1) Culturally – African and Caribbean societies are based on a matriarchal inner structure in which women play a major part. They manage the home, do a lot of the work (running their own businesses)and rear their children. Traditionally these societies were hypocritical in the sense that while it was the women that did/and still do most of the work, men were given a lot of freedom in areas such as polygamy and abdicating responsibility for the upbringing of their children. It was and still is common in these societies for men to migrate from one woman’s home to the other leaving children behind in their wake, which ultimately the mothers support. Women were traditionally denied education in these societies and the pride of fathers was in their sons. This left an indelible negative imprint on the culture of later migrant societies, which followed the same social structure, but in a alien and hostile societies – the USA during slavery, the Caribbean and Europe. The aim of these ‘host’ societies was originally to dehumanise all people of colour, and women were degraded racially and sexually to justify racism and slavery.

2) When black women thus began to live in these societies they had to contend with the negative legacies of their own indigenous culture, as well as all the prejudice of white supremacy, and prejudice against women in general in all societies. They ended up at the very bottom of the pile. They therefore carry a burden which no other race of women does. Most women only have to contend with issues arising from their own native cultures directly.

3) This burden still exists today. Slavery is historically a recent thing, and racism is still very much around. The negative images that have been projected of the black race over the last 200 years are imprinted in people’s minds. While black women may not be able to change white culture or the world, black people in general need to change perceptions of themselves and develop a healthy relationship with their own ethnicity. Black culture errs in achieving this by having a love-hate attitude to what it perceives as white culture. Black culture often derides positive aspects of white culture such as education and correct use of English as features of the ‘enemy’ culture and rejects these, instead of understanding that these features are not the properties of white culture alone. They are noble characteristics in all cultures. Ironically however, black culture embraces aspects of visual white culture, such as whites’ racial characteristics. It therefore rejects the positive, which is achievable and embraces those characteristics which are impossible to achieve. This is because historically having an education did not improve our ancestor’s lot in life when they were slaves. They were judged on the basis of their racial characteristics and this is so deeply ingrained in our psyche that we feel by changing ourselves physically we may become more beautiful and desirable. We therefore become parodies of ourselves and look like ‘wannabe whites’ but without the education and dignity that white people are so good at getting for themselves. We think it wrong for a black man to speak like a white educated man or dress conservatively in ‘white’ clothes, yet do not see anything wrong in our women wearing ‘white’ hair or bleaching their skin. Black culture therefore upholds the right of men to be distinct and different from white culture (even though sadly the best role-model we can produce is the rapper)but denies black women the right to develop a similar distinct racial persona (unless this follows negative racial stereotypes created by whites – such as the black loud mouth mammy or ghetto sista).

Black culture needs to detach from this form of self-loathing and redirect our course on educating our people, dignifying our natural features and characteristics and defining our own place in the world. We need to dignify our women by treating them with respect and eradicating the negative aspects of our own history and culture. We need to educate our youth and turn them into eloquent, intellectual individuals (not stating that these positives will make them ‘white’ – they will not, they will make them ‘educated’. Perhaps then we shall stop looking at white culture as the be-it-all-and-end-it-all of our existence, develop a balanced identity and create positive stereotypes that dignify blacks. The civil rights activists of the 1960’s and 1970’s got it almost right. Where has that positive stereotype gone to? Where are the Martin Luther Kings and Maya Angelous of today?

This same hair pieces are now sold by Chinese all over the US to unsuspecting people of color, thereby transfering BAD LUCK to colored people all over the world. Spiritually it is damning to crown your head with anything offered to an idol as a person of color. I do not know about caucasians.

Remember the good old days of Afro hair do? what happened to these days of self pride? To use Glue to glue crazy hair pieces to ones head is very low. Somebody needs to help our race, and I mean now.
I thank GOD my wife doesn’t have to use the SATANIC HAIRTIES.

There is a major difference in celebrating the versatility of your hair and in trying to “look like” anyone. I enjoy wearing my natural hair pattern- whether it be wild and proud or nicely styled. However. I also enjoy bringing out my flat iron from time to time to change it up. (I doubt most men really know the difference between permed hair or flat ironed, so in this post I treat it as one in the same.) It’s not to imitate anyone – but simply because I can. I enjoy the hair I was given and all that it can do.