Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issues!

[brandy]

Originally posted by Energist
Also she was heavily into White Latins with blue or green eyes because she always thought of how exotic her children would turn out and this pleased her more than anything. She is now engaged to a wonderful Black man who she gave a very hard time for many years, but has come to her senses and sees that this is the best thing walking in her life, however she has aborted his child because she is fearful of having a Black child with his Black features She now tells me that although she loves him she doesn't want any children and I know that she has wanted children before.

This was very painful to read !!
I think there is a degree of self hate in most if not all black communities or countries. The Dominicans are not the only guilty ones. This is also happening in the mother continent Africa. The Europeans are not the only ones to be blamed. There was trans-saharan slave trade (East Africans being enslaved by Arabs) long before West Africans became enslaved by Europeans to work on plantations! I have a couple of E. African friends that claim to be Arabic because they have a drop of Arabic blood. In West Africa the more light skinned you are the more beautiful. If you have very dark skin sometimes jokes would be made even by relatives!! Central and Southern Africa have similar issues with regards to self hate as well.
It would take education and God to erase this mess!!

 

[Amour]

Wow, this is really something to read and unfortunately I knew all about this. I have had a Dominican best friend who I have always believed to be a Black Dominican, however she made sure to always correct me and state that she was Latina. She had strong Native American features and would play on that every chance that she got. As for hair (which I'm pretty sure she relaxed or had blown dried on the regular since her mother was a Dominican stylist) would claim that her natural hair was straight, even though I could see her curly roots come in from time to time

Also she was heavily into White Latins with blue or green eyes because she always thought of how exotic her children would turn out and this pleased her more than anything. She is now engaged to a wonderful Black man who she gave a very hard time for many years, but has come to her senses and sees that this is the best thing walking in her life, however she has aborted his child because she is fearful of having a Black child with his Black features She now tells me that although she loves him she doesn't want any children and I know that she has wanted children before.

It's just very unfortunate what some other cultures go through because of self hate...especially when they don't realize it! She's never realized that she hates a part of herself when she acts that way!

wow that is soo extreme on so many levels.. I could not befriend some like that.. it wouldn't be good for her to have a friend like me

 

[senimoni]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

For the ladies that go to Dominican salons, does this make you think twice about going there?

No b/c its really no different than AA salons. I've gotten so many "rough, course, nappy, wooly" comments from AA salons to last me a life time.

Regarding the article...I didn't "KNOW" this specifically but in *my* experience the Dominicans/PR I have met that appeared black made sure to tell you they weren't so I'm not surprised. I understand that if you are one of those things you may not want to be confused for AA...but that is not what I'm referring too. So I'm not surprised by this article in the least bit....sounds just like many of us.

 

[ShiShiPooPoo]

Wow, this is really something to read and unfortunately I knew all about this. I have had a Dominican best friend who I have always believed to be a Black Dominican, however she made sure to always correct me and state that she was Latina. She had strong Native American features and would play on that every chance that she got. As for hair (which I'm pretty sure she relaxed or had blown dried on the regular since her mother was a Dominican stylist) would claim that her natural hair was straight, even though I could see her curly roots come in from time to time

Also she was heavily into White Latins with blue or green eyes because she always thought of how exotic her children would turn out and this pleased her more than anything. She is now engaged to a wonderful Black man who she gave a very hard time for many years, but has come to her senses and sees that this is the best thing walking in her life, however she has aborted his child because she is fearful of having a Black child with his Black features She now tells me that although she loves him she doesn't want any children and I know that she has wanted children before.

It's just very unfortunate what some other cultures go through because of self hate...especially when they don't realize it! She's never realized that she hates a part of herself when she acts that way!

so...so sad.

 

[lovenharmony]

I'm not shocked to hear this because I've dealt with dominicans before - in fact, sometimes other hispanic people believed that I was dominican and have said some terrible things in my prescence about "blacks".

They would say that they're getting "too dark" when they're in the sun for too long and tell me I would look so much more beautiful if I had long straight hair instead of my short waves.

My ex was half Dominican, half Hatian and he outright DENIED the Hatian part of himself sometimes claiming he was Puerto Rican! He also told me that he would date people only my skin color and lighter because "Black people are ugly"!

I don't care, any which way you slice it, in my opinion it's still self hate! It gets me sooooo angry that these lies about beauty have been perpetuated for generations to the point that some from our own race believes that they are ugly if they look more like the "typical" black person! Just terrible.

