"Why do so many blacks prefer straight hair?"

[preciouslove0x]

Please don't shoot at me. Just curious.


Have you ever heard a YT woman say that they prefer kinky textured hair? I ask because I was talking to one of my YT best friends earlier today about the subject. She asked me why so many blacks prefer straight hair (we're extremely close so we talk about everything under the sun, in other words I took no offense). Is it because "they are able to achieve it" and if they couldn't, like YT people can't achieve kinky hair, "would they still prefer it?" What are your thoughts? I never thought about it before and don't have an opinion just yet. I do personally prefer straight hair (so obviously that's not why I went natural). But would we prefer it if we couldn't achieve it?

No bickering please (and if you don't like this post then please don't comment)

 

[SleekandBouncy]

Obviously much of it is the whole "blackness" being inferior so by extension straighter hair/looser curls are more desirable. If we naturally had straight hair that wouldn't be an issue.

In general straight or wavy-straight hair is preferred amongst a lot of the white women I know. There's even a complex around curly hair amongst many Jewish American women. Then of course you have certain Latino women like Dominicans and PR who generally prefer straight hair/excel in the straightening of hair.
And let's not forget that in corporate American culture straight hair is often seen as more professional than the "casual" and "wild" look of curly hair :/

Straight hair is just the most popular image people are exposed to. Naturally preferences will be influenced by that.
So yeah it's all of that.

 

[southerncitygirl]

because through colonization, slavery, reconstruction, segregation, and post-traumatic slave disorder whites have brainwashed us to believe that the only beautiful hair is straight hair....thank goodness on this board we know better but many of us think straight is the only way to go. not to mention that most of people of color in the mainstream media/entertainment don;t have natural hair cause it would limit the amount of work they would get cause yt/ jewish men run these industries and think they know what all of american wants to see. your yt friend was a complete idiot for asking this...white folks are always trying to act like like they dont have a clue to what time it is......

please know before the controversy gets started that I think all hair types are beautiful but at least once in life as an adult i think all black women should expierience their God-given texture. I have many friend with gorg relaxed hair its just that I choose to be natural and straighten when the mood strikes me, giving me the best of both worlds.

 

[NYAmicas]

Other than the usual reasons given,I think people are attracted to something other. Besides, I like how I look with my hair straightened.

 

[preciouslove0x]

because through colonization, slavery, reconstruction, segregation, and post-traumatic slave disorder whites have brainwashed us to believe that the only beautiful hair is straight hair....thank goodness on this board we know better but many of us think straight is the only way to go. not to mention that most of people of color in the mainstream media/entertainment don;t have natural hair cause it would limit the amount of work they would get cause yt/ jewish men run these industries and think they know what all of american wants to see. your yt friend was a complete idiot for asking this...white folks are always trying to act like like they dont have a clue to what time it is......

please know before the controversy gets started that I think all hair types are beautiful but at least once in life as an adult i think all black women should expierience their God-given texture. I have many friend with gorg relaxed hair its just that I choose to be natural and straighten when the mood strikes me, giving me the best of both worlds.

i was really appreciating your post until i read this part. ouch! erplexed

 

[UniquelyDivine]

I used to prefer straight hair but never knew why...I think it was because I never knew how many awesome things I can do with my hair. I love the feel of my curly NG now and can't keep my hands out of it and I rocked a wavy/curly/ crinkly style today and I was throwing my lil head around like I was something special whew don't let me get to MBL and do that,,, won't be able to tell me nothing ya hear!!

 

[DDTexlaxed]

For me, strait hair was just easier to care for. It had nothing to do with brain washing or self hatred. I was relaxed at an early age so I guess it was all I knew. I had been traumatized at an early age when I was natural with long hair. I was so tender headed and all my mom did was hot comb my hair. I still remember the burned hair smell. I would ideally love long natural hair, so that is a future goal of mine.

 

[LittleLuxe]

To be honest I think straight hair is visually prominent in practically every race (no one shoot me either, I'm getting to my point) you rarely see white girls going out for perms anymore, Asian woman's hair is naturally straight and very few try to attain curly hair on a daily basis, same goes for Indian women - long straight healthy hair, so perhaps we are mimicking others - who knows. I think for many women it's simply preferable for maintenance or styling purposes and it's easier if they don't know how to care for their natural hair or want to take the time.

