Anonymous wrote:My daughter is white. Blond haired blue eyed pale white. Her best friend is African American. Best friend wears her hair in tiny braids and sometimes has colorful beads in her hair. My kid wants braids. And beads. The girls are 5 years old. They want to match because they are best friends since they remember. What can I do that is appropriate and will be a good fit? My kid is too young to understand culturally appropriate choices. Help?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread is crazy town.

OP has to be a troll, who thinks of this nonsense.

This entire thread is full of trolls.
Let's just be honest here...Black women have been straightening their hair since the days of Madam C.J. Walker (look it up). Is that White appropriation? No. White folks can do whatever they want to do their hair. It's not something to get riled up about. We've got plenty of other things to deal with regarding race. As Black people, we need to focus on the important issues...this isn't one of them. When we focus of stuff like this, the "real" stuff gets overlooked.

If this thread is a good indication, it's not black people that are focused on frivilous issues.

But this does illustrate why white people can have such a rough time being (and I hate this term) "good allies." There is so much ill informed and clueless condemnation in the white community about meaningless issues that make white people walk on eggshells. Fellow white people, worry less about the political correctness of your kindergartner's braids and worry more about why your workplace seems to promote white people faster or why you instinctively look at the Great Schools demographics chart.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope. Sounds like you met your first black person in college or something with this question. Every white kid I know, myself included, has the memory of up wanting cool braids with beads, afro puffs, any cute hairstyle they saw on their friends. It doesn't kill that white kid to learn that not everything is for you.

The bolded is actually really important. There's a short list of things that white kids just shouldn't access, but learning that early sets the stage for later, harder, discussions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a complete idiot though I feel like one now. I know better than to let my kid have braids to match her friend. Could I do french braids instead and put beads in her hair that way? I'm so lost on this. I am an immigrant, sorry for not understanding. I am trying.

French braids would be cute. Get them friendship bracelets or something that can match.

Tell your daughter "Cornrows are for black girls. White girls wear French braids. Girls of all colors can wear friendship bracelets."

Np. So are u saying Black girls can't wear French braids? That's crazy!

They also can't straighten their hair ever, according to this logic. Welcome to wokedom. It's so freeing!

Wait, you guys are joking, right? Cornrows and french braids are the same thing, aside from the hair texture they imply, aren't they?

Not the same thing unless you are french braiding a hundred tiny braids into your straight white hair?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Black woman here and I think it’s fine. I can’t imagine any of my friends seeing a problem with it either. It is not cultural appropriation unless your DD claims she invented it and seems to make money off it, to the detriment of those who really did create it. Will it look good? Who knows, but she’s five, who cares.

This. I don't think white women actually understand the concept of cultural appropriation. Wearing your hair in braids is not cultural appropriation. Putting a picture of a Hindu god on flip flops and a handbag, that is cultural appropriation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread is crazy town.

OP has to be a troll, who thinks of this nonsense.

This entire thread is full of trolls.
Let's just be honest here...Black women have been straightening their hair since the days of Madam C.J. Walker (look it up). Is that White appropriation? No. White folks can do whatever they want to do their hair. It's not something to get riled up about. We've got plenty of other things to deal with regarding race. As Black people, we need to focus on the important issues...this isn't one of them. When we focus of stuff like this, the "real" stuff gets overlooked.

If this thread is a good indication, it's not black people that are focused on frivilous issues.

But this does illustrate why white people can have such a rough time being (and I hate this term) "good allies." There is so much ill informed and clueless condemnation in the white community about meaningless issues that make white people walk on eggshells. Fellow white people, worry less about the political correctness of your kindergartner's braids and worry more about why your workplace seems to promote white people faster or why you instinctively look at the Great Schools demographics chart.

Mmm, don't look instinctively at the Great Schools demographics chart, look instinctively at the grade so my kid doesn't go to a sh*thole school. Maybe less projection next time, but your points are otherwise well made.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread is crazy town.

OP has to be a troll, who thinks of this nonsense.

This entire thread is full of trolls.
Let's just be honest here...Black women have been straightening their hair since the days of Madam C.J. Walker (look it up). Is that White appropriation? No. White folks can do whatever they want to do their hair. It's not something to get riled up about. We've got plenty of other things to deal with regarding race. As Black people, we need to focus on the important issues...this isn't one of them. When we focus of stuff like this, the "real" stuff gets overlooked.

If this thread is a good indication, it's not black people that are focused on frivilous issues.

But this does illustrate why white people can have such a rough time being (and I hate this term) "good allies." There is so much ill informed and clueless condemnation in the white community about meaningless issues that make white people walk on eggshells. Fellow white people, worry less about the political correctness of your kindergartner's braids and worry more about why your workplace seems to promote white people faster or why you instinctively look at the Great Schools demographics chart.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread is crazy town.

OP has to be a troll, who thinks of this nonsense.

This entire thread is full of trolls.
Let's just be honest here...Black women have been straightening their hair since the days of Madam C.J. Walker (look it up). Is that White appropriation? No. White folks can do whatever they want to do their hair. It's not something to get riled up about. We've got plenty of other things to deal with regarding race. As Black people, we need to focus on the important issues...this isn't one of them. When we focus of stuff like this, the "real" stuff gets overlooked.

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread is crazy town.

OP has to be a troll, who thinks of this nonsense.