Anonymous wrote:It's not cultural appropriation for a white kid to put beads in her hair, but you should not actually get her whole head braided, because it's a lot of effort for a style that won't last long enough on her hair to be worth it. I'd do a single braid across the front (headband braid?) and put some beads on the end, not a whole head.
FWIW, my black daughter comes home asking for certain looks/styles that are not as achievable on her hair and we do what we can to make her feel like she's getting something similar to her friends and talk about how everything doesn't work the same for everybody. Such is life.
Thanks! This is super helpful! I definitely wouldn't have tried to put all her hair in braids, but she does frequently ask for French braids or similar because she has thick, curly hair that easily tangles and she hates me combing it. And I definitely think she would understand the concept that different people have different hair textures and not all styles work for all hairs - so simple and perfect! Thank you!
I also love the idea from a PP to get some beaded hair ties, which would probably satisfy her.
And I would definitely also check with her friends' parents if I do let her have any smaller braids with beads. I just wanted a gut check to make sure this wasn't a "hell no" before I approach them since I don't know all the other parents that well.