Long ...but interesting "100% Indian Hair "

[♦K.O♦]

Black women arent the only women to wear human hair weaves, but black urban neighborhoods are the only neighborhoods that have multiple weave hair shops on damn near every block.

 

[Lovelylocs]

can't attention be brought to more than one tragedy at a time. I hate when folks say "forget about this cause you need to be concerned about that, instead" Can't attention be brought to Africans digging for diamonds and Indians cutting off their hair? can't exploitation be exposed whenever or wherever.

It certainly can. I think the argument that the commentor was trying to make was that in the grand scheme of things the problems of the diamond mines in South Africa are far greater. Of course, this has to be taken in the context of the authors blog. In the blog, the author does not state that the Indian women are being physically harmed in anyway. She only states that they are being tricked into thinking that their sacrificial hair is going to do one thing, but rather it is being sold so as hair extensions.

Lisana, no offense was taken. I'm always up for a good debate. And I hope that you didn't think I was talking about you when I said that I wish people would stick to the pt and prove smthg for once. It's just a common trend that I've noticed on LHCF. You actually were quite helpful in stating what the big deal actually was.

 

[seraphim712]

Now that many of us are learning about the benefits of Auyervedic (sp?) products for our hair... I hope the author doesn't start a debate about that either when she finds out that it's helping with our hair growth...

 

[lisana]

It certainly can. I think the argument that the commentor was trying to make was that in the grand scheme of things the problems of the diamond mines in South Africa are far greater. Of course, this has to be taken in the context of the authors blog. In the blog, the author does not state that the Indian women are being physically harmed in anyway. She only states that they are being tricked into thinking that their sacrificial hair is going to do one thing, but rather it is being sold so as hair extensions.

Lisana, no offense was taken. I'm always up for a good debate. And I hope that you didn't think I was talking about you when I said that I wish people would stick to the pt and prove smthg for once. It's just a common trend that I've noticed on LHCF. You actually were quite helpful in stating what the big deal actually was.

well, that was a sweet and thoughtful response. I actually appreciate the way you express yourself, very eloquently

 

[aloof one]

Now that many of us are learning about the benefits of Auyervedic (sp?) products for our hair... I hope the author doesn't start a debate about that either when she finds out that it's helping with our hair growth...

Whats Auyervedic,... I keep hearing about it somewhere-- does that mean like when she was using Coconut oil then shampooing twice?

 

[Lovelylocs]

Now that many of us are learning about the benefits of Auyervedic (sp?) products for our hair... I hope the author doesn't start a debate about that either when she finds out that it's helping with our hair growth...

Sadly, I was thinking the same thing, but then I thought "naaaaaaah". I thought it was too extreme, but deep down inside I still feel like she would be jealous . :scratchch (if that's the word I'm looking for.)

 

[nappity]

Had my cat not been walking on the keyboard the whole time I was trying to reply I would have seen your post--- so Ill say it now--- ITA.

I also think the girl could have done more research, but she is really on to something. I don't think its Indians fault that black women feel the need to relax and get weave though. I blame white folks for that one.

Hear Hear!!!

 

[kbfluff]

She said all this to say what?How wonderful her hair is?

Seriously...no disrespect, but I really don't get the point of this extremely long post.

I can't speak for all women who wear weaves, but most of the women who do on this forum do it as a stretching tactic to help them not watch their hair grow.
100% indian hair, really isn't that big of a deal, and I doubt that women on this board wish their hair was an indian grade of hair. I know I don't. I LOVE my hair. I love the texture and how the texture turns when I relax it. I simply want it longer.
Please post what your point was? U were doing alot of talking, but you weren't saying anything.

 

[kbfluff]

I liked the article and completely understand.

Truth hurts, as we can see from a lot of reactions.

