I also note the that origin of this info is 20th century sources. That in itself makes this not the "origin" of the word.

But you're entitled to your own feelings about the word. I just don't think it is that serious. Before 2004, you could not have convinced me that my hair wasn't rough and dry. And it does look that way, until one feels it and then one is surprised to find it soft and not at all rough. So however you look at it, my hair looks fuzzy, woolly, very much like the image shown on the Wiki site. So I say the word describes my hair to a T, 15th century origin included.

BTW, I do like to look at more than one reference before making my mind up about a word, and when it comes to language, in my world, majority of the good sources usually wins.

 

[Celestial]

What about all the nappy heads who do indeed have rough hair. I know a few nappy head whose hair is rough and rugged to the touch. Then you have those who hair is soft to the touch like mines and others. How should afro hair be described. I know its not "curly." People want to lay out their own descriptions or adjectives such as woolly, cottony, fluffy etc... but when did these words became adjectives for hair. Is anyone going to argue that black hair is not of cotton or wool. Does anyone ever argue that black hair isn't sheep hair and isn't from sheep? What about all the black people hair that is far different from wool or cotton. Isn't sheep's hair oily and don't black women complain that their hair is dry? If that's the case then I wouldn't equate it with wool's hair. Why all the fuss with the word nappy when applied to afro hair it just gives a description of its appearance. Doesn't wavy, straight, curly gives descriptions. Why can't the word nappy or knotty do the same.

 

[Nonie]

Nouns become adjectives when the things they describe look like the objects they represent. An afro can look bushy but that doesn't mean it's green and looks like a plant. I think y'all taking it way too serious. I've said my hair felt like steel-wool when I used a product that left it dry and rough. If I later said it was steel-woolly, then that'd be a perfect description of how my hair felt: hard and rough almost like it could scrub rust off iron. Might be an exaggeration coz it wasn't as hard as steel, but words are supposed to give us an understanding of what people are talking about, paint a picture that we can almost touch when we aren't close in person to feel things for ourselves. If the word nappy didn't exist (and I'm so glad it has evolved over time to mean "kinky" coz I think it perfectly describes 4B), then we would have to say "an afro looked bushy" or uncombed 4B hair like this "looks like beads (beady)". Folks get all up in arms about words because they take innocent words and turn them into insults instead of just looking at the neutral meaning of the word and moving on.

I love that language is so expansive. I love that someone can tell me they're going to change a nappy, and I don't sit there wondering, "you mean downy? or do you mean you're going to work in a textile factory? or do you mean you are going to relax hair and change it from kinky?" I can look at the context in which the word is used and guess they are talking about a diaper. I love that words are so rich in meaning, and think we do ourselves a disservice if we limit their meaning to just that one single one that some smart alec told us years back, and disregard all the other things that have grown from that root of the word that make language so beautiful and rich.

 

[naheda72]

The problem is that besides naturals, the word 'nappy' is not positive. For the sake of a discussion if someone said "Cnapps give me your opinions" or something of the sort, I would respond, but I don't want anyone calling me nappy head. People should respect others in how they want to be referenced. I am cool with kinky as I find it to be neutral, 'nappy' is not neutral, maybe in its origin but not in its reference.

 

[Nonie]

The problem is that besides naturals, the word 'nappy' is not positive. For the sake of a discussion if someone said "Cnapps give me your opinions" or something of the sort, I would respond, but I don't want anyone calling me nappy head. People should respect others in how they want to be referenced. I am cool with kinky as I find it to be neutral, 'nappy' is not neutral, maybe in its origin but not in its reference.

You're right, and this has been discussed before. People do respect each other on this forum, and no one calls another nappy who doesn't like the word. At least not on purpose or out of malice. But because to a lot of us the word is neutral--I learned it in its neutral, English meaning and not in the way a lot of other people experienced it negatively so it's always been synonymous to kinky to me--I think we should be open-minded and know that not everyone who uses it does so with an insult in mind. Not saying we should pretend everyone uses it kindly, but we should also not be so uptight as to get all upset coz others use the word casually in the way they see it.

