braids
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Black Doll With Braided Hair Described as 'Colored Dirty Braid Fashion' Pulled by Amazon
So… Amazon sure seems to have a difficult time making sure it isn’t used to sell products from vendors that use racist descriptions to advertise their merchandise. Recently, the company had to remove a children’s doll from its digital marketplace because some overseas company thought it was a good idea to describe a Black doll’s…
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Black Girls With Braids Reportedly Banned From Harlem Production of Black Nutcracker
Even in one of The Root’s Blackest Cities in America—black girls can’t wear natural hair for a black-themed musical production. This is the scenario that reportedly played out at Uptown Dance Academy’s production of “Black Nutcracker” in Harlem on Thursday. According to PIX11, Lisa Skinner said her two daughters —9-year-old April and 10-year-old Brooke—were banned…
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Can Kids Be Kids? 8-Year-Old Michigan Girl Banned From Picture Day for Her Colorful Braided Bun
The last time we checked, people all over the world wear their hair in myriad styles—straight, curly, short, long, colored, braided, dreadlocked, etc.—and yet, children are inexplicably shielded from this in many schools, which continue to mandate their hairstyles. Arguably, these rules—which have, in some cases, prohibited children from attending classes or participating in extracurricular…
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Excuse Me, New York Post, but Your Ends Need Sealing
Folks—especially fellow media folk—can we stop commenting on things we know nothing about and are too lazy to look up? Because assuming only makes an ass out of you and the media outlet you work for. It was mere months ago when a reporter embarrassed herself and her new political beat at the Washington Post…
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Braiding a Bond: Serena Williams Shares the Time-Honored Tradition of Braiding With Daughter Olympia
It’s been years since we’ve seen Serena or Venus Williams rocking their once-ubiquitous braids and beads; memorably, long before #TeamNatural renewed respect for textured and traditional hairstyles, the Williams sisters were frequently derided for the cornrows and beads they sported on the court. As writer Chanté Griffin reminded us in a 2018 essay for Medium:…
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Calling Foul: Virginia Referee Barred From Future Games After Complaining About 10-Year-Old Girl’s Hair
Another day, another person who has an issue with a black child’s hair. A youth basketball referee in Chesapeake, Va., has been barred from reffing future games in the city after making negative comments about a young black player’s hair. As local news team WAVY reports, the unnamed but veteran referee singled out the 10-year-old…
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A Breakthrough for New Jersey Braiders: New Legislation Won't Require a License to Practice
Big news for braiding entrepreneurs in New Jersey: Legislation that would exempt hair braiders from the state’s current licensing requirements has received legislative approval and will now be submitted to the governor. The bill, sponsored by Assemblywomen Angela McKnight (D-Hudson) and Shanique Speight (D-Essex), would not only remove the stringent and expensive licensing regulations currently…
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Bye-Bye, Heat Damage; Hello, Protective Styles!
The relationship a black woman has with her hair is ever changing. One day our hair looks flawless; the next day we’re tying our hair down with a scarf to hold down our edges and whatever might be going on in the “kitchen.” Summer is always a trying time for us because of the humidity,…
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Can I Live? Malia Obama Tries Out Braids for Summer, and Now Everybody’s a Hairstylist
First kids—they’re just like us! Ah, youth. I remember my college years at a predominantly white college in the Northeast, navigating a course load and campus job while trying to figure out how to stay cute while washing my hair with extra-hard dorm water … good times. It’s no wonder that by the end of…
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Met Gala 2018: Issa Rae Gets Regal and Red-Carpet Ready
Last night, all the sexy people strutted their red-carpet stuff at fashion’s biggest night out: the Met Gala, the annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. Issa Rae was ready to shine as usual, giving the evening’s theme, “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” her own spin…