Why does your hair look so nappy? Cuz I'm black, *****!

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

i must be the only one who likes the hair in that dauuum pic,

i like texture, kinda reminds me of us **shrugs**

 

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

mom just said "where does her hair look nappy at?"... "it's a wig dammit!!!" i guess silky straight weaves are not the iiiish down here

pony hair

 

[Nonie]

I don't care to define every word I use, I think it's safe to assume that "dry" was being used to denote a lack of moisture, not shine. Meaning the hair was malnourished.

If you really think the hair in that picture looks healthy and/or album cover worthy...I guess. I've seen 4b look better than that straightened.

And as for the "praises" people get on LHCF, sometimes I give some of these threads the major side eye because those praises can be super fake. But it's all about encouraging one another so I usually don't say anything at all. I just side eye the thread and keep it moving.

I still stand by my statement. No matter what you're responding to, to say that it is a direct result of you being "black" is ignorant. You're not darker because you're black, there are dark-skinned Dominicans, Indians, etc. I'm black and I'm not dark-skinned.

It's downright ridiculous when you think about it. Black folks are so diverse there is not one single thing you can say we ALL possess that could be attributed to our "blackness."

If A is dark-skinned because she's black, then is B not black because she's not dark-skinned?

I know, I'm taking this kinda far but I'm just trying to point out the absurdity in anyone SERIOUSLY (I leave exceptions for people being funny or sarcastic) trying to attribute a characteristic solely to their race.

OK carameldelight87 to say that giving the response "Because I'm black" to "Why is your skin dark?" is ignorant assumes that everyone processes things in their head the way you do which IMO ignores the fact that that's the first thing that'd come to MY head. Having dark skin is a characteristic of people of the African diaspora. Even Rihanna's skin is dark to someone who is white. Caucasians will refer to someone who looks very white to me as "tall, dark and handsome" so darkness is relative. So if you ask a black person why their skin is dark, I doubt they are going to go into the story of genetics and melanin and how it depends on how much of it they have. I mean, c'mon!

If you asked a white person, why isn't your skin dark, what do you think they'd say? It's not a matter of people being obsessed with race. Some things are just bloody obvious. Tightly coiled hair abounds among people of the black race so pointing out that other races might have the same and trying to say that folks shouldn't use their race to explain why their hair looks a certain way is what I'd find "acting ignorant". If I were to ask someone with type 3 hair why their hair is curly and silky and they said "Because I'm a black African" would I shudder and roll my eyes and think they are wanna-bes? No because I know a lot of people in Africa with hair like that and perhaps they haven't sat down and studied people like you have and discovered it is actually common in other continents (or races) too--coz not everyone's interests are the same so what you know and how you process things in your head is not how others do. Egypt, Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea...to name a few places have hair like that. So again, who are you to say people shouldn't use race to explain themselves?

As for your bold statement, Girl, you're right, you're reaching. I suppose Rihanna should have done her homework first and researched on why hair is nappy in order to give a more intelligent answer. God forbid she jumps to the answer most people would give if asked why they had a trait that is most common to a group they belong to.

As for giving praise when we don't mean it, I don't visit all threads and don't do it myself, so I might've missed what you're talking about. But IMO, the people who GET a style always give it praise. Others look and KIM moving. That's why you can see a thousand views and only 50 responses. Granted many are lurkers not actual members, but out of 100K+ members, you can bet your bottom dollar many are members who KIM. So I wasn't at all trying to imply that people were lying. It has been proven that people are harder on stars than on themselves or their acquaintances/friends, and that's a fact. So tearing Rihanna apart is nothing new. But I did also note that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so I'd go so far as guessing you weren't one of those who admired the hair in the posts I mentioned that looked like that, and so you're entitled to your opinion of such hair as dry looking. But you best believe that those who did say they love the hair do and GET it and I know that coz I've seen some duplicate those looks.