She isn't being ethnocentric, she doesn't think Indians are better, she is just pointing out the awkwardness of knowing her hair is so valuable on someone else's head. I feel the same way when white folks pay to get tans. I had no idea my skin color was so valuable to white people (they hate us so much but they flock to those salons religiously to get what we have) until I saw those tanning salons blowing up on every corner. I bet that girl feels the same way when she sees a BSS on every corner with her hair hanging in the window. It is just plain creepy. I would feel the same way if it were the other way around, say if Asians or Hispanics were walking around with our leftover nail clippings because we have "Good Nails." If there were Nail Salons popping up everywhere with our nails in the window and charging people to buy it. If they were giving us 25 cents a clipping to sell it back to people at 100 bucks a nail. And No, they aren't scalped, but until you live in a lower class in India do not act like they chose to be in the position to be needing money and doing things like this to get it.

And yes, I do realize some black women do feel the pressures to have long hair... So I understand why some buy weaves. Weave is just in these days. I refuse to wear one (even though I bought it, I put it in a foot locker and forgot about it), however I know why folks choose to. But nobody forced anyone into buying hair, nobody made anyone spend all that money, so nobody should be reacting with anger when someone suggests that the hair came from something less pleasant than what you wanted to believe. This girl did not have a negative motive, she was not trying to upset anybody. She was telling the truth. If I knew my nail clippings were gold to everyone else, I would dig 'em up from behind the couch and sell em back too! (keep in mind she was joking and so was I)

Sounds like you are a good mind reader. By the way, you didn't KNOW that our skin color and culture is valued by many. I'd like to quote what Paul Mooney said one time on the Dave Chapelle show: "Everybody wanna be Black, but don't no body wanna be Black"

 

[aloof one]

Sounds like you are a good mind reader. By the way, you didn't KNOW that our skin color and culture is valued by many. I'd like to quote what Paul Mooney said one time on the Dave Chapelle show: "Everybody wanna be Black, but don't no body wanna be Black"

I saw the show, heard the quote..

I don't get what you're trying to say.

It might be the insomnia talking (Im sick and cant sleep) but I got the feeling you had a problem with something I said. BTW I don't consider myself a mind reader. I just stated that I understood where the girl was coming from because I have had a similar revelation about something else. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[keluric]

I find it really odd that she doesnt know that Indian women cut their hair off at the point of marriage. I have had many indian friends tell me this is common practice, maybe her familial line has been in the states for many generations.

Or maybe she or her family is from a state in India that does not have such a practice. India is not a completely homogeneous country.

 

[keluric]

Then someone responded with this:

Are you seriously responding to this post as a way of justifying wearing a weave? This not only degrades one race of people, but two. If you haven't noticed, the Chinese have taken over the entire hair industry. There are NO, NONE, NADA African American retailers in the hair care industry in the US. We owned the hair industry at one time, but the Chinese saw a profit, joined forces and locked out the African American business owner. The (Chinese) raised the prices of buying in bulk from them, knowing that the small one man shop could not go up against a corporation of people. If there are African American beauty supply stores, they are barely making ends meet. Why? Because the Chinese have locked out the African American from being a part of the hair care industry and people like you who would actually patronize them and buy 100% human Indian hair; not only have you shown your lack of knowledge for an industry that have displaced many Black retailers, but you have shown what part of the fence you sit on. Thanks Shaqwanna for your response.

How misinformed. It's the Koreans, not the Chinese, who are "taking over" the hair industry.

 

[Starr1]

Okay, I tried to just ignore this thread but I just can't help myself.


The author's tone is obviously satirical- she being sarcastic about her hair being the "best", hence the wisecrack about collecting her own hair off her pillow to sell it. Plus the piece needs to be taken in context- it is an opinion piece about how she feels and what she thinks, and she is entitled to her opinion, take it with a grain of salt. And she also stated that no one would listen what she had to say because she has "100% indian hair". I get the same attitude from women who do everything under the sun to their hair, whine and complain that it's breaking off, and then turn around and say that I don't know what I'm talking about and what they're going through because I have "that good hair". I'm sure a lot of you have gotten similiar statements.

