Is It A Race Issue or A Gender Issue?

[BrownieBrie]

There are always alot questions raised about why some of us wear weave or do other thing to change or enhance our hair.

Today in my sociology class someone stated that they believed that things like extensions, make up, plastic surgery etc. stem from gender issues more than race. And that we do these things a women (of all races) to appease men and that its a not just a minority problem but a problem for all women.

Opinions?

P.S. I'm not trying to start any fights, lol!

 

[lovenharmony]

All I will say is...Yt women were wearing extensions & wigs longer than women of color

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Sounds like a really interesting conversation!

I'd love to subscribe to the kum-ba-ya we all face the same problems the color of your skin makes no difference go-to argument but I grew up black in America and simply never had the luxury of seeing everything as perfectly equal.

The same could be said about single mothers, the AIDS epidemic and high school drop out rate in this country, hey it effects all races to some degree so its all the same right?

There is a saying that goes "When white America has a cold, the Black community has pnemonia"

There are MANY black women who wouldn't be caught dead wearing their own and hair and don't even come at them asking if they'd ever rock their natural texture, thats just out of the question. How many white women do you know that are ashamed of their natural hair/texture to the point that they'd be ashamed or feel ugly wearing it outside?.......... Few to none.

Our reliance on weaves and such arent just for black men, some women don't feel beautiful period unless they have straight flowing hair down their back and they specifically wanna buy the bag that says european hair or asian hair. Women in the Black community will claim to be mixed with any other race and claim "good hair" rather then claim their african descendence. That goes way deeper then just trying to be cute for a man although that is a part of it thats just scratching the surface.

I have a friend..more like associate who I've known for years sweet girl but she glues in tracks every single solitary week-2weeks (even though I warned her about the damage) and wears blue, purple, grey...whatever contacts once I put my facebook status quoting the rapper common who once said "real hair, real nails and real eyes gets real guys" and she said to me, "Whats wrong with enhancing your beauty??" We have to really sit and think about that, what phrases like that mean.....why would a track from an indian woman's head and contact lenses enhance my beauty......it only would if I don't deem myself beautiful to begin with.

The simple fact is, most of us haven't shaken off the vestiges of slavery, I think things like relying on a weave to feel beautiful and wearing eye colors of another race all the time go waayyyy deeper then trying to look cute for a man or typical gender issues in this country.

 

[AllAboutMoi]

Its definitely not just a minority issue. All these other women with their breast implants, nose, jobs, lipsuction, neck lifts, eye lifts, etc. They are doing surgery on areas that I never thought of improving.

Same for weaves, definitely not a race issue. Lots of women wear weaves, wigs, and extensions. White and others are just not usually called out for it because I guess many think it really could be theirs.

 

[Neith]

It's definitely a woman thing. Even if there was only one race on the planet lol: technically, there is only one, but you know what I mean), plastic surgery, weaves and everything else would still be thriving.

In society... feminine beauty is a valuable attribute and many women will go through drastic measures to enhance their beauty. It always has been and always will be... from ancient civilizations to today.

This is not to say that people don't have racial issues on top of it. Of course we do. Each culture/race has their own issues. Each individual has their own issues.

However, I agree that ALL RACES of women feel pressured to live up to society's standards of feminine beauty. It's not strictly a racial issue. We're all women... we DO have some things in common.

 

[topnotch1010]

I agree, it a woman thing, not a race thing.

 

[FluffyRed]

It's both and maybe "other," depending on the wearer

For a ww, it's definitely a gender issue, with long thick hair being perceived among Euros as indicative of youth and fertility.

For a bw, that issue is overlaid with the fact that long, thick hair is not evolved as a signal within our race (since the vast worldwide majority of us of African descent don't have it, yet we still manage to send "procreate" signals to males) but it's a feature whose value was forced upon us by the dominant subculture.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Then again when I saw that oprah episode where she showed how different women around the world are doing all kinda mess to their bodies in the name of beauty how women are getting calf surgery in this one country in asia(so their legs could look more "western"), how eyelid surgery is popular amung asian people again so their eyes could look more "wester" how its typical to get a nose job in iran and they wear their bandages like a badge of pride, how common butt surgeries are in brazil..... it made me feel like okay we not the only ones wylin

 

[LoveLiLi]

Your classmate brought up a good point - women of every race go to great lengths to achieve beautiful skin/hair/bodies.

However, black women's beauty practices are influenced by both gender issues and mainstream (white) beauty standards. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to address why black women wear weaves/contacts/perms without talking about gender and race.

 

[ChristmasCarol]

Women all over the world do things to themselves for the sake of so-called "beauty". Race just adds another layer to the craziness.

 

[naijamerican]

It's both and maybe "other," depending on the wearer

I agree Fluffy - this issue is to complex to reduce to just one or the other. For some people wearing wigs and weaves is an expression of their femininity. For others, it is an unconscious, or sometimes conscious, attempt to take on the characteristics of the dominant society. In both instances, I firmly believe that it's an attempt to adopt characteristics that people deem most desirable in women.