By the way, in response to your first paragraph, no one is asking you to define every word you use, but how on earth can one tell from looking at picture that there's a lack of moisture in the hair or even guess it if not from how the hair looks? And what from a picture would lead one to conclude "the hair looks dry" if not absence of shine?

And I don't know if people would have called this hair ruggedy if that's what she'd used even though the roots by the part look like they could be her leave out hair:

...yet in black and white, it looks dry-ish (Did anyone consider that?)...so I guess it too is ruggedy:

Oh well, can't win Rhi! Just go back to glossy wigs; they're safer. It's better to pretend that sort of hair doesn't exist even though I'm sure we've seen people with relaxed hair that has a dry look.

 

[Nonie]

i must be the only one who likes the hair in that dauuum pic,

i like texture, kinda reminds me of us **shrugs**

mom just said "where does her hair look nappy at?"... "it's a wig dammit!!!" i guess silky straight weaves are not the iiiish down here

pony hair

tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT Thank you! I suppose we've all gotten so used to see photoshopped images we've forgotten what is NORMAL. Unless we apply layers of gloss to make our hair look like something it isn't then it's ruggedy. GTFOOHWTBS!

No wonder babies in kindergarten are asking for relaxers. And we wonder why? We've made a natural look out to be unacceptable so unless we make it bling like that of those with silky strands then we are "ruggedy". So glad I didn't grow up around such nonsense and learned to embrace the uniqueness of my hair instead of trying to fall into some cookie cutter look coz someone said that's "it". Puhlease!

 

[nappystorm]

That wig looks like my "straightened" hair

 

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

@tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT Thank you! I suppose we've all gotten so used to see photoshopped images we've forgotten what is NORMAL. Unless we apply layers of gloss to make our hair look like something it isn't then it's ruggedy. GTFOOHWTBS!

No wonder babies in kindergarten are asking for relaxers. And we wonder why? We've made a natural look out to be unacceptable so unless we make it bling like that of those with silky strands then we are "ruggedy". So glad I didn't grow up around such nonsense and learned to embrace the uniqueness of my hair instead of trying to fall into some cookie cutter look coz someone said that's "it". Puhlease!

 

[Nonie]

tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT ^^I hope that was a prank coz I seem to I remember seeing a heading about this on the forum but couldn't bring myself to enter the discussion coz I honestly couldn't spare any minutes for that nonsense. I can't believe the pic found me... So is that for real?

OK, maybe I don't want to see the answer, so disregard. Or answer in invisible font so I can skip over it, if you must. :covereyes I prefer to assume it's a joke.

 

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

@tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT ^^I hope that was a prank coz I seem to I remember seeing a heading about this on the forum but couldn't bring myself to enter the discussion coz I honestly couldn't spare any minutes for that nonsense. I can't believe the pic found me... So is that for real?

OK, maybe I don't want to see the answer, so disregard. Or answer in invisible font so I can skip over it, if you must. :covereyes I prefer to assume it's a joke.

you said the pic found you

yeah i don't think the actually pic is PHOTOSHOPPED , however I have no idea if her 'parents' did this as a joke, or assumed the shyyyte was fashionable

 

[nappystorm]

@tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT ^^I hope that was a prank coz I seem to I remember seeing a heading about this on the forum but couldn't bring myself to enter the discussion coz I honestly couldn't spare any minutes for that nonsense. I can't believe the pic found me... So is that for real?

OK, maybe I don't want to see the answer, so disregard. Or answer in invisible font so I can skip over it, if you must. :covereyes I prefer to assume it's a joke.

you said the pic found you

yeah i don't think the actually pic is PHOTOSHOPPED , however I have no idea if her 'parents' did this as a joke, or assumed the shyyyte was fashionable

I think it was a joke. I did the same thing to my niece. I didn't post the pics though because I didn't want her to end up on a blog.

