As an African-Canadian/American, I feel like it's patronizing whenever I see a black person in an ad with a natural hairstyle
What do you mean "Natural Hair"?
Natural hair is gaining popularity amongst black women and lazy black men. Looking to return to their more Afro-centric roots (No pun intended...no matter how nappy they are) or just to keep healthier hair by not using chemicals to straighten it, more and more women are jumping on the natural band-wagon...and I'm fine with that. Black men usually don't have processed hair anymore (Think Jheri-curls, s-curls, & Al Sharpton), outside of Luster's Pink Lotion & Murray's hair grease (Which could probably stop a bullet if shot into the can). Growing out one's hair has become popular for many through their teenage and twenty-something years. I have no issue with having healthier hair and/or wanting to be more true to your ethnic roots with your hairstyle choice...But with that said, a messy natural hairstyle looks sloppy & dirty to me (Exhibit A).
I'm very happy this is in the past
Now, getting that out of the way, I've noticed over the last few years that probably 85-90% of the ads (billboards, posters, commercials, The Day The Earth Stood Still, etc.) I've seen that feature one or two (token) black people, at least one of them will have a natural hairstyle.
Here are some examples of the hairstyles I'm talking about (Pics via Google):
Aren't you proud of me for resisting the urge to use pics of Macy Grey & India Arie?
What's the big deal?
I like to think of myself as being aware of a lot of subtleties. Black actors have been fighting to be seen in normal, non-urban settings in television, movies, & advertising for the last few decades. So seeing them in Old Navy commercials is a sign that we are being accepted more as a people and not just a caricature of how white America sees/saw us.
However, when you mention inclusion & diversity, you will undoubtedly mention the token (person who's sole role is to fill a quota). Now, I don't like to assume that every time I see a lone black person in a racially diverse group of people on TV that they are the token black person (is it a strong possibility, yes). I only feel some type of way about it when said black person has a natural hairstyle. Like, they could only cast one black person, so they want to ensure that they are the "blackest" black person that they can find without being overtly racist. It's not just the presence of natural hair...just something about it just rings fake to me. I see people with natural hairstyles almost on a daily basis...but I feel like putting them in damn near every ad is just pushing it. Like it's the popular style of the day (which it isn't) and we won't accept the ethnicity of the person without it.
Here's an example: Jewish men wear yamakas, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. They all don't wear them, and they all don't wear them all the time. If whenever a Jewish man is cast in an ad they ask him to wear his yamaka so he can fit the look they want...I'd have an issue with that.
Examples
Here are a few commercials just to show you what I'm talking about.
The selfish mother
Random chick with the excessive fro
This isn't a call to arms by any means. This may be just in my head or there may be some validity to this...who knows? What do you think of this? Have you noticed an abundance of natural hair in commercials/TV/Movies? If not, keep an eye open and start counting how many times you see it and tell me if this raises a flag in your mind as well.
I've got nothing to add since I don't know much about black hair (which reminds me, I wanted to watch Chris Rock's 'Good Hair'... need to get on that), but I've always loved how Lenny Kravitz's hair looked. He is half Jewish though, not sure if that affected his hair in any way?
ReplyDeleteYes, you should watch Good Hair...it's eye opening what some women go through. There's nothing wrong with how Lenny Kravitz's hair looks, and it seems to be typical African-American hair...but this is only from what I've seen on TV & pictures.
ReplyDeleteCorrection: I don't like Lenny's hair in this pic, it looks sloppy & lazy to me. He's since tightened it up though
ReplyDeleteI like!
ReplyDeleteThis is far from new tho, but I agree it's ridiculous that the 'media' either always casts an 'ethnic looking' black or they seem to cast someone as close to white as possible...at least that's what I tend to see. I see this more-so when it comes to women. Maybe I don't pay attention to the men.