I have a friend who prefers I call her hair textured, and I respect that and have never referred to her hair as nappy. By the same token that I accept her description of her hair, I expect her to accept my description of mine as nappy. As long as we live and let live, then all will be well.

ETA: Naheda, I don't know if you saw the vids of 400 Years Without a Comb, but they helped explained why that word is considered bad, at least to me. And I know someone who used to hate that word who actually came to see that it is the negative memory of how ugly nappy hair was for being left unkempt that made it a bad word, and she now embraces it because nappy hair doesn't have to be gross. I think a lot of people who see nappy negatively don't even know why it's negative. They just heard it being use as an insult. Reminds me of our house help who didn't know English and one day wanting to insult someone with a word as crass as the C*** word, yelled out "You bloody city!" To him the word "city" is an insult and I'm sure if he didn't ever learn better and passed it on to his kids, you'd have generations telling people, "Please do not call my home place a "city" please. It's a town, thank you very much. A big town, if you must."

Please don't think I'm downplaying the pain the word "nappy" may inflict on some. I just have met people who hate it and couldn't tell you why. They just know that they don't want someone calling them "nappy-head". Just like there are people who would rather to be called colored than black, or black than colored, or neither black nor colored but brown. And we can't roll our eyes at them either. Everyone has reasons why some words are offensive to them and each deserves sensitivity on the part of those who don't get it. But it doesn't mean we can't discuss why the words don't go that deep to us or why they do. Sometimes people do learn from seeing another's point of view--if it is broken down for them. And sometimes when you really think about it, you realize you really had never given it much thought but just took it for granted until you viewed it through the eyes of another.

 

[CherryCherryBoomBoom]

I'm from England, and before I came to the hair boards, I'd never ever heard the word 'nappy' to describe hair. I've only heard 'nappy' as what we call a 'diaper'. Any other Brits like this?

 

[Kash]

What about all the nappy heads who do indeed have rough hair. I know a few nappy head whose hair is rough and rugged to the touch. Then you have those who hair is soft to the touch like mines and others. How should afro hair be described. I know its not "curly." People want to lay out their own descriptions or adjectives such as woolly, cottony, fluffy etc... but when did these words became adjectives for hair. Is anyone going to argue that black hair is not of cotton or wool. Does anyone ever argue that black hair isn't sheep hair and isn't from sheep? What about all the black people hair that is far different from wool or cotton. Isn't sheep's hair oily and don't black women complain that their hair is dry? If that's the case then I wouldn't equate it with wool's hair. Why all the fuss with the word nappy when applied to afro hair it just gives a description of its appearance. Doesn't wavy, straight, curly gives descriptions. Why can't the word nappy or knotty do the same.

thank you! IMO many many many bw are deeply ashamed of their natural hair!

 

[Nonie]

I'm from England, and before I came to the hair boards, I'd never ever heard the word 'nappy' to describe hair. I've only heard 'nappy' as what we call a 'diaper'. Any other Brits like this?

I'm not from Britain but we speak British English in Kenya and we too call diapers nappies. But I love language so discovered the word nappy somewhere along the way. The word kinky that many find so normal for tightly coiled/curled hair amused my Welsh friends to no end when I used it to describe my hair. I was explaining to them why my friend's hair looked straight and mine didn't and about relaxers and the way they change kinky hair. They thought calling hair "risque" was just hilarity galore.

 

[andromeda]

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

This quote usually sums up these discussions. I value words and I do understand that words can be powerful tools in politics and oppression. However, I think our rejection of certain words, despite their neutral meaning, often reveals that we've internalized the negative attitudes that were projected onto the word's use at one time or another.

IMO, nappy is a neutral descriptor. I take no issue with the fact that my hair shares in common all the traits of a nap, therefore I take no issue with the word. If someone is using the word in a negative way, that is, to imply that those traits are bad, then I would take issue with them, not the word. The retort that I can see myself using in such a situation would be, "You say nappy like it's a bad thing? "

I started a thread on the n-word a while back. I can genuinely appreciate all the different takes on it.

