black hair
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J.Crew Doesn’t Believe in Hairstylists for Its Black Models
Many are up in arms about a photo making the rounds in social media, showing a black model in a recent J.Crew ad campaign who looks as if she ain’t seen nary a brush or some grease in days. Now, there’s nothing wrong with our beautiful, natural, grows-out-of-my-head-like-dis coils, but the photo apparently shows an…
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Lupita Nyong’o ‘Disappointed’ That Magazine ‘Smoothed’ Her Hair in Cover Photo
One of these days, y’all will finally learn to leave black women’s hair alone. But today is apparently not that day, and Grazia UK is facing criticism from actress and all-around queen Lupita Nyong’o after, she says, the magazine edited out her hair “to fit their notion of what beautiful hair looks like.” Nyong’o shared…
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Banana Republic Employee Told Her Box Braids Are Too ‘Urban’ and ‘Unkempt’
A young black woman is accusing her managers at Banana Republic of “blatant racism,” saying that they targeted her over her hair, which was protected by box braids. According to a Facebook post shared earlier this week by Destiny Tompkins, her manager—a white man—labeled her hair “too urban” and “unkempt,” cited her for a dress…
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Watch: Color Complex: Untangling Black Women’s Hair
Skin color both unites and divides us. Whether you live in India, East Africa or Japan, the color of your skin shapes your identity and opportunities. Color Complex is a narrative series that explores how people of color around the world struggle for visibility and learn to navigate the prejudices and social hierarchies associated with…
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White People Won’t Let Our Edges Be Great
You know that Viola Davis GIF where Annalise Keating serves an epic black girl eye roll, grabs her purse and goes the hell home because as she was leaving her house she wished a nigga would, and they clearly did? Well, those were my exact sentiments last week to the folks over at Victoria’s Secret…
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The Jheri Curl Turns 40: A Look at the Most Iconic, Insulted and Revered Hair Craze Ever
The last time I saw someone wear a Jheri curl with a straight face was in the summer of 2015. In June of that year, retired NBA point guard Baron Davis appeared on ESPN’s First Take sporting a high-and-tight take on the activator swirl. His was in the big-Luther tradition of being “not quite right”;…
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Black Codes and Dress Codes: Will Black Hair Always Be Against the Rules?
Graduation season is here—that time of year when we get to celebrate academic achievements, watch with anticipation as the graduates move on to life’s next step, and hear about all the students being banned from prom and graduation for dress code violations. As a jolting end to that list, we’re hearing more stories of students…
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Trustees of Mass. Charter School Unanimously Vote to Suspend Controversial Hair Policy Surrounding Students Wearing Braids
The board of trustees of a Malden, Mass., charter school has unanimously voted to suspend its controversial dress code policy that caused students to be disciplined for wearing braids in their hair. According to the Boston Globe, the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School tossed out the section of the school’s dress code that prohibited hair…
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Yet Another Black Girl’s Hair Policed by Her School, Her Afro Called ‘Out of Control’
A 17-year-old high schooler from Florida is the latest black girl to be reprimanded for wearing her hair in traditional black style. All over the world, black girls have their bodies, words and, increasingly, hair policed by those who have no clue. WCTV reports that Jenesis Johnson, an 11th-grader at North Florida Christian School, a…
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Let Go of Our Hair and Let Our Girls Learn
In recent weeks, there have been a number of news stories about black girls being discriminated against at school for wearing natural hairstyles. In July 2016, a news story went viral about a school in Pretoria, South Africa, banning black girls from wearing natural hairstyles like Afros because they were “untidy” and “unladylike.” In March…