Straight hair for me was simply a means to attain a hairstyle. While I could have kinky hair and heat-train it straight or even straighten it when I see fit I'm lazy and I don't have the energy for that kind of effort. Hell a part of me is dying for my hair to be long so I don't have to spend as much time styling it (because then it can just hang pretty with curls on the ends or etc.) Straight hair offers me more versatility and I am able to perform a number of different styles without having to do a pre-step. I also have the pleasure of not having to worry about SSK's, on the flip I do have to worry more about protein and maintenance, relaxing when it's time and etc.

 

[LittleLuxe]

Oh and I also agree about the no bickering, let's keep the discussion clean with no hurt feelings

 

[EbonyCPrincess]

Interesting question. Now that I'm seeing SO many women go natural...I don't know that I do prefer straight hair. I think I actually prefer curly because for years I didn't know that non-mixed (using the term loosely) black women actually have 2c or 3a/b hair. Yes...I was ignorant and thought only the "mixed chicks" or latina women had that texture. DON'T SHOOT ME EITHER....I KNOW BETTER NOW. However I certainly don't have that curl pattern(4b/c) and so for me, black women with naturally curly hair is more desirable. I find myself wishing I had that hair type, but even as a kid I never lusted after type 1 hair! lol. I was natural up until my very late teens, and I loved my thickness....and I will say even now that I am relaxed, I prefer the 3's over my natural 4b, although since 4 is what I have, 4 is what I'll appreciate.

I definitely agree with someone's comment about kinky hair being viewed as non-professional, or rebellious, or whatever. I would wear a flexirod/strawset to work or on an interview, but generally I would feel uncomfortable about rocking an afro with my 4b/c texture in a professional setting. WHY????? I have absolutely no idea...I wish it wasn't, and I'm SO glad so many women are natural now to help change this. Despite my decision to stay relaxed I absolutely love seeing women who are proudly natural....although I don't appreciate being called inferior or less black (etc.) because of my decision.

 

[chrisanddonniesmommy]

She knew. She wanted to see how you would react. Don't fall for that "little Miss Innocent way of asking questions that have been answered". She wanted validation for her whiteness. Watch her.

 

[hasabe]

Fanon Black Skin, White Masks

 

[twists]

I wouldn't say that many blacks prefer straight hair, but since we can achieve the look, why not?

Also, if many blacks did prefer straight hair it could just be nothing more than personal preference. Just because we have a kinky texture doesn't mean we have to keep it that way all the time.

 

[preciouslove0x]

She knew. She wanted to see how you would react. Don't fall for that "little Miss Innocent way of asking questions that have been answered". She wanted validation for her whiteness. Watch her.

I've known this girl for years. She was truly curious. I guess I might add that we were laughing about how in high school when I use to wear a straight long weave EVERYDAY for four years. Today was the first day she saw me with my natural hair.

But then again... you never know

 

[NJoy]

Personally, I prefer to wear straight or loose curl styles because it looks best on me based on my physical attributes such as face shape, height, neck, etc. For instance, a straight look slims my round face visually. Any bulk makes me look like a tankhead. Um...no. That's my brother.

Wish I had a deep answer that would properly represent blacks that prefer straight hair rolleyes but, *shrugs* I guess my answer is personal preference.

 

[southerncitygirl]

She knew. She wanted to see how you would react. Don't fall for that "little Miss Innocent way of asking questions that have been answered". She wanted validation for her whiteness. Watch her.

I agree...she aint slick!!! Curly hair is a dominant trait, yt women fry their hair daily with a flat iron to mask the curl and suffer excessive heat damage, breakage and split ends.

I think its human nature to want what you dont have but yt's have consistently made a point of making us feel inadeqate over our God given features and attributes.....hair, buts, lips, etc.

 

[LittleLuxe]

I've known this girl for years. She was truly curious. I guess I might add that we were laughing about how in high school when I use to wear a straight long weave EVERYDAY for four years. Today was the first day she saw me with my natural hair.

Lol, I think folks forget that other races get as curious about us as we do about them (I liked the thread about whether other races used moisturizer), sometimes people are genuinely curious but don't know how to pose a question or make a comment without fear of offending or being labeled anything.

I think sometimes you just have to listen with an open heart and be willing to answer a question or two, remember if you don't grow up knowing something you can be bewildered to how it works. Such as my white friend asking me several times how exactly a relaxer worked.

 

[chrisanddonniesmommy]

I've known this girl for years. She was truly curious. I guess I might add that we were laughing about how in high school when I use to wear a straight long weave EVERYDAY for four years. Today was the first day she saw me with my natural hair.