Secondly, she's right about women of color benefiting from the exploitation of other women of color- if your going to be consumer, then be an informed consumer. Now if you choose to turn a blind eye after knowing all the facts, then that's your business. And she is not singling black women out. She said women of color , which as previously stated includes those of african, latin, asian, and native origins and I'm pretty sure she is fully aware that Indian actress also wear those extentions- she's not condoning it either. She simply used one example of a conversation she had with a coworker who happened to be black as a reference of how the topic even presented itself to her.

Also the practice of indian women cutting their hair after their weddings is not widely practiced at all. A miniscule percentage of the indian population observes it, even in india. So it very highly likely that this indian woman, who has most likely been to more indian weddings than any of us will ever go to, has never even seen such a practice take place.

Next, to the poster who mentioned Locks of Love- that hair is donated, it is not used to capitalize on someone elses poverty. To add to that however, most of the hair donated to them is sold- a little publicized fact. They are instead capitalizing on people's charity.

Here are only a few of the hundreds of articles you can find online:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/fashion/06locks.html

http://badhairday.typepad.com/bad_hair_day/2006/07/locks_of_love_i.html

http://www.trentstampstake.org/2007/09/hair-raising-charity-news.html


Another thing I want to point out is that exploitation is exploitation, no matter how you slice it. Yes the poor people of Sierra Leone are being exploited for the diamond trade, but lets not forget the child soldiers who are being kidnapped from their homes everyday from all over Africa and being used to fight adult wars, or the women in asian countries who are held against their will as sex slaves or labor slaves, or the people of south america who are forced to harvest cocaine and smuggle drugs across borders at the cost of their loved ones lives, or yes even those women who live in such poverty that they have to sell the hair off their heads to keep their children fed, recieving chump change for their sacrifice and the beauty industry who makes millions off of their suffering. Are the circumstances different? Yes. Does it make it right? No.

There is something to be said about making a difference in your own community- the less hair, drugs, diamonds, and slave labored goods the western world buys the less these evil practices will prevail in the third world. But that's too much to ask considering the fact that the we in the western world (whites, blacks, hispanics, asians, and natives) like our weaves on point, our diamonds real, and our cloths cheap but not cheap looking- after all a lady has to be fly, its our drug of choice. But just like any drug, a person has know the price, and then chose if it's worth the cost.

 

[Blossssom]

And may I just add.........TRUST, nobody wants the hairs off her pillow or out of her drain! That wont yield enough cash for penny bubblegum......I happen to think "Black" hair is cream of the crop hair (its just a matter of learning how to care for and style it) as it is so diverse an often imitated by other cultures. Not intentionally being controversial, I'm just sayin'!

Okay! There is nothing wrong with our hair and I get tired of other people trying to assert otherwise.

No one has the versatility that we have.

Everyday I go to work and I look at new mom's long blonde hair hanging straight. Can't hold a curl; it's oily and she can't do anything with it but let it hang.

I can go straight; I can curl; I can "nap" out; wear a curly bun; etc. That's why "Tim" told me my top was cute the other day in front of new mom and she got mad.

Ha!

 

[Blossssom]

And there it is.

In her own INDIAN neighborhood, huh? Ha!

That has to be another misconception that all Indian women have long pretty hair.... ya right... doubtful.

 

[Blossssom]

Had my cat not been walking on the keyboard the whole time I was trying to reply I would have seen your post--- so Ill say it now--- ITA.

I also think the girl could have done more research, but she is really on to something. I don't think its Indians fault that black women feel the need to relax and get weave though. I blame white folks for that one.

I don't blame whites for it; I blame people of color (weaves, fairness creams, hair straightening techniques) for it because we have allowed them to dictate to us what is beautiful (them) and what is not (everybody else).

