"I think white people have better hair than black hair"

[shunemite]

On the Tyra show, a 5 year old black girl said this. And then put on a Hannah Montana blond wig on, and said she wishes her hair looks like this. It brought tears to my eyes. I know this is a re-run, but incase you didn't see it, it's on right now. Very disturbing, coz the mothers agree.

 

[Ms_Twana]

On the Tyra show, a 5 year old black girl said this. And then put on a Hannah Montana blond wig on, and said she wishes her hair looks like this. It brought tears to my eyes. I know this is a re-run, but incase you didn't see it, it's on right now. Very disturbing, coz the mothers agree.

Oh my goodness, I can not STAND that episode. It pissed me off sooooo bad!!!!

 

[lovenharmony]

I will not watch that episode. Too disheartening for words.

 

[melissa-bee]

When i was little i said to my mum that i wished i was white when she was doing my hair one day. I think i was about 4-6 years old.
She'll grow up and learn to deal with it when she grows up just like i did.

 

[CurlyMoo]

Well, in the minds of many 5 year old little girls and boys this is true. Especially with Black children. When we let our children idolize the boob tube don't be surprised when they make boobish comments and develope a since of infuriority. Hannah Montana wears blonde wigs and so do her followers. Either turn off the tv and reinforce positive self esteem or spend the rest of your life explaining to your beautiful daugther that there is nothing wrong with her. **SIGH**

 

[CurlyMoo]

When i was little i said to my mum that i wished i was white when she was doing my hair one day. I think i was about 4-6 years old.
She'll grow up and learn to deal with it when she grows up just like i did.

IMO, she's screwed. Honestly, Black American has failed it's children.

 

[ADB]

I'm watching this now.

 

[jennboo]

Not surprised.

 

[genesis132]

I think it's up to the parents to instill in their kids at a very very young age that they are beautiful in their own way....i never want my kids to grow up believing those lies and i'm nipping it in the bud now

ETA: I'm sooo tired of these shows capitalizing on the black self hatred..ENOUGH IS A 'NUFF.
Can we get some "I'm black and I'm proud" episodes??...geesh

 

[jamoca5]

I was just watching that episode. Yes, the most heartbreaking part is watching those little kids already hate how they look. It's crazy. I think the stigma in our community is getting worse. I don't remember being that negative about my hair when I was younger. What's going on?

 

[melissa-bee]

Oh wait, you said her mother agrees, if that's true then she is screwed. At least when i said that to my mum she kind of taught me better.
What does her mum's hair look like, i can't watch it over here in the uk.

 

[Meli-Melo]

I watched that episode on the web. It was so sad but I could relate to that little girl because even though my mother tought me to embrace my black heritage, the fact that I was teased in school for having different hair sometimes made me wish I could have hair like the white girls.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

I had a mother and father that were professors and engineers well versed in black history and instilled a sense of history and self-worth in me for as long as I can remember always trying to tell me how beautiful I am and how beautiful my hair is and I STILL came home and wrapped my beige towel around my head saying mommy I want my hair to be like this!begging for a perm.

This is where I'm gonna provide my possibly very revolutionary opinion: I dont think integration at an early age has helped our children on the whole, especially as a minority community. I believe if we had schools where we started our children off with an environment where they had friends that looked like them to relate with and got a serious education on their history in the early years, then they would have the strength of character to be proud, self-confident and make the most of themselves despite being a minority and be prepared to mix with others. I think in our rush to assimilate with larger America, we lost ourselves.

I consistently saw the difference it made with many of my jewish peers, many of them dont go to integrated schools they go to schools where only kids like them attend till junior high or even as late as high school, by the time their interacting with kids from other backgrounds you can't tell those kids nuthin because they've had pride instilled in them, a comprehensive education on their history on their people, they identify and love their heritage and traditions. They're past the point that you can rob them of that..........all I'm sayin, is we need us some a that.

 

[nysister]

Yawn. Sensationalism. And her parents should be smacked with a weave.

 

[jamoca5]

Oh wait, you said her mother agrees, if that's true then she is screwed. At least when i said that to my mum she kind of taught me better.
What does her mum's hair look like, i can't watch it over here in the uk.

Her mom's hair is relaxed.

 

[JayAnn0513]

I totally agree with you on this!! When i tell people I wish I could send my daughter to an all black prep school for those reasons that look at me crazy. They really do not get it.

I had a mother and father that were professors and engineers well versed in black history and instilled a sense of history and self-worth in me for as long as I can remember always trying to tell me how beautiful I am and how beautiful my hair is and I STILL came home and wrapped my beige towel around my head saying mommy I want my hair to be like this!begging for a perm.