 

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

I think it was a joke. I did the same thing to my niece. I didn't post the pics though because I didn't want her to end up on a blog.

well the joke's on his azzzzz.... he could have photo-shopped his abs
out of the pic

 

[BlaqBella]

Ya'll so dang silly! And naturalhairproject..take that picture down Pleazzzze! lol

 

[carameldelight87]

OK carameldelight87 to say that giving the response "Because I'm black" to "Why is your skin dark?" is ignorant assumes that everyone processes things in their head the way you do which IMO ignores the fact that that's the first thing that'd come to MY head.

Tightly coiled hair abounds among people of the black race so pointing out that other races might have the same and trying to say that folks shouldn't use their race to explain why their hair looks a certain way is what I'd find "acting ignorant".

suppose Rihanna should have done her homework first and researched on why hair is nappy in order to give a more intelligent answer.



but how on earth can one tell from looking at picture that there's a lack of moisture in the hair or even guess it if not from how the hair looks? And what from a picture would lead one to conclude "the hair looks dry" if not absence of shine?

And I don't know if people would have called this hair ruggedy if that's what she'd used even though the roots by the part look like they could be her leave out hair:

...yet in black and white, it looks dry-ish (Did anyone consider that?)...so I guess it too is ruggedy:

Oh well, can't win Rhi! Just go back to glossy wigs; they're safer. It's better to pretend that sort of hair doesn't exist even though I'm sure we've seen people with relaxed hair that has a dry look.

#1 - Are you really suggesting that because a response is common and/or popular its therefore less ignorant?! Lol. Not true, racism was once popular but...ah nevermind. But it is ironic that because Rihanna is "popular" people now assume she's talented...false. (Different topic, different thread)

Anyway, no offense, but just because it's how YOU would respond, that doesn't mean it's not an ignorant response. Saying "my hair is nappy because I'm black" is still factually inaccurate and lacking of knowledge; therefore, ignorant!

#2 - "Acting" ignorant and making an ignorant statement are two different things. I'm not saying Rihanna's an ignorant person in general but the statement she made in that tweet WAS ignorant. If she continuously made different ignorant statements, then I'd argue that she's probably just an ignorant person in general.

#3 - I find it funny that this board is applauding someone making a statement that attributes a texture of hair to a race but when some folks tried to suggest that the little girl with thigh length 3a/3b hair was probably of another race, y'all had a 12 page fit about it! How dare they suggest that it's possible that this girl belongs to a race solely because of her hair texture!!

And I'd love to see how y'all would react if a person with 3c hair was asked, "Why are your curls so loose and shiny?" and she responded
"Cuz I'm half white!" Y'all would throw all kinds of "exceptions" to the rule, "My sister baby cousin tracy, has loose and shiny hair and she ain't half white!!"

Or better yet, what if Rihanna hadn't said it. What if some other person (their race doesn't matter) had said it. "Why is your hair so nappy?" "Cuz she's black b*%&#!" Or if Rihanna had asked the question...no one would be celebrating her response. But because Rihanna was putting an ignorant white girl in check, we should be happy?!

#4 - I wouldn't suggest Rihanna go back and forth about melatonin either. However, I would've preferred her to not respond to ignorance with ignorance.

#5 - I'm over the threads where people are obviously trying to encourage the person by lying to them. They can do what they want. Everybody needs a little love sometimes.

#6 - I'd bet money that the people sayin that's what their hair looks like when they straighten it, have posted pics of their hair looking 100 times better than Rih's wig. Mwedzi is a prime example of 4b straightened healthy looking hair.

#7 - Are you questioning me on noticing dryness from a pic even though we had HUNDREDS of threads where LHCFers are DIAGNOSING other folks hair issues and even prescribing products to them!?!? REALLY?! But it's unrealistic for me to notice her hair is dry?! It looks like a wig made out of that $1/pack Yaki you use for braiding. All she did was throw a little product on it to put a little shine and curl to it.

I will admit, the black and white could make it look worse. But black and white tends to bring out only what's already there. It can't change anything, it just shades it differently.