 

[Blossssom]

Truth hurts? I really hope you weren't talking about me. I don't wear false hair. My hair 100% real and a little past brastrap. I have MY OWN hair, but I don't feel that women who want to make their hair thicker or longer w/false hair shouldn't for the reasons that the author gave. It's no worse than false eyelashes IMO.

And this may not be popular opinion among some black people, but white people usually do not get tans so that they will look like a black person. Just like I do not straighten my hair to look like a white person.
It is my understanding that the false hair is usually chemically treated to resemble black people's hair texture.

I also agree that besides that fact that she could have done more research and that she never really told us for certainty where the hair was coming from that it was a good article.

I so agree with this. Perhaps those that tan do it to look better just like some black women believe they look better with straight hair.

 

[Blossssom]

H*LL, white people wear weaves just as much as black people. Why are we pointed out only?

It just seems like she wanted to write something and started typing but it never got to a POINT. Of course if you have never had to wear a weave to acheive length you wouldn't understand buying hair is like buying any other accessory.

Ok so "we" buy clothes from Walmart that come from sweat shops but does she know that MOST clothing coming from another a foreign country is produced from cheap labor? You mind as well walk around naked and live of the fruit of the tree and ocean because where there is a product or service somewhere, someone has been EXPLOITED and that is just business.

Pretty much... exploitation is just the way of the world.

Men are always going to exploit women... in some fashion.

 

[Blossssom]

Uhhh... don't take my post as a personal attack. I never questioned your hair if it was real. I never questioned the length either. In fact, my response wasn't even directed at you.

I didn't think you were talking to Lovely. Sorry she misunderstood you.

 

[Blossssom]

It's not that I just don't want to face it. Why would I care if I decided that it was wrong to wear false hair? I have my own hair. But after some of my own research, I did find what was really going on and a good reason for people to speak out against using Indian hair. According to this article, a girl was held down while some guy cut her hair off! That's ridiculous and hair IMO is not that serious and I'M A HAIR FANATIC. Here's the article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/india/story/0,,1805462,00.html

Honestly, I'm glad that I have more info on the subject now. However, I think that it would've been more helpful if some of you guys just filled in the missing links that the article did not state. Instead of assuming that I am some big fake hair wearer who "can't handle the truth", why couldn't you just explain in better detail what the article did not. I didn't have the background info about false hair practices that u guys have.

Wow! Sounds like white women are more into Indian "Temple" hair than we are!

I'm glad the article pointed that out... it's not just us... sounds like it's EVERYBODY!

Oh, and you stop boasting about having your own hair, missy. Heehee!

 

[Blossssom]

I knew this thread was going to get interesting!

You just don't blast Black Women and Weaves.

We are not the only ones who wear this stuff in our heads!

Yea, it's okay for others to wear weaves/extensions, but not us... the practice is demonized when we do it

Honestly, that is part of the reason why I didn't wear a weave before I grew my own hair out and why I stopped wearing the braiding extensions.

I always felt people, especially white people, were looking at me strangely.

I don't know... I just never felt secure with braids down to my waist knowing the hair had once belonged to somebody else.

I felt like a fraud. Anyone else ever felt that way or may feel that way if you wear a weave/extensions?

 

[Blossssom]

Wow... those womens' dignity is taken away just because others view what is coming out of their head as a commodity. Hair doesn't grow back fast enough to take away that kind of humiliation. Its not like they would want to go out and get a weave after being shaven--- now that they know where the dang things come from

Like sheep or something, getting sheared. And the husbands allowing it?

And you know they don't have a choice in the matter. Men in India still "run" their women, unlike here.

 

[Blossssom]

I think what ruined it for this author was when she said This:

"I am reminded of a former African-American co-worker of mine every time I think of hair weaves."

And This....
"I was seriously grossed out by this thought. I likened it to using old nail clippings and glueing it onto someone else's nail."

And Lord This Too...
"I'm also totally aware that I have cream of the crop hair that is the envy of all,......"

She said these phraes as if, African-American women are nasty & ignorant for wearing weave.