This is where I'm gonna provide my possibly very revolutionary opinion: I dont think integration at an early age has helped our children on the whole, especially as a minority community. I believe if we had schools where we started our children off with an environment where they had friends that looked like them to relate with and got a serious education on their history in the early years, then they would have the strength of character to be proud, self-confident and make the most of themselves despite being a minority and be prepared to mix with others. I think in our rush to assimilate with larger America, we lost ourselves.

I consistently saw the difference it made with many of my jewish peers, many of them dont go to integrated schools they go to schools where only kids like them attend till junior high or even as late as high school, by the time their interacting with kids from other backgrounds you can't tell those kids nuthin because they've had pride instilled in them, a comprehensive education on their history and their people and they identify and love their heritage and traditions and their past the point that you can rob them of that..........all I'm sayin, is we need us some a that.

 

[Keshieshimmer]

I remember when I was little I always wanted long, hair not white her persay. I knew being a blond would never work and I was ok with that. It so sad though that the parents don't correct their children.

 

[Meli-Melo]

Oh wait, you said her mother agrees, if that's true then she is screwed. At least when i said that to my mum she kind of taught me better.
What does her mum's hair look like, i can't watch it over here in the uk.

You can watch the show on youtube if you want.
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=DF8C017E00E09375&search_query=tyra+black+hair

 

[BostonMaria]

Yawn. Sensationalism. And her parents should be smacked with a weave.

My DD once asked me why her hair can't be like "Amy's hair" - Amy is white, blonde, her hair is straight and she's classic length. It came out of nowhere and I was very surprised and kinda ticked off. Mostly ticked off LOL I told her that yeah Amy's hair is beautiful, but so is hers. You wanna know what this little Amy kid said to my DD one day? She said "Lisette your hair is so long, beautiful and curly. I wish I had curly hair" Which I thought was funny. I tell my DD that her hair is beautiful and she is very lucky that she can wear it curly or straight. Now my kid is 11 and embraces her curls.

I think that the little girl that said that might think its true, but if nobody tells her otherwise then she'll just keep on believing this is true. So sad. I don't watch these type of shows. Way too much negativity.

 

[CurlyMoo]

My DD once asked me why her hair can't be like "Amy's hair" - Amy is white, blonde, her hair is straight and she's classic length. It came out of nowhere and I was very surprised and kinda ticked off. Mostly ticked off LOL I told her that yeah Amy's hair is beautiful, but so is hers. You wanna know what this little Amy kid said to my DD one day? She said "Lisette your hair is so long, beautiful and curly. I wish I had curly hair" Which I thought was funny. I tell my DD that her hair is beautiful and she is very lucky that she can wear it curly or straight. Now my kid is 11 and embraces her curls.

I think that the little girl that said that might think its true, but if nobody tells her otherwise then she'll just keep on believing this is true. So sad. I don't watch these type of shows. Way too much negativity.

Yes it's very true children and adults look at other people and see something they wish they had. It's not a bad thing but when you grow to hate your own hair and do whatever it takes to kill it then that's a problem.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

I totally agree with you on this!! When i tell people I wish I could send my daughter to an all black prep school for those reasons that look at me crazy. They really do not get it.

Absolutely I'll find one for my kids if not I'll start one, thats how strongly I feel about it. My mom always sent me to the best schools and they were somewhat diverse but they were in rich districts so most of the kids were white........when thats all you see amung your peers, thats all you know.

Even if its a majority Black afterschool program..............SOMETHING to let them interact in a positive constructive way with other kids like them. I was in a majority black high school for one year a great school geared toward science and it was one of the best years of my life I LOVED it there it was the first time I had been around so many people like me and it was just....home I was so happy, then my parents decided they wanted to move to a better neighborhood and move us to Long Island.....between the culture shock of going from the fast paced city to the burbs and being back to a majority white school. I damn near fell into a depression and I didnt know why......its important for us to have significant interactions with our own.

There was this one girl in my new Long Island high school I'll never forget, she was a lightskinned black girl who was raised from day one in a majority white neighborhood in long island she had that effortless long thick hair and she was "passing" for another race doing her best to deny her blackness at every turn. To me it was just so sad to see her and so emblematic of what happens when you have no real connection to your own kind.

When your the minority, you gotta stick to your own and maintain traditions or risk just getting so diluted that you fade away.