Again, it's not her hair. I'm pretty sure there's no leave out either. The hair's coming from the middle of her head. I'm pretty sure that's a closure. Her hair line can be seen and the hair is flowing right past it, not from it.

Maybe I'm a harsh critic, but people were goin in on poor Gabrielle about her pics and comments and how "unimpressed" they were. smh. It's a shame how folks can see all the damage/dryness in Gabby's REAL hair but have no problem with this cheap lookin wig on Rihanna's head. *sigh*

 

[Nonie]

#1 No I'm suggesting that a trait that is common to a people and that is clearly associated with a people if claimed as part of evidence that the person belongs to a people is not ignorant. Tightly coiled hair is a common trait among people of the black race. That doesn't mean it is the only trait, but it is more common among them than any other. So IMO claiming it as part of what identifies me as black, not necessarily the only thing, is not ignorant. Of course when viewed from the stand point of one abounding with knowledge such as you, anything that doesn't measure up is ignorant. So can't fault you for calling us less informed folk what we are. Your vintage point gives you that authority.

#2 Agreed.

#3 Diversity is replete in people of the black race. We happen to have MANY people with nappy hair (read: tightly coiled), many people with type 3 hair (read visible dangling coils/curls) and even people with wavy hair. No other race has has as many people with tight coils aka nappy hair as black people do...so when it comes to tightly coiled hair especially if someone's skin is also dark, then the first conclusion one would have is black. Anytime something out of the norm is witnessed it's not unusual for people to have questions. It's not like that hair the girl had is a common thing. And unless you want to act brand new, it's also not common that a black couple can give birth to a blue-eyed blond boy. So yes, when people encounter something uncommon, there will be questions. Doesn't mean they aren't open to accepting the exception to the norm. Just that they aren't fake and they openly allow their curiosity to come out. And once it's broken down to them, then they learn and get closer to your level of knowledge.

Oh and first of all I'd not be asking someone why their hair has loose curls. I didn't grow up with some obsession about hair pattern that I only came across it on boards and didn't know until then that it was something that preoccupied a lot of folks outside of boards. But if I happened to be possessed by some crazy spirit that led me to ask someone why she had loose curls, and she said it was coz she was mixed, I'd have no problems with that answer. I have friends with hair that looks like that who are mixed. And from biology, I do know that sometimes traits from parents meet halfway and sometimes the dominant one takes over. So why would it seems strange? I dunno, maybe it's coz race doesn't bother me so much as to be such a feather ruffler every time someone brings it up. Is it a lie that mixed people do have curly hair? No. Can mixed people have nappy hair? Hell yeah! Can mixed people have straight blond hair? Hell yeah! So how would I know the chick I asked about her curly hair didn't surmise that I asked coz I'd seen her dad or her mom, each without the other, and none had her hair so she assumed my dumb question was because I wondered why she looked different from either? Ask a dumb question, get a dumb response. Unless of course you ask one of high mental capacity when you will most certainly get an answer that is not ignorant.

#4 God forbid that Rihanna be less than what you expect her to be. Silence is golden and yes she would've done well to keep mum and not bother responding. But she did, and I can't think what else she should've said that wouldn't come off as a lame excuse. She probably didn't need to punctuate her response with the b word, but I'd love to know the intelligent response you would have given had you been asked and responded.

#5 LOL OK. No comment.

#6 Which photo of Mwedzi's straightened hair are you referring to? If you mean Reniece's latest work, then what I'm hearing again is unless hair looks silky smooth then it's not healthy looking. (Wait, we've moved from ruggedy looking to talmbout health now? ) That's the same bloody BS that I'm calling out. There's no redemption I see. I find it mindboggling ironic that you of all people would be making statements like this.

#7 And this is where I realized you read your own things. This is what you said:

I don't care to define every word I use, I think it's safe to assume that "dry" was being used to denote a lack of moisture, not shine. Meaning the hair was malnourished.

