“Pretty for a dark-skinned girl” suggests she comes second to light-skinned women and/or she’s just one of the dark-skinned women who got “lucky.” Being beautiful and dark-skinned has never been an anomaly. Dark skin is as beautiful as fairer skin. Period. People seem more prone to assume a Black women is wearing weave whenever her hair is longer than shoulder-length, or appears to be super full. Few white women get asked about their hair being real. People mostly assume it’s all their hair unless otherwise informed. For clarity, Black women do wear weave. We also wear our REAL hair, which is capable of growing long, healthy, and full. More clarity: White women and women of other races also wear weave — A LOT. There are whole hair salons dedicated to providing extensions in the form of clip-ins, sew-ins, and whatever else. Women who aren’t Black just don’t get called out or questioned about their weave as often. Stop questioning all women about their hair being real or fake. It’s not your business. The information won’t write you any checks or hug you at night. If a woman wants you to know more details about her hair, she’ll provide them. Worry about your own scalp. The people who get this compliment are often those with looser, wavier curl patterns — aka patterns closer to straight and silky than kinkier textures. All hair is nice, period. No one ever says, “Straight hair isn’t for everybody” or “Long hair isn’t for everybody.” These comments position natural hair as an undesirable hairstyle that only some people can get away with. Many people who say this have seen natural hairstyles they disliked or have possibly gone natural before but didn’t enjoy the process. That’s on them. Find the hair style and ROUTINE that works for your natural hair and it IS for you. End of story. Keep it. So no, women of color are not cutting their hair and growing it back in three days and cutting it again. It’s shrinkage, people.
title: “11 Backhanded Compliments Women Of Color Are Sick Of” ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-17” author: “James Hastings”
“Pretty for a dark-skinned girl” suggests she comes second to light-skinned women and/or she’s just one of the dark-skinned women who got “lucky.” Being beautiful and dark-skinned has never been an anomaly. Dark skin is as beautiful as fairer skin. Period. People seem more prone to assume a Black women is wearing weave whenever her hair is longer than shoulder-length, or appears to be super full. Few white women get asked about their hair being real. People mostly assume it’s all their hair unless otherwise informed. For clarity, Black women do wear weave. We also wear our REAL hair, which is capable of growing long, healthy, and full. More clarity: White women and women of other races also wear weave — A LOT. There are whole hair salons dedicated to providing extensions in the form of clip-ins, sew-ins, and whatever else. Women who aren’t Black just don’t get called out or questioned about their weave as often. Stop questioning all women about their hair being real or fake. It’s not your business. The information won’t write you any checks or hug you at night. If a woman wants you to know more details about her hair, she’ll provide them. Worry about your own scalp. The people who get this compliment are often those with looser, wavier curl patterns — aka patterns closer to straight and silky than kinkier textures. All hair is nice, period. No one ever says, “Straight hair isn’t for everybody” or “Long hair isn’t for everybody.” These comments position natural hair as an undesirable hairstyle that only some people can get away with. Many people who say this have seen natural hairstyles they disliked or have possibly gone natural before but didn’t enjoy the process. That’s on them. Find the hair style and ROUTINE that works for your natural hair and it IS for you. End of story. Keep it. So no, women of color are not cutting their hair and growing it back in three days and cutting it again. It’s shrinkage, people.