 

[jtsupanova]

The self hatered is deeply rooted and it is truely sad. I wrote an essay about Dominican and Hatian cultural interacton and during my research I came across many shoking examples of ansetrial denial.

 

[BeaLady]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

For me it never has, because I realize that just because people carry around psychological and emotional "stuff" it doesn't mean that they are bad people or don't have good intentions. The Dominicans that I used to go to were the sweetest 2 women and would handle my hair with love and care. They never made me feel bad about my hair texture when it was growing in and I trusted them!

That's good that you never had any problems. I was considering trying a Dominican salon if I ever wanted my hair staight. I won't consider it now. I am a natural 4b and I'm sure they wouldn't do my hair. I also don't want anyone in my head that has that type of mindset. I am very particular about who works on my hair.

 

[LocksOfLuV]

For some reason that was hard for me to read. I think because I get so tired of hearing the "black is bad" stuff. I know it's not really our fault though.

Me too.

It's like no on thinks what we are is beautiful.

 

[Energist]

wow that is soo extreme on so many levels.. I could not befriend some like that.. it wouldn't be good for her to have a friend like me

Well I actually got to a point where I couldn't take her behavior anymore and wrote her a very VERY long letter talking about her ways which are even more extreme then I wrote about and I let her know that if she ever comes to see the error of her ways that I would be here for her. This letter was very loving but hurt her, and since she has changed a great deal, but is still struggling with these thoughts, beliefs, self centered ideas. We are working to rebuild our friendship, but she knows that I am apprehensive about welcoming back as a "best friend" but she seems ok with it!

 

[N.P.R. Addict]

Galván and a loosely knit group of women have protested European canons of beauty, once going so far as to rally outside a beauty pageant. She and other experts say it is now more common to see darker-skinned women in the contests -- but they never win.

Mariana Ramirez smiles as she sits in Daisy Gran Salon in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.


"During the Trujillo regime, people who were dark skinned were rejected, so they created their own mechanism to fight it," said Ramona Hernández, Director of the Dominican Studies Institute at City College in New York. "When you ask, ‘What are you?' they don't give you the answer you want . . . saying we don't want to deal with our blackness is simply what you want to hear."

Hernández, who has olive-toned skin and a long mane of hair she blows out straight, acknowledges she would "never, never, never'' go to a university meeting with her natural curls.

Product promoter Margarita Munoz, right, tidies up the shelf displaying her company's hair-straightening products in a Santo Domingo market.

"That's a woman trying to look cute; I'm a sociologist," she said.
Asked if a black Dominican woman can be considered beautiful in her country, Hernández leapt to her feet.

"You should see how they come in here with their big asses!'' she said, shuffling across her office with her arms extended behind her back, simulating an enormous rear-end. "They come in here thinking they are all that, and I think, 'doesn't she know she's not really pretty?' "

Maria Elena Polanca is a black woman with the striking good looks. She said most Dominicans look at her with curiosity, as if a black woman being beautiful were something strange.

She spends her days promoting a hair straightener at La Sirena, a Santo Domingo department store that features an astonishing array of hair straightening products.

"Look, we have bad hair, bad. Nobody says 'curly.' It's bad," she said. "You can't go out like that. People will say, 'Look at that nest! Someone light a match!' ''

Angela Martinez, 12, left, entertains friend Estefany Diaz, 10, as Estefany's sister Ariela does her hair in the Paraiso de Dios neighborhood west of Santo Domingo, a scene that plays out the streets throughout much of the Dominican Republic.


'IT WAS HURTFUL'
Purdue University professor Dawn Stinchcomb, who is African American, said that when she came here in 1999 to study African influences in literature, people insulted her in the street.

Waiters refused to serve her. People wouldn't help Stinchcomb with her research, saying if she wanted to study Africans, she'd have to go to Haiti.
"I had people on the streets . . . yell at me to get out of the sun because I was already black enough," she said. "It was hurtful. . . . I was raised in the South and thought I could handle any racial comment. I never before experienced anything like I did in the Dominican Republic.

"I don't have a problem when people who don't look like me say hurtful things. But when it's people who look just like me?"

Link to full article:
http://www.miamiherald.com/multimedia/news/afrolatin/part2/index.html

I was so angered by this comment that I had to call the City University of New York and complain. They said she was misquoted and are writing a letter to the editor.