And I was not at all claiming you cannot tell dry hair from a pic. Since you were saying it wasn't about shine, I was asking how else can one tell from a pic that hair is dry, if not from its appearance. And I was suggesting an absence of shine is what can give the illusion of hair being dry. Otherwise how else can you tell? Please enlighten me coz I'm curious to see if I could use the same criterion to determine whether hair I see in siggies is dry, unhealthy or ruggedy. Seems I have a lot of learning to do.

ETA As for the hair being a wig and not her hair, that's neither here nor there. I already explained that the majority of people I know (including forum members) do not go out of their way to differentiate to strangers when what they are sporting is a wig and when it's their hair. The question was about the hair we were looking at. The response was about the hair we're looking at. So WTH has your second to last paragraph got to do with the price of eggs? I suppose when it comes to you, people MUST be explicit? "Rihanna why did you pick a wig that looks dry, lacking in moisture thus appearing malnourished and ruggedy?" (All your words) "Because I wanted to select a wig that looks closer to my hair because I'm black and that looks more like my natural hair and therefore is more realistic. If I had used a glossy wig, it'd be a bit off, so I picked this one coz I'm black and my hair kinda looks like this."

And I doubt the same people saying that Rihanna's wig looks fine would have said anything negative about Gabrielle's hair. I saw glimpses of it and liked it. I am not a stan of any of these people we're talking about but I give credit where it's due. I also happen to live in the real world and not some imaginary planet where for hair to be deemed healthy and not ruggedy, dry/lacking moisture or malnourished, it has to be flowing, blinging and looking like Reniece just finished working on it. In my world, beauty comes in so many forms and absence of those three traits does not equal ruggedy. Now absence of neatness and order, on the other hand, does conjures up terms like unkempt, ruggedy, in dire need of grooming/combing...in the world I live in, anyway.

 

[Solitude]

Nonie

Oh Lawd, I was coming back to discuss the whole nappy thing, but this thread is going in another direction, so....nevermind! I just know that I haven't been using "nappy" wrong just because I use it differently than the "tight curls" meaning. A word can have more than one meaning and the meaning of a word can change.

No need to go through the history of the English language. I'm not an expert, though I have a BA in English and took a couple of course on the history of the language. But, I certainly respect your viewpoint.

 

[carameldelight87]

Nonie

This is my last post in the conversation.

Please don't attempt to make me look like some "elitist" expecting perfection from everyone. This thread asked for an opinion on the matter. I gave one. It's based on analysis of the statement itself, not any advance knowledge of hair. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that "nappy" does not always equal "black."

You don't have to respond to EVERY ignorant comment thrown your way. So it wasn't like Rihanna was forced to respond to the girl and that's the only thing she could come up with. If she wanted to, she could've cited the definition of "nappy" and pointed out that the hair is not nappy at all and shut the girl down that way.

Also, what does "you of all people" mean?! Please explain cuz I don't think you know me to make a statement like that.

So you have a problem with me calling the hair dry, but not with me calling it rough and brittle?! The hair looks dry because it looks like the straw from a broom! It looks stiff!

You are the one reaching now. Because I point out that Rih's WIG looks dry, all of a sudden I'm saying you have to have shine in order to look healthy?! Please, get out of here with puttin words in people's mouths. We're adults. The comment had nothing to do with shine. I didn't even use the word. Dry and dull are two different things. No one said anything about having a glossy wig, flowing, or "blinging."

You should really stop assuming, it doesn't benefit anyone. Maybe you have your own insecurities with your hair so you're inferring all of these generalizations from my comments. You shouldn't. It's unnecessary and it stifles REAL discussions and debates on IMPORTANT issues.

That is all. Have a good day.

 

[pookaloo83]

Why people going so hard though?

 

[Aviah]

I knew this would get heated. Here we go...

 

[BoaterGirlKim]

You go Rihanna!

 

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

Why people going so hard though?

CAUSE I'M BLACK BEEEEOOOOOOOTCCCCHHHHHH!