ReplyDeleteokay but (and I say this as a professional-as in I do actually get paid for it/musical theatre, mostly-black actor with natural hair) being "natural" isn't a token look. it's how hair naturally comes out of our hair and it looks nice if you know how to take care of it/style it. you wouldn't criticize a white person with pin straight blonde hair, for being "toowhite" so don't call us "too black" just because we don't straighten our hair LIKE WHITE PEOPLE. i think it's great there's more REALITY on tv...now black people won't feel pressured to "fit in" to a white look and it will stop being so cliche. people come in all shapes, sizes and hair textures. I know plenty of jewish white people with curly fro's that work in musical theatre too. you don't have to change yourself to "not-be-token." it's not about how others see us...we were born that way, baby.;)
ReplyDeleteExactly, I agree with you 100%. The "African Canadian American" that wrote this blog topic should be embarrassed at how overtly colorstruck/hair struck he appears to be.
DeleteAs if blacks should wear weaves instead of their own God given natural hair?
Brodie all I can call you is a Samboe coon for writing that nonsense.
The first point I made was that I don't have a problem with natural hair styles. I actually don't like weaves. However, having a natural hairstyle doesn't mean you shouldn't make it presentable before you leave the house in the morning.
DeleteAlso, I'm not sure how using that slur helped to prove your point. You should be embarrassed that you can't have a dialog with somebody who you disagree with without getting angry and using racial insults.
DeleteI think it is slightly offensive that you even wrote this. To begin, Black women have been plagued by the media for YEARS. It has ALWAYS given us an image of "how we SHOULD look", which does not reflect what the majority of Black people actually look like. It makes young girls feel as if they are too dark or they need to have straight hair to be beautiful. I, for one, am PROUD that the media is taking a step toward showing Black America that you don't have to look white to be beautiful. Your hair doesn't have to be straight to be beautiful. Furthermore, the image of Black women is still DOMINATED by the image of light skinned women with long, straight hair...so I feel as if your complaint is irrelevant and that women with natural hair deserve a chance. It seems like you're trying to say that the way we naturally look isn't appealing enough to the eyes to put it on television. If it is unruly, that's one thing. But if the celebrity is having a bad hair day, let them have their day. White celebrities who have bad hair days just put them in messy buns, but you don't see anyone complaining about them being lazy or unkempt. And it's only seen as "ugly" because we have been taught to think that way. It's a social construction.
DeleteIt really hurt that you, as an African American, would say such a thing about your own people...but thank you for further opening my eyes to the stigma. It's an ugly picture.
Making up only 12.9 percent of the american population, ANY African in a racially diverse grouping is going to be a token. I like the fact that more natural hairstyles are appearing in the media since this oftentimes seems to be the sole source of culture exposure for us. This doesn't make it right to blindly follow the media and runs the risk of making going natural passe, but its a start. What we DON'T want is for this new "afrocentricity" to merely be a characature of Africans in media. Going natural should be for the right reasons and shouldn't be treated like buying a pair of jordans. It's liberating and making a statement at its core and should be seen as a spiritual sacrifice much like Indian women do in time of mourning. I pray for the day we can get back to our roots (pun intended) and realize the power we have as a group and as individuals. LIGHTS ON
ReplyDeleteWell put
DeleteI am an actress and I have recently took off my lacefront/straight hair and gotten natural hair commercial headshots. I can agree that almost every commercial has the token natural hair black actor/actress. In the market I am in, there are a lot of straight hair black actresses. However, I want to set myself apart and get more bookings. So if the media wants to somehow get a quota I'm going to take advantage of it and put food on my table. The world of acting is one of the stereo typing industries. Not just black people, but all walks. It all boils down to your look. We have to get the token asian, latino, red haired with freckles, or awkward bald guy in commercials. As along as I'm not doing any harm, and they aren't to me b/c I know who I am..I am just fine. Great point, but we should have the freedom to wear our hair like we want to w/o someone coming up with a theory.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting. The one thing I thought about doing was trying to get an opinion of someone in the entertainment industry to see their view of it...but since I'm lazy & don't know anybody directly, I didn't follow through.
DeleteWhen it comes to how minorities see themselves in society & media, everything is over-analyzed and theories are generated. While this is sometimes making a mountain out of a hair ball, it can also be helpful at times to understand what is being done systematically to put us in a positive/negative/neutral light. This was simply my observation, as I saw more natural hair in advertisements than I did in real life.
Once again, thanks for bringing your perspective.