 

[shunemite]

What TICKED me off, was that the mothers on this show agreed! That their own daughters had ugly hair. They told them constantly. One mother puts relaxer and WEAVE in the 3 year old's hair, and the little girl is crying in pain saying that it burns. But the mother still won't wash it out. This was just awful to me. It's upsetting.

Then the beautiful dark skinned woman who said, "I only have kids with hispanics because I don't want my kids to have ugly nappy hair like mine". Aaargh. (I actually have someone like that in my extended family).

 

[shunemite]

Oh wait, you said her mother agrees, if that's true then she is screwed. At least when i said that to my mum she kind of taught me better.
What does her mum's hair look like, i can't watch it over here in the uk.

There are several different mothers. One mother is dark skinned black, only has kids with white/ hispanic, not out of love, but just for the hair. Another mother is white, has an interracial child, and puts relaxer and weave in the THREE YEAR OLD's hair. The last mother, her daughter is older (20's), and when the daughter went natural, she won't introduce her to friends, she's ashamed of her.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Thats why I can't watch the Tyra Banks show, no offense to her die-hard fans, but I just hate when people publicize negativity and self-hate and dont even bother to provide solutions or some kinda counterbalance

With power, comes responsibility.

 

[shunemite]

I had a mother and father that were professors and engineers well versed in black history and instilled a sense of history and self-worth in me for as long as I can remember always trying to tell me how beautiful I am and how beautiful my hair is and I STILL came home and wrapped my beige towel around my head saying mommy I want my hair to be like this!begging for a perm.

This is where I'm gonna provide my possibly very revolutionary opinion: I dont think integration at an early age has helped our children on the whole, especially as a minority community. I believe if we had schools where we started our children off with an environment where they had friends that looked like them to relate with and got a serious education on their history in the early years, then they would have the strength of character to be proud, self-confident and make the most of themselves despite being a minority and be prepared to mix with others. [/SIZE]

If you combine both positive thinking and an uplifting environment, yes. If it's a large group of self hating black people, no. I grew up in Africa. 99% black. And yet it was where I first heard that my 4b hair was "bad". And we used to crowd around American magazines and wish we had hair like Mariah Carey or Aaliyah. We used to watch American tv shows over there like "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" and "Martin" and we wanted to look like them. And yet 90% of us had natural 4b hair. But I longed to be like the 10% of the population that had 2c and 3's hair. That was beauty.

Can you imagine an entire country where 90% of the population has very dark skin and 4b hair, and the standard of beauty in that same country is "good hair" and fair skin?

 

[CurlyMoo]

Should I even look at the youtube clip? erplexed

 

[yaya24]

My friend was on the Tyra show on October 5th. That show is a lie. I have seen that episode and it made me cringe... but Tyra and her topics can go to ...

 

[shenitab]

Sometimes I watch the Tyra shows and they do break my heart. However, those shows make me check myself more and communicate more with my kids. I make sure I tell them they are beautiful even more. I ask them what they think about THEMSELVES so if there is a problem we can talk about it and I can catch it early.
There are things that I have been doing with my kids since day one. There are a lot of media images going AGAINST the black is beautiful message, but you have to find things to counter it such as books that feature african american (children,people,history), cartoons, movies, etc. You even have to counter self-hate and prejudice within the African American community. I think that a lot of African Americans come to a point early or later in life when they have a wish to try life on the other side. Just like I used to wish I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Most of the time we mature, get over it, and embrace what we do have. Now it is sad to see people who can't make it to that point (especially grown people).

 

[Amerie123]

Thats why I can't watch the Tyra Banks show, no offense to her die-hard fans, but I just hate when people publicize negativity and self-hate and dont even bother to provide solutions or some kinda counterbalance

With power, comes responsibility.

Thank You, Thank You, And Thank You.

And not only a solution, but like you said a counterbalance. Or some positivity. How bout: lets embrace the beautiful (insert whatever topic) about our BW. Nope, not on Tyra. It's always a "I'm a BW and I don't like myself, I have low self esteem and

 

[Ms_Twana]

She said "Lisette your hair is so long, beautiful and curly. I wish I had curly hair" Which I thought was funny.

The funny thing is that now a days yt people ain't even worried about our hair like that. We are all self conscience over nothing. I've had SEVERAL white co-workers and friends compliment my hair (when I was NATURAL). They compliment how I can do so many things with my hair and some have even commented that they wish THEIR hair would do that. Even OTHERS see the beauty and versatility of our hair.

My friend was on the Tyra show on October 5th. That show is a lie. I have seen that episode and it made me cringe... but Tyra and her topics can go to ...

Now you know you gotta elaborate on your friend and the show right??