As for the article in general, I was not surprised but still saddened. Slavery and discrimination have had a dehumanizing effect on all the people of the African Diaspora.erplexed

 

[Energist]

This was very painful to read !!
I think there is a degree of self hate in most if not all black communities or countries. The Dominicans are not the only guilty ones. This is also happening in the mother continent Africa. The Europeans are not the only ones to be blamed. There was trans-saharan slave trade (East Africans being enslaved by Arabs) long before West Africans became enslaved by Europeans to work on plantations! I have a couple of E. African friends that claim to be Arabic because they have a drop of Arabic blood. In West Africa the more light skinned you are the more beautiful. If you have very dark skin sometimes jokes would be made even by relatives!! Central and Southern Africa have similar issues with regards to self hate as well.
It would take education and God to erase this mess!!

You know I have heard about that! I have actually seen an argument between an Ethiopian girl and West African guy at a club in NY where the guy let out all the dirty business about how she probably thinks she's better than him because of this that and the other and it came down to things that you speak of here. The girl was ignoring him and acting mightier than though when he was trying to be friendly! I had not known about the internal racial problems up until that point!

 

[Crissi]

Wow, this is really something to read and unfortunately I knew all about this. I have had a Dominican best friend who I have always believed to be a Black Dominican, however she made sure to always correct me and state that she was Latina. She had strong Native American features and would play on that every chance that she got. As for hair (which I'm pretty sure she relaxed or had blown dried on the regular since her mother was a Dominican stylist) would claim that her natural hair was straight, even though I could see her curly roots come in from time to time

Also she was heavily into White Latins with blue or green eyes because she always thought of how exotic her children would turn out and this pleased her more than anything. She is now engaged to a wonderful Black man who she gave a very hard time for many years, but has come to her senses and sees that this is the best thing walking in her life, however she has aborted his child because she is fearful of having a Black child with his Black features She now tells me that although she loves him she doesn't want any children and I know that she has wanted children before.

It's just very unfortunate what some other cultures go through because of self hate...especially when they don't realize it! She's never realized that she hates a part of herself when she acts that way!

Man i thought the article was sad, but this is uncomprehenable (sp) i mean aborting a child?! erplexed

 

[pinayprincess]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

That is some BULL%^&*. I love Dominican hair!

 

[Desert Skye]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

No b/c its really no different than AA salons. I've gotten so many "rough, course, nappy, wooly" comments from AA salons to last me a life time.

Regarding the article...I didn't "KNOW" this specifically but in *my* experience the Dominicans/PR I have met that appeared black made sure to tell you they weren't so I'm not surprised. I understand that if you are one of those things you may not want to be confused for AA...but that is not what I'm referring too. So I'm not surprised by this article in the least bit....sounds just like many of us.

Your not lying. If you ask if they are black, some of them seem clearly offended and tell you that they are Dominican. Its really ashame.

 

[Lady Esquire]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

Well one thing we have to understand is that black Dominicans ARE African like we are. During the Slave Trade, Some were dropped off in South America, others in the Carribean, Dominican Republic and of course the U.S. No, they didn't bring that attitude here, they are simply dealing with the same pressures we had but we are the ones(Americans) who over came very much.

Yep. To further add to your comment, DR shares the exact same island as Haiti, called Hispaniola. DR has two thirds of the island and Haiti makes up the rest. The only thing seperating the two nations is a river called the Massacre River. During the slave trade, blacks were dropped off at some of the hottest and toughest lands, (The Caribbean Islands: Jamaica, Trinidad, Hispaniola (Haiti/DR, all throughout the islands). The islands were a great place to "break in the slaves". The strongest ones, and those who produced well, were sold at higher rates to the more prosperous American slave owners. The reason why there is different rates of mixed races such as DR is because the Spanards had control of that side of Hispaniola. Other islands were controlled by the British, the Dutch, and so on...and that is why the make up of Carribbean folk is so widespread across the color line.

But at the end of the day, their problems are our problems. They have been ingrained to hate their hair, noses, lips, etc...I was not surprised at all to hear this and I always knew why they are all obsessed with straight hair...but things are slowly changing...I hope

 

[Nazarite27]

I am not surprised by this at all!! Anyone who denies who or what they are has issues. It is what it is and they can deny it all they want..but they are black. IMO, self-denial = self-hate!

After my last and final stint at a Dominican Salon....I will never, ever go back. I've been in kinky twists every since June 2004 because of a Doninican Salon stylists who I felt purposely neglected to use a neutralizing shampoo on my newly re-touched relaxer . My hair kept thinning and thinning and coming out...by the end of that week, I decided to hop in the shower to wash and deep condition and as soon as the water hit my head....all I could smell was relaxer!

Needless to say my hair was obviously still processing.

Yep, my shoulder length hair was ruined, ruined, ruined!!