What about all the nappy heads who do indeed have rough hair. I know a few nappy head whose hair is rough and rugged to the touch. Then you have those who hair is soft to the touch like mines and others. How should afro hair be described. I know its not "curly." People want to lay out their own descriptions or adjectives such as woolly, cottony, fluffy etc... but when did these words became adjectives for hair. Is anyone going to argue that black hair is not of cotton or wool. Does anyone ever argue that black hair isn't sheep hair and isn't from sheep? What about all the black people hair that is far different from wool or cotton. Isn't sheep's hair oily and don't black women complain that their hair is dry? If that's the case then I wouldn't equate it with wool's hair. Why all the fuss with the word nappy when applied to afro hair it just gives a description of its appearance. Doesn't wavy, straight, curly gives descriptions. Why can't the word nappy or knotty do the same.

I wanted to point out the bolded a while back. We get so caught up in generalizations that our hair is seen as different and thus, bad, that we boldly [and blindly] deny the differences, instead of challenging the more troublesome, insidious notion that those differences are "bad". There was a thread a while back about a white person who said something along the lines of "black hair is rough". Never mind if that's generally true and whether or not her comment was motivated by ethnocentricism, racism, ignorance or some combo of those items. What got me was that few, if any, of the responses in the thread challenged the value judgement assigned to "rough".

Nouns become adjectives when the things they describe look like the objects they represent. An afro can look bushy but that doesn't mean it's green and looks like a plant. I think y'all taking it way too serious. I've said my hair felt like steel-wool when I used a product that left it dry and rough. If I later said it was steel-woolly, then that'd be a perfect description of how my hair felt: hard and rough almost like it could scrub rust off iron. Might be an exaggeration coz it wasn't as hard as steel, but words are supposed to give us an understanding of what people are talking about, paint a picture that we can almost touch when we aren't close in person to feel things for ourselves. If the word nappy didn't exist (and I'm so glad it has evolved over time to mean "kinky" coz I think it perfectly describes 4B), then we would have to say "an afro looked bushy" or uncombed 4B hair like this "looks like beads (beady)". Folks get all up in arms about words because they take innocent words and turn them into insults instead of just looking at the neutral meaning of the word and moving on.

I love that language is so expansive. I love that someone can tell me they're going to change a nappy, and I don't sit there wondering, "you mean downy? or do you mean you're going to work in a textile factory? or do you mean you are going to relax hair and change it from kinky?" I can look at the context in which the word is used and guess they are talking about a diaper. I love that words are so rich in meaning, and think we do ourselves a disservice if we limit their meaning to just that one single one that some smart alec told us years back, and disregard all the other things that have grown from that root of the word that make language so beautiful and rich.

ITA!

 

[Nonie]

^^Thank you, Andromeda! I remember your thread on the N-word but I forgot you were the OP. I love how concise you are, BTW. Now if only I could channel you when I write.

 

[Loveygram]

I believe thoughts based from prior life programming determines our feelings when we hear certain words.

Some of the words we despair over came from innocent beginnings.

It was how/when they were and are used, with tones and facial expressions as well as being used in place of other words for negative impact.

Blessings

 

[CherryCherryBoomBoom]

I'm not from Britain but we speak British English in Kenya and we too call diapers nappies. But I love language so discovered the word nappy somewhere along the way. The word kinky that many find so normal for tightly coiled/curled hair amused my Welsh friends to no end when I used it to describe my hair. I was explaining to them why my friend's hair looked straight and mine didn't and about relaxers and the way they change kinky hair. They thought calling hair "risque" was just hilarity galore.

You know, I'd never heard the word 'kinky' to describe hair either . I just thought of it as afro frizzy hair really, I just never thought much about my hair. But still, I've never really heard anyone in real life round here call hair 'nappy' or 'kinky', do you suppose it might be an American thing?

 

[naheda72]

I have never seen the video, nor do I believe it is necessary. Again until the boards that word has never been used in a positive manner in my experience. The ones who appear to be upset over the use (or lack of use) of the word are those who choose to use it and don't understand why others don't want to. It is negative in my opinion and I have NEVER EVER heard it used positively. Maybe I am so much older than you all and that is where the difference of opinion comes in. I don't understand why it is important to prove to those who don't wish to use it that it is just the right description for our hair. It is because I love my hair in its natural state, that I will never refer to it in what I consider a negative description. My hair is kinky and coily, but nappy it is not. But to each its own.