And because she is of an Asian-Indian culture, she would never be lowered to the standard of wearing weave because, her hair is to perfect & gorgeous to stoop to that level.

Great summation! That was the GIST of her whole point!

I like the way you write, too! Ha!

 

[Blossssom]

Well, that Activist author sounds a bit racist if you ask me.

She could have gotten her point across without pointing out Women of Color( African-America women) like that.

That was totally un-called for.

And She also need to be made aware that, All long hair on Black Women or Women of Color, is not a Weave! And LHCF is direct proof of that.

But let her be the judge of our LHCF and she would probably call all of us phonies. Then she would suggest that all of us are sporting weaves.

Um hmmm... maybe someone should email her our address

 

[Blossssom]

Then someone responded with this:

Are you seriously responding to this post as a way of justifying wearing a weave? This not only degrades one race of people, but two. If you haven't noticed, the Chinese have taken over the entire hair industry. There are NO, NONE, NADA African American retailers in the hair care industry in the US. We owned the hair industry at one time, but the Chinese saw a profit, joined forces and locked out the African American business owner. The (Chinese) raised the prices of buying in bulk from them, knowing that the small one man shop could not go up against a corporation of people. If there are African American beauty supply stores, they are barely making ends meet. Why? Because the Chinese have locked out the African American from being a part of the hair care industry and people like you who would actually patronize them and buy 100% human Indian hair; not only have you shown your lack of knowledge for an industry that have displaced many Black retailers, but you have shown what part of the fence you sit on. Thanks Shaqwanna for your response.

You stated that:
"If you are really looking for a cause try bringing awareness to the mutilation of mind workers in Sierra Leone (Africa). They lose lives and the least sever lose arms, legs and feet,unlilke nonliving hair, for the chance to work in diamond mines".

And while your at it, log onto the internet or maybe, stop pass your local library and read up on how hard your ancestors worked to have their own so that you can patronize them and not the man with the "fake hair"!

"Not Wearing a Weave"

Ha!

BTW, I thought it was the Koreans that shut black people out? At any rate, blacks can be shut out of the weave manufacturing business because they don't have access to the hair, but that doesn't mean they have to be shut out of manufacturing hair care PRODUCTS (shampoos, conditioners, etc.), so why don't they re-pursue that and stop selling OUT to other people?

I don't support Asian BSSs. I get my styling products from whites unless Koreans are now running places like Trade Secrets (they carry Paul Mitchell, Joico and other high-end hair lines), so take THAT Mr. and Mrs. Money-Grubbing and Racist KOREAN!

 

[Blossssom]

There is nothing extreme about the truth.

ETA::::if you cant say anything nice:::

And I never said I did not tolerate anyone's choice. I don't care if you personally get relaxers or you personally wear weaves--- but don't act like there isn't a reason why 3/4 of the women in this country get relaxers (and its been this way since the stuff was invented) and why many of them (and please don't act like this doesn't happen, you can find threads posted on it in this very forum) look down on natural hair as if they did something out of the norm by not relaxing. As if it is an obligation. Natural hair without weave on black women is the minority in the USA, and only a tiny percentage in the media. Why do you think we have black women in the business world getting pressure to relax-- getting told our natural hair is outlandish and unprofessional and abnormal? Even white people think its manditory for us to get perms and wear weave. Why do you think so many fools want to touch our hair or ask if its real and all that bull?

Why do I think its sick and sad? The majority of white women and girls don't get relaxers and wear weave. Yes a lot of them go blonde, but they don't do it to their children like we do relaxers (and unfortunately there are women putting weave on their kids now too) The majority of Asians and Hispanics don't either. Surprisingly enough... they as a whole don't have kinky hair like we do that grows out and not down. Hmm... I think it is sad, regardless of whether you agree/disagree.

I SO agree with you!