But then again... you never know

Still be careful. White privilege isn't alleviated through friendship or other relationships. It will be pulled out when necessary and beneficial to the person, regardless of his or her friends, spouses/lovers, etc.

Next thing you know other "innocent" questions will arise, like "Why do black people want light skin?" or "Why are black people so loud?" Remember, you can always say that you aren't the spokeswoman for black people.

 

[ThePerfectScore]

I'll just copy and modify what I wrote in regards to my Interracial dating blog entry:

[This is] the same thing that racist have been doing to us since forever. Placing a hierarchy on race. It's okay to acknowledge differences, because there are physical and cultural differences between the races, but don't rank one race better than the other because it's just not true.

so just like other posters have said- straight hair is the antithesis of kinky curly hair that people of African decent have. Since in the racial ranking throughout history is white deemed good and black deemed bad, having features that closely reassemble what is good in society is valued and praised.

This reminds me of this episode of Tyra where this woman was bragging about having, "the white girl flow" meaning that her hair was bone straight and could swing around. My issue with it is not liking straight hair, but more so the reasons why a black person likes straight hair. Do they like having straight hair because it is not ethnic and is closer to the white ideal? Or do they like straight hair, just to like straight hair? But the thing about it is, we've been so inundated with the eurocentric ideal of beauty that it is hard to isolate influences. Perhaps to some extent we all have been exposed to racism that we no longer notice when we are being influenced by it. Racism becomes invisible due to repeat exposure. White features become the normal and the standard, while any thing that deviates from it is deemed deviant and bad.

 

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

i am so in love with my mini' black panthers on here

 

[Hairsofab]

White people can acheive kinky hair if they wanted, they just don't want it, right now anyway.

 

[NeauxOneCurr]

Please don't shoot at me. Just curious.


Have you ever heard a YT woman say that they prefer kinky textured hair? I ask because I was talking to one of my YT best friends earlier today about the subject. She asked me why so many blacks prefer straight hair (we're extremely close so we talk about everything under the sun, in other words I took no offense). Is it because "they are able to achieve it" and if they couldn't, like YT people can't achieve kinky hair, "would they still prefer it?" What are your thoughts? I never thought about it before and don't have an opinion just yet. I do personally prefer straight hair (so obviously that's not why I went natural). But would we prefer it if we couldn't achieve it?

No bickering please (and if you don't like this post then please don't comment)

The bolded leads me to believe you know exactly why.... but for those don't know...

Colonization

it's pretty sad too....

 

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

i had a professor last year that said it is a "cultural norm" for blacks to be both late and loud.


but on topic: DO BLACK MEN PREFER STRAIGHT HAIR?

 

[kmn1980]

I'll just copy and modify what I wrote in regards to my Interracial dating blog entry:

[This is] the same thing that racist have been doing to us since forever. Placing a hierarchy on race. It's okay to acknowledge differences, because there are physical and cultural differences between the races, but don't rank one race better than the other because it's just not true.

so just like other posters have said- straight hair is the antithesis of kinky curly hair that people of African decent have. Since in the racial ranking throughout history is white deemed good and black deemed bad, having features that closely reassemble what is good in society is valued and praised.

This reminds me of this episode of Tyra where this woman was bragging about having, "the white girl flow" meaning that her hair was bone straight and could swing around. My issue with it is not liking straight hair, but more so the reasons why a black person likes straight hair. Do they like having straight hair because it is not ethnic and is closer to the white ideal? Or do they like straight hair, just to like straight hair? But the thing about it is, we've been so inundated with the eurocentric ideal of beauty that it is hard to isolate influences. Perhaps to some extent we all have been exposed to racism that we no longer notice when we are being influenced by it. Racism becomes invisible due to repeat exposure. White features become the normal and the standard, while any thing that deviates from it is deemed deviant and bad.

ITA. I call it "the why behind the why."

The following commentary I found on another site (non-hair related) and it pretty much sums up my opinion on the subject. Since the OP wants everyone to play nice, I feel that this is a safer option for me because if I say what's really on my mind...well....trust me. Here goes:

I posted this in another thread a while I do. So I'm posting it here as I see it is fitting. Let me first say, whatever you do is your business...and it doesn't matter what you think, but that you think, critically and make informed choices. When I was little girl, I didn't even know the texture of my hair, I didn't know what was in relaxers, I didn't know a lot... Just like I didn't know what was in processed food, what ingredients on the back of products meant. But now that I am older I feel that knowing better is doing better...and a lot of us just don't know...so how can we do better? Some of us think we know...so again, how can we do better? This is in no way trying to slight anyone or their choices...