 

[andromeda]

^^Thank you, Andromeda! I remember your thread on the N-word but I forgot you were the OP. I love how concise you are, BTW.

Thanks! Funny you should say that because I've joked several times about my tendency to be anything but concise. Brevity does not come naturally to me!

Now if only I could channel you when I write.

I love how you write! I can appreciate an economic use of words when the situation requires it but otherwise, I much prefer for words to be treated lavishly than miserly. As you said, the language is so expansive - why not acknowledge that by making full use of it!

 

[andromeda]

I have never seen the video, nor do I believe it is necessary. Again until the boards that word has never been used in a positive manner in my experience. The ones who appear to be upset over the use (or lack of use) of the word are those who choose to use it and don't understand why others don't want to. It is negative in my opinion and I have NEVER EVER heard it used positively. Maybe I am so much older than you all and that is where the difference of opinion comes in. I don't understand why it is important to prove to those who don't wish to use it that it is just the right description for our hair. It is because I love my hair in its natural state, that I will never refer to it in what I consider a negative description. My hair is kinky and coily, but nappy it is not. But to each its own.

And the 1st bolded is just it - in your experience. We have to be sensitive to and respectful of how experiences shape the perceptions of ourselves and others. At some point, we also have to acknowledge that some things supersede subjective experience - "nappy" being a neutral descriptor, for one. Its neutrality is fact. That fact doesn't invalidate your experiences and feelings. And conversely, your experiences and feelings don't invalidate that fact.

And I think it is important that we discuss why our perceptions are different, not to convince others that "we're right" but rather to put things in perspective and further understanding. I was watching the President announce his nominee for the Supreme Court this morning and one thing he said that struck me is that Kagan has a reputation for "understanding before disagreeing". I think the 2nd bolded point you've made about understanding is so important.

 

[Celestial]

The problem is that besides naturals, the word 'nappy' is not positive. For the sake of a discussion if someone said "Cnapps give me your opinions" or something of the sort, I would respond, but I don't want anyone calling me nappy head. People should respect others in how they want to be referenced. I am cool with kinky as I find it to be neutral, 'nappy' is not neutral, maybe in its origin but not in its reference.

How is the word 'nappy' not positive and what or who makes it negative. The word 'nappy' when applied to hair is just an adjective and is neutral. I can make the same argument that straight, curly, wavy, isn't positive. Is it black people low-self esteem and inferiority complex that makes 'nappy' negative. Are you aware that people find hair described as "woolly" to be negative. Wool is affiliated with being nappy or kinked, thick and unruly. Black people is the only group that view "woolly" hair as positive. When a black person describe their hair as woolly the non-black may think "why would she say that."

 

[Celestial]

Nouns become adjectives when the things they describe look like the objects they represent. An afro can look bushy but that doesn't mean it's green and looks like a plant. I think y'all taking it way too serious. I've said my hair felt like steel-wool when I used a product that left it dry and rough. If I later said it was steel-woolly, then that'd be a perfect description of how my hair felt: hard and rough almost like it could scrub rust off iron. Might be an exaggeration coz it wasn't as hard as steel, but words are supposed to give us an understanding of what people are talking about, paint a picture that we can almost touch when we aren't close in person to feel things for ourselves. If the word nappy didn't exist (and I'm so glad it has evolved over time to mean "kinky" coz I think it perfectly describes 4B), then we would have to say "an afro looked bushy" or uncombed 4B hair like this "looks like beads (beady)". Folks get all up in arms about words because they take innocent words and turn them into insults instead of just looking at the neutral meaning of the word and moving on.

I love that language is so expansive. I love that someone can tell me they're going to change a nappy, and I don't sit there wondering, "you mean downy? or do you mean you're going to work in a textile factory? or do you mean you are going to relax hair and change it from kinky?" I can look at the context in which the word is used and guess they are talking about a diaper. I love that words are so rich in meaning, and think we do ourselves a disservice if we limit their meaning to just that one single one that some smart alec told us years back, and disregard all the other things that have grown from that root of the word that make language so beautiful and rich.