 

[Blossssom]

It certainly can. I think the argument that the commentor was trying to make was that in the grand scheme of things the problems of the diamond mines in South Africa are far greater. Of course, this has to be taken in the context of the authors blog. In the blog, the author does not state that the Indian women are being physically harmed in anyway. She only states that they are being tricked into thinking that their sacrificial hair is going to do one thing, but rather it is being sold so as hair extensions.

Lisana, no offense was taken. I'm always up for a good debate. And I hope that you didn't think I was talking about you when I said that I wish people would stick to the pt and prove smthg for once. It's just a common trend that I've noticed on LHCF. You actually were quite helpful in stating what the big deal actually was.

So in essence the woman in the article is really angry about the Indian women being lied to? Is that what is really the issue?

So if the women weren't be exploited and were giving their hair for the reasons they were told, then would it be okay for black women to continue wearing the weave?

 

[Blossssom]

Okay, I tried to just ignore this thread but I just can't help myself.


The author's tone is obviously satirical- she being sarcastic about her hair being the "best", hence the wisecrack about collecting her own hair off her pillow to sell it. Plus the piece needs to be taken in context- it is an opinion piece about how she feels and what she thinks, and she is entitled to her opinion, take it with a grain of salt. And she also stated that no one would listen what she had to say because she has "100% indian hair". I get the same attitude from women who do everything under the sun to their hair, whine and complain that it's breaking off, and then turn around and say that I don't know what I'm talking about and what they're going through because I have "that good hair". I'm sure a lot of you have gotten similiar statements.

Secondly, she's right about women of color benefiting from the exploitation of other women of color- if your going to be consumer, then be an informed consumer. Now if you choose to turn a blind eye after knowing all the facts, then that's your business. And she is not singling black women out. She said women of color , which as previously stated includes those of african, latin, asian, and native origins and I'm pretty sure she is fully aware that Indian actress also wear those extentions- she's not condoning it either. She simply used one example of a conversation she had with a coworker who happened to be black as a reference of how the topic even presented itself to her.

Also the practice of indian women cutting their hair after their weddings is not widely practiced at all. A miniscule percentage of the indian population observes it, even in india. So it very highly likely that this indian woman, who has most likely been to more indian weddings than any of us will ever go to, has never even seen such a practice take place.

Next, to the poster who mentioned Locks of Love- that hair is donated, it is not used to capitalize on someone elses poverty. To add to that however, most of the hair donated to them is sold- a little publicized fact. They are instead capitalizing on people's charity.

Here are only a few of the hundreds of articles you can find online:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/fashion/06locks.html

http://badhairday.typepad.com/bad_hair_day/2006/07/locks_of_love_i.html

http://www.trentstampstake.org/2007/09/hair-raising-charity-news.html


Another thing I want to point out is that exploitation is exploitation, no matter how you slice it. Yes the poor people of Sierra Leone are being exploited for the diamond trade, but lets not forget the child soldiers who are being kidnapped from their homes everyday from all over Africa and being used to fight adult wars, or the women in asian countries who are held against their will as sex slaves or labor slaves, or the people of south america who are forced to harvest cocaine and smuggle drugs across borders at the cost of their loved ones lives, or yes even those women who live in such poverty that they have to sell the hair off their heads to keep their children fed, recieving chump change for their sacrifice and the beauty industry who makes millions off of their suffering. Are the circumstances different? Yes. Does it make it right? No.

There is something to be said about making a difference in your own community- the less hair, drugs, diamonds, and slave labored goods the western world buys the less these evil practices will prevail in the third world. But that's too much to ask considering the fact that the we in the western world (whites, blacks, hispanics, asians, and natives) like our weaves on point, our diamonds real, and our cloths cheap but not cheap looking- after all a lady has to be fly, its our drug of choice. But just like any drug, a person has know the price, and then chose if it's worth the cost.

Damn! Your hair is BOMB!

By the way, thank you for that perspective... I obviously didn't read the satire in her article and that's too bad for her.