Let me try to explain it this way.... The Shwastica(sp?) the Nazi symbol was used a symbol of hatred.... The White hats that the KKK wear is a symbol or tool used to denote hatred. The confederate flag was used a symbol to represent hate... The use of the word n*gger originated as symbol of hatred.'

Language, flags, behavior can all indicate hate..


Relaxers were originated because people of color were trying to be more right by being more white and assimilate into a culture and society that hated them and told them they were inferior. SO the origins of relaxers are symbol of what it meant to black in America, you are not good enough, inferior, and you need to be more like us.

So mothers and daughters alike (even men, think Malcolm X) took part in what has really become a tradition of relaxing your hair because whites told you it was inferior, not manageable, and therefore not acceptable...

This traditions has been passed along so much that people think they do it because they prefer it, they like it, and it has nothing to do with self-hatred (like enjoying slave food: eating pig intestines, left-over slop, and pork skins, pig feet)..

This is what I mean about the psychological effects of enslavement; it has you thinking that you prefer things, that the result of slavery introduced to your ancestors hundreds of years ago (i.e. the never ending light skinned "preference" debate)...

So just like the NAzi symbol, confederate flags, and use of the word ******, conjure of feelings of hate for a group of people...so does chemically altering the molecular structure of your hair, when it indeed originated from a place of hatred..

So just like if you saw someone with KKK white hat on their head and they told you, it doesn't mean they hate blacks, they just do it cause they like to do it, you would say it was bull ****.. especially if you knew their immediate relatives all took part in this type of hating behavior...

The reason why people don't see relaxing as form of hatred is because they see it as a choice...Just like there is no way to take back the word n*gger and use in it a good way without the feelings of know where and why it was first used emerging, there is no way to take back relaxers and not still think of where it came from...

If someone carried around the confederate flag (a symbol) on their head, would u say it meant nothing? It is not about intent, even if they told you they loved blacks, it is about the symbolism...hence the symbolism of the relaxer...

 

[hasabe]

i had a professor last year that said it is a "cultural norm" for blacks to be both late and loud.

snide comments like that just make me wonder what else is going through their heads...

I had a YT girl ask me if black people's hair grows past shoulder length.

makes me want to smack the stupid out of them

And let me just add, how can it be a "preference" if it's constantly being shoved down your throat?

 

[brucebettye]

For me personally, I feel that we always want what we don't have. For example I have curly, kinky, coily hair and I used to always want it to be straight. Since I know how to take care of my hair I like it in curly, kinky, coily.

 

[aquajoyice]

I don't think there is one reason why AA women or any woman may prefer straight hair. A few IMO are it's easier to maintain and style straight hair, most people want the opposite of what grows out of their scalp. People with straight hair want curly etc. For AA since there hasn't been a proven method on how to care for afro textured hair some parents just relxed their childs hair at an early age for manageability and just continued from there. And not to mention in corporate America it seems that straight hair is just more acceptable. Some see an afro and automatically think they know your political stance. But seeing more and more people accepting and loving their own texture enough to wear their natural hair this may change the way people view afro textured hair.

 

[kmn1980]

i had a professor last year that said it is a "cultural norm" for blacks to be both late and loud.

That shows his ignorance. Time as is defined by the clock is actually a European construct. All the brown races went by the position of the sun. Go to an AA, Mexican, Cuban, African, Native American, etc...event and you'll see people arriving later than the stated "time" and often bringing people that weren't invited.

My brother's godparents are both anthropologists and their literature collection asserts and confirms that in the brown cultures, the concern is just getting it done...not getting it done by 10:15.

There is no such thing as time. There is only past, present and future.

As for the "loud" thing...well, I do believe that different cultures express emotion in different ways. Go into the average white church and then the average "minority" church and you'll see that even though they are purportedly praising the same God, their ways of going about it are totally different with whites often being reserved.

 

[preciouslove0x]

I'm really loving everyones input. Keep it coming please (even if you are not sure)!

 

[washize]

that depends on what black people you are talking about. You know you have the ignorant "nappy hair is bad don't look like you're black masta gon' beat us" black people. You have people who have just always had a relaxer, and honestly don't know why they do it, but continue to because they've just always have been relaxed. Then you have the girls who like the way straight hair looks, and straight hair is easier to take care of than curly hair.

I think I look better with straight hair long or short. My curly hair only looks nice when it is huge or falls down. My face is too long to have hair that sticks straight out. But I wear a straight wig most of the time.