 

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

hell, I thought (i know right, who gave me the right to think) but ummmmm,

"I" thought that Rhi-Rhi replied "cuz I'm black biiiiiii" meaning yes I CHOSE THIS none silky straight..... "nappy" look b/c I'm black!!! and our hair naturally has some/more texture .... so why-n-de-hell would I choose a silky, satiny-glossy arse look for THIS PHOTO (for MY form of artistic expression).... when I could choose this wig with a more kinky texture (b/c TEXTURE resembles more of my natural kinks)


but next time Becky, I'll assimilate to the best of my ability just for you.... mmmmm-kay?

 

[allmundjoi]

Lmbo!

Sent from my DROIDX

 

[chicha]

LOL These pics look like baby Oprah . Carry on...

 

[Amoreofcurls]

Damn ya'll people must love to write

 

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

Damn ya'll people must love to write

cuz I'm BLACK BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISH!

 

[Amoreofcurls]

cuz I'm BLACK BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISH!

Wait, black people read n write????? OHHH SHEEEETTT :-O

 

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

Wait, black people read n write????? OHHH SHEEEETTT :-O

........

 

[Solitude]

hell, I thought (i know right, who gave me the right to think) but ummmmm,

"I" thought that Rhi-Rhi replied "cuz I'm black biiiiiii" meaning yes I CHOSE THIS none silky straight..... "nappy" look b/c I'm black!!! and our hair naturally has some/more texture .... so why-n-de-hell would I choose a silky, satiny look for THIS PHOTO (for MY form of artistic expression).... when I could choose this wig with a more kinky texture (b/c TEXTURE resembles more of my natural kinks)


but next time Becky, I'll assimulate to the best of my ability just for you.... mmmmm-kay?

See, I didn't even realize it was that deep. Celebs go in on folks on twitter all the time. Twitter is a bunch of foolishness. I can't take the spelling and grammatical errors.

 

[Aireen]

It is too early in the morning for that picture. tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT, I'm just going to pretend you didn't post that in this thread. I can't deal with you this morning. The baby looks too bewildered and that's how I feel, I just can't.

 

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

It is too early in the morning for that picture. tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT, I'm just going to pretend you didn't post that in this thread. I can't deal with you this morning. The baby looks too bewildered and that's how I feel, I just can't.

wish she was a gif........ and oh yeah, CUZ I'M BLACK BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

 

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

See, I didn't even realize it was that deep. Celebs go in on folks on twitter all the time. Twitter is a bunch of foolishness. I can't take the spelling and grammatical errors.

unfollow everyone you're following & give it another whirl!

twitter is silly (depending on who you follow), tons of fun (depends on who you follow), extremely informative (again depends on who you follow), useful (depends on who you follow), annoying (depends on who you follow)
I mean you can only follow wall street investors, Michelle, Barack, Oprah, and Bill Gates if you want a serious platform-- don't follow Master P, Bill Maher (he's such a ham, love it), and Lil Duval b/c mmmmmm, yeah they ain't

**be selective** if you desire a grammatically correct and an insightful medium (don't read mine... unfortunately use to my secretary sp checking me-- not a good look)
Tons of Shakespearean narratives if you choose a Lit professor or an English poet; Only follow politics if that's your niche market.. not Souja Boy-tell'em, Chris Brown, Shaq & Hoopz
Follow only realtors if your currently buying a new home, follow Clark Howard & Suzie Orman if you're saving or investing....follow the honorable Farrakhan, Louis if you're interested in his teachings (awesome person to follow frankly), follow Rev Run if you're looking for wisdom & truly a positive environment w/ tons of life & spiritual inspiration

It has been one the most entertaining forms of media (besides youtube) ever developed in my opinion, but maybe even better because of the real-time delivery

But yes, if it's the urban slang, shorthand, random garbage, truncated wording, or grammatically incorrect Bullshyyyte you hate, then follow a bunch of school teachers and you may enjoy it more....