 

[aloof one]

ITA with everything you just said.

It's sad people are turning this girl into a racist, yet you can read any thread on this board and here them trashing what they call "clear" people and their hair but nobody suspects them of being racist. This girl isn't even allowed to have an opinion because of that kind of hypocrisy.

Okay, I tried to just ignore this thread but I just can't help myself.


The author's tone is obviously satirical- she being sarcastic about her hair being the "best", hence the wisecrack about collecting her own hair off her pillow to sell it. Plus the piece needs to be taken in context- it is an opinion piece about how she feels and what she thinks, and she is entitled to her opinion, take it with a grain of salt. And she also stated that no one would listen what she had to say because she has "100% indian hair". I get the same attitude from women who do everything under the sun to their hair, whine and complain that it's breaking off, and then turn around and say that I don't know what I'm talking about and what they're going through because I have "that good hair". I'm sure a lot of you have gotten similiar statements.

Secondly, she's right about women of color benefiting from the exploitation of other women of color- if your going to be consumer, then be an informed consumer. Now if you choose to turn a blind eye after knowing all the facts, then that's your business. And she is not singling black women out. She said women of color , which as previously stated includes those of african, latin, asian, and native origins and I'm pretty sure she is fully aware that Indian actress also wear those extentions- she's not condoning it either. She simply used one example of a conversation she had with a coworker who happened to be black as a reference of how the topic even presented itself to her.

Also the practice of indian women cutting their hair after their weddings is not widely practiced at all. A miniscule percentage of the indian population observes it, even in india. So it very highly likely that this indian woman, who has most likely been to more indian weddings than any of us will ever go to, has never even seen such a practice take place.

Next, to the poster who mentioned Locks of Love- that hair is donated, it is not used to capitalize on someone elses poverty. To add to that however, most of the hair donated to them is sold- a little publicized fact. They are instead capitalizing on people's charity.

Here are only a few of the hundreds of articles you can find online:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/fashion/06locks.html

http://badhairday.typepad.com/bad_hair_day/2006/07/locks_of_love_i.html

http://www.trentstampstake.org/2007/09/hair-raising-charity-news.html


Another thing I want to point out is that exploitation is exploitation, no matter how you slice it. Yes the poor people of Sierra Leone are being exploited for the diamond trade, but lets not forget the child soldiers who are being kidnapped from their homes everyday from all over Africa and being used to fight adult wars, or the women in asian countries who are held against their will as sex slaves or labor slaves, or the people of south america who are forced to harvest cocaine and smuggle drugs across borders at the cost of their loved ones lives, or yes even those women who live in such poverty that they have to sell the hair off their heads to keep their children fed, recieving chump change for their sacrifice and the beauty industry who makes millions off of their suffering. Are the circumstances different? Yes. Does it make it right? No.

There is something to be said about making a difference in your own community- the less hair, drugs, diamonds, and slave labored goods the western world buys the less these evil practices will prevail in the third world. But that's too much to ask considering the fact that the we in the western world (whites, blacks, hispanics, asians, and natives) like our weaves on point, our diamonds real, and our cloths cheap but not cheap looking- after all a lady has to be fly, its our drug of choice. But just like any drug, a person has know the price, and then chose if it's worth the cost.

 

[bravenewgirl87]

I find it ironic how the author is so bent on trying to figure out why people of color "clamor", so to speak, about this Indian hair yet she makes no mention of how white women (and men -- John Travolta and his lacefront, anyone ) have been the ones who started wearing the Remy hair first.

SMH

Got dammit! I was going to say it first.

Yea, the author is basting in the glow of imperalism. Alright lady, You're hair is better than mine. blah blah blah.

But you are still a woman of color... So how close does your hair align you with the majority race, i.e. whites? Not very.

Every race has something that makes them enviable on the body front. Asian women have their exotic features and hair. Black women have their ageless complexions and curves. Latins have their perpetual tans and figues. Get over yourself.