Instead of cutting it all off, I decided to keep it braided (kinky twists). I've been braided now for three years and my hair is now healthy, natural, kinky and strong -- just the way I like it -- nothing bad about it.

 

[imstush]

I know what you mean. I still haven't fully digested the article yet. It's really sad. I honestly had NO IDEA that other cultures had such issues! I know that may sound ignorant, but I really didn't. I know our hangups with hair texture and skin color in this country are directly linked to slavery, but I guess there are other places with the same problems. It really does explain why so many Domincan stylists would look at me with utter disdain when I went natural, and declare that my hair was nappy, and that I needed a perm. I just shrugged it off thinking they got it from us, but it looks like they probably brought it here with them! I don't have any problem with relaxed hair, heck I'm often on the fence about whether or not to relax again b/c it's so humid here in Miami. But when it's linked to such self hate....

ITA and have had the same experiences. The very first time I grew out my relaxer in HS, my godsister took me to a dominican salon for the very first time and the stylist was like "no mommy you need a perm" To this day she refuses to do my hair, I have to go to another stylist in the salon to do my hair.

Another situation, I have a dominican friend. Her hair is probably a 2C/3A. When she goes to the salon to get a blow out they tell her all the time that she needs a relaxer.

Your not lying. If you ask if they are black, some of them seem clearly offended and tell you that they are Dominican. Its really ashame.

This has been my experience as well.

 

[gn1g]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

uhmp .

 

[blue_flower]

I just went to the Miami Heralds website and there's going to be an entire series on Afro-Latin Americans throughout Latin America. The article on the Dominicans "Black Denial" is part 2 of the series. Other countries included are Cuba, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Brazil.

 

[Lady Esquire]

Wow, this is really something to read and unfortunately I knew all about this. I have had a Dominican best friend who I have always believed to be a Black Dominican, however she made sure to always correct me and state that she was Latina. She had strong Native American features and would play on that every chance that she got. As for hair (which I'm pretty sure she relaxed or had blown dried on the regular since her mother was a Dominican stylist) would claim that her natural hair was straight, even though I could see her curly roots come in from time to time

Also she was heavily into White Latins with blue or green eyes because she always thought of how exotic her children would turn out and this pleased her more than anything. She is now engaged to a wonderful Black man who she gave a very hard time for many years, but has come to her senses and sees that this is the best thing walking in her life, however she has aborted his child because she is fearful of having a Black child with his Black features She now tells me that although she loves him she doesn't want any children and I know that she has wanted children before.

It's just very unfortunate what some other cultures go through because of self hate...especially when they don't realize it! She's never realized that she hates a part of herself when she acts that way!

My best friend is an extremely light skinned Haitian. She was born into a highly mixed family...super high yellow folk with type 2 and barely type 3 hair. Although, her parents were average color, they both died when she was young. She was raised by an aunt who is super super light w/mixed features. Anyway, she was the darkest person in that household, even though she is light, by our standards, has a button nose and full lips. In high school, her hair was always done by the Dominicans, nice and bouncy about APL. She got pregnant by her high school sweetheart a few years into college, a very dark Jamaican boy, and her family forced her to abort the child. From that point on, it was one light-skinned boy after the next: a green-eyed Bahamian, a few mixed Haitians, and all were sutiable prospects and "good baby making material" and then, finally she met her currently husband: a white Puerto Rican.

When she took him home to NY for the family to meet him, even before he uttered a word, her aunt walked up to her and whispered in her ear, "marry this one." Six months later they were walking down the isle. She was secretly in love w/a former flame, who she dated undercover, a dark Trini who treated her like a queen.

She gave birth to a child about a year later. I was at the hospital when her relatives from NY were on the phone, asking her to describe in detail the color of the baby, were his ears dark, the color of his eyes and hair texture. The baby looks like he does have a drop of black in him, but he is acceptable to the family. She was getting it from both sides though, cause the PR family she married into would make some far comments. When they would get into arguments, first thing her mother-in-law would call her is dark, like it was an insult. And I am telling you this girl is not dark at all...but to them she was dark enough. Anyway, fast forward 8 years later, they are on the verge of a divorce. I was on the phone with her the other day and she said, other than her son, there are sooo many things she would redo. Self-hatred runs deep.

 

[Wildchild453]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

Well one thing we have to understand is that black Dominicans ARE African like we are. During the Slave Trade, Some were dropped off in South America, others in the Carribean, Dominican Republic and of course the U.S. No, they didn't bring that attitude here, they are simply dealing with the same pressures we had but we are the ones(Americans) who over came very much.