And I just have to put it out there: the fact that there are so many women around the world who wear weaves made of hair that looks foreign to their natural texture (Black women ), or bleach their skin (Black, Asian, Hispanic women), or get nose jobs so that their noses look smaller (Black, Asian, Hispanic women), or get calf reductions so that their legs will get smaller (Asian women) demonstrates that it is not just being a woman that prompts it. Race is playing a significant factor and when you can see these things in societies that were colonized by European countries and/or have an extensive trading history with them, it becomes even clearer (at least, in my humble opinion). Clearly, many women are adopting Eurocentric features; often times, it's not even attributed to an aspect of racism, because these norms have permeated the cultures so much.

 

[naturalmanenyc]

It's a gender issue. I agree with the post above that if men did not exist that women would still wear weave, use make up and have plastic surgery.

 

[FluffyRed]

Also, what color/gender is the teacher/professor?

That may influence their perception of these layers.

The appeasement is a woman problem, but the appeasement by conforming to a standard foreign from your own is a race problem.

 

[Neith]

I agree Fluffy - this issue is to complex to reduce to just one or the other. For some people wearing wigs and weaves is an expression of their femininity. For others, it is an unconscious, or sometimes conscious, attempt to take on the characteristics of the dominant society. In both instances, I firmly believe that it's an attempt to adopt characteristics that people deem most desirable in women.

And I just have to put it out there: the fact that there are so many women around the world who wear weaves made of hair that looks foreign to their natural texture (Black women ), or bleach their skin (Black, Asian, Hispanic women), or get nose jobs so that their noses look smaller (Black, Asian, Hispanic women), or get calf reductions so that their legs will get smaller (Asian women) demonstrates that it is not just being a woman that prompts it. Race is playing a significant factor and when you can see these things in societies that were colonized by European countries and/or have an extensive trading history with them, it becomes even clearer (at least, in my humble opinion). Clearly, many women are adopting Eurocentric features; often times, it's not even attributed to an aspect of racism, because these norms have permeated the cultures so much.

It gets even more complex when white women get tans, wear bronzer and get their lips injected, doesn't it?

It's NOT simple at all.

I think that there is a common thread between women specifically. You don't see many men getting wild procedures to be handsome. Men do way less than what women do to be beautiful. Across the board.

 

[Oasis]

Imma say gender. I rarely see men wearing makeup and hair extensions.

 

[isabella09]

I think it's a gender issue.

 

[Nice Lady]

I personally feel that it is a gender issue. There is so much pressure for us as women to look perfect or cover our flaws. I guess it is natural--we just wanna look the best and find things that enhances what we have been born with. Weaves are a way to enhance beauty just as women with money or availability opt to get breast implants. You find that a lot of the white celebrities were wearing weaves way before it became a common phenomenon in our community.

People are calling out black women but we are not the only ones--so what if you want a weave. Sometimes, wearing a weave for me was an option because it was convenient and low-maintenance way of dealing with my hair and having no time litterally to take care of my hair. I have always had hair ranging from full SL to APL without any HJ. It was when I didn't have the lavish money that job provided and more bills, that I found LHCF.

Weaves are similar to acrylics that women get on their nails because their nails may not be as lovely as their natural nails.

 

[naijamerican]

It gets even more complex when white women get tans, wear bronzer and get their lips injected, doesn't it?

It's NOT simple at all.

I think that there is a common thread between women specifically. You don't see many men getting wild procedures to be handsome. Men do way less than what women do to be beautiful. Across the board.

But white women getting tans and wearing bronzer and getting lips injected is not necessarily to appropriate "exotic" characteristics - well, with the lip injections, it is. But tans and bronzer have been popular since the 50s, and it was because that connoted that you had the money to travel and tan. It was a marker of class to have a tan, whereas hundreds of years ago, tans were avoided because it indicated that you labored outside.

Yes, I do believe that gender has a lot to do with it. Men certainly do perform far less procedures to be handsome (and even that's changing, to some extent). But in some instances, race might surpass it - or, at least, work in conjunction with it.

(And by the way, I just have to say that this is not a knock anyone with weaves or relaxers. I don't think that either of those things indicates that someone is self-hating.)

 

[aquajoyice]

Wow that is a very interesting stated that I believe true on some levels. I notice that it is a human issue and not limited to women. Men get plastic surgery, spend hours in the gym to acheive a specific look as well. I don't think it's limited to women at all. Just like white women that wear weaves get away with it more than AA women. Same goes for the gender. It just depends on who trumps who. And in a battle of the sexes women will be called out before men. Becuase there are several men that are just as insecure as a lot of women are. But it's not talked about as much as women's issues are.

 

[BrownieBrie]

Very interesting replies. Thank you ladies!