THANK YOU! Let's not forget other adjectives such as peasy; it doesn't mean hair come from a pea or is a pea. It just has a tight, knotted appearance when compact together looks like peas. Or the word bushy; it doesn't mean your hair comes from leaves or branches. It just mean the appearance looks like a 'bush.' Or the word beady; it means the same thing 'peasy' mean. Black women need to stop with their emotionalism and stop acting like victims. People use the word wavy because it give the appearance of ocean waves and anything with a wavy appearance can be called wavy including hair. Do you remember the video Scream by Michael and Janet Jackson. Well in that video they wore 'nappy' sweaters or 'knotted' sweaters.

 

[Celestial]

I could imagine Andromeda. I bet the black women were arguing that afro-textured hair isn't 'rough' and it was "racist" to say so. Black women better stop being in denial about the obvious differences in their hair. Just because your hair may not be rough to you but to a white woman when compared to her straight "soft" locks it could be rough to her. And a lot of black people do have rough hair. I've been in a quite few. Some black people hair is so rough it can't straighten with a blow dryer or a chemical texturizer or relaxer.

 

[Hairsofab]

This has been discussed before on here in depth. But I don't have an issue with the word nappy.

 

[Celestial]

I have never seen the video, nor do I believe it is necessary. Again until the boards that word has never been used in a positive manner in my experience. The ones who appear to be upset over the use (or lack of use) of the word are those who choose to use it and don't understand why others don't want to. It is negative in my opinion and I have NEVER EVER heard it used positively. Maybe I am so much older than you all and that is where the difference of opinion comes in. I don't understand why it is important to prove to those who don't wish to use it that it is just the right description for our hair. It is because I love my hair in its natural state, that I will never refer to it in what I consider a negative description. My hair is kinky and coily, but nappy it is not. But to each its own.

What is the right description for our hair? Are you aware that the word Kinky and Nappy means the same thing. Nappy is germanic and Kinky I believe come from Sweden or Scandinavia but the meaning is the same. If someone call your hair 'kinky' in a negative way would you still describe your hair as kinky. Are you aware that other groups find hair that is described as 'kinky' negative just like you would find the word nappy negative. Are you aware that there are black people that view the word kinky just as negatively and prefer their hair to be not described that way.

Please explain what is so good about the word 'kinky' if it means the same as the word 'nappy' especially when people view the two the same and come to the same understanding and description. Saying your hair is 'kinky' will not prevent people from thinking 'nappy.' Matter of fact, when hair is describe as kinky people automatically think 'nappy.'

 

[naheda72]

This is why I say MY experience. As you can see you all are working hard to convince me that I should accept that word, but I don't,won't. I don't understand why I can't say my peace without everyone jumping to convince me. My hair is not nappy, if you choose to use that word, I have no thoughts about it, but for me, it is not going to happen. It is negative and doesn't describe anything on me. Again to each its own.

 

[Celestial]

This is why I say MY experience. As you can see you all are working hard to convince me that I should accept that word, but I don't,won't. I don't understand why I can't say my peace without everyone jumping to convince me. My hair is not nappy, if you choose to use that word, I have no thoughts about it, but for me, it is not going to happen. It is negative and doesn't describe anything on me. Again to each its own.

Hmmm....it seem as if it was you who was trying to convince others that black people don't have nappy hair. Others was just laying out (whether you like the word or not) black people hair is nappy and it doesn't have to be negative -- it's just a description. I don't know if your hair is nappy because it will be me (I) who decide depending on how it looks. Now, maybe your hair isn't nappy to you but it can be nappy to others and you can't escape that. How do you describe other people (black) hair when you see it. Have you ever called it kinky or woolly. Have you ever thought that those black people may have found it offensive to describe their hair that way. Have you ever thought that there are black people who had negative experience with the word kinky and woolly...or is it only your experience or feelings that count. My point is you can't escape things that you may not like such as the word 'nappy.' That word gives a description and help express objects for better understanding just like every other adjective. Black people like yourself can't make the word 'nappy' diappear just as much as a white person can't make the word 'stringy' disappear.