I'm confused how are 'we' the one who over came alot?

 

[hottopic]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

I don't even know what to say. It was hard to read.

 

[scribblescrabble2]

I'm not surprised by this article at all. Once when I went to a dominican salon as a teen, a woman with natural 4b hair came in for a relaxer. The stylist frowned and berated her for not having her hair done. It made me really uncomfortable and I haven't been to another domincan salon since.

 

[ChasingBliss]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

I know quite a few Dominicans and the many of them have this issue. This Domincan lady once told me that if she ever dated a black man, he'd have to be lightskinned. She doesnt like darkskinned anything....real sad. My daughter's friend is about to get checked soon because she is always insulting darkskinned black people. She doesnt want them by her house or anything. My daughter always tells her, "look, I may not be darkskinned but Im still black so stop saying things like that" The girl doesnt care though. I told her if she doesnt change her attitude somebody was going to hurt her and she will lose the black friends she has now. THey are all teens so they respond to her by trying to tell her it's not right to think that way. If they were all grown women, the friendship would have been severed I'm sure. Kids are much more tolerant of each others extreme views than adults are.

 

[tia123]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

I am not supprised by this article at all. I am a dark skinned black American that has suffered this ignorance all of my life in America and as I traveled in the military.

 

[Jazzmommy]

Wow...That's deep... I can't believe how they berated the African-American woman though who was trying to do her research.

 

[beana]

I am not surprised by this article at all. I think its a shame. it seems like people of color around the world are fighting (and sadly some are embracing) this train of thought.

 

[hottopic]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

My best friend is an extremely light skinned Haitian. She was born into a highly mixed family...super high yellow folk with type 2 and barely type 3 hair. Although, her parents were average color, they both died when she was young. She was raised by an aunt who is super super light w/mixed features. Anyway, she was the darkest person in that household, even though she is light, by our standards, has a button nose and full lips. In high school, her hair was always done by the Dominicans, nice and bouncy about APL. She got pregnant by her high school sweetheart a few years into college, a very dark Jamaican boy, and her family forced her to abort the child. From that point on, it was one light-skinned boy after the next: a green-eyed Bahamian, a few mixed Haitians, and all were sutiable prospects and "good baby making material" and then, finally she met her currently husband: a white Puerto Rican.

When she took him home to NY for the family to meet him, even before he uttered a word, her aunt walked up to her and whispered in her ear, "marry this one." Six months later they were walking down the isle. She was secretly in love w/a former flame, who she dated undercover, a dark Trini who treated her like a queen.

She gave birth to a child about a year later. I was at the hospital when her relatives from NY were on the phone, asking her to describe in detail the color of the baby, were his ears dark, the color of his eyes and hair texture. The baby looks like he does have a drop of black in him, but he is acceptable to the family. She was getting it from both sides though, cause the PR family she married into would make some far comments. When they would get into arguments, first thing her mother-in-law would call her is dark, like it was an insult. And I am telling you this girl is not dark at all...but to them she was dark enough. Anyway, fast forward 8 years later, they are on the verge of a divorce. I was on the phone with her the other day and she said, other than her son, there are sooo many things she would redo. Self-hatred runs deep.

OMG. Wow now that is a story. Not an uncommon one. My grandfather is from England, Coolie (Indian) and White descent. My grandmother was as dark Jamaican. Till this day, my mother's father doesn't really acknowledge her. She is light but not by their standards. Of course she does not talk about it, it hurts to the core.

 

[FeelinIt]

Re: Hmmm...the truth behind Domincan blowouts? They have some serious "bad hair" issu

Yep!!! Ignorance is everywhere and yes I am 100 % Dominican.

Things will only change when people get educated and must of all, when they get to know the Lord.

Do not forget we all have suffered some kind of descrimination. When you think about this article do not forget the black folks (us) who are also Domincan, and will never get a better life in our own country just because of the color of our skin.

Please do not see this as all Dominicans, remember those who are suffiring too.

I saw this article on blackvoices. The title read Black denial in Dominican or Latin Countries. I ALWAYS wanted to travel to Central America or Spain. I've heard some things here and there about Latin America and their racism but this just made me extremely sad.

I really wanted to visit Central America and Spain. Now I'm not too sure. this has really painted a bad picture of latin american culture for me....

 

[EbonyHairedPrincess]

Why in the hell would this make front page? As usual stupid a$$ racial crap take priority of important newsworth articles. This whole story line is played out. Somebody press delete!