Opinion | Don’t touch their hair
Gracie Fleischman, Opinions Editor
Once again, Kim Kardashian is in the headlines being accused of cultural appropriation. The reality star debuted her new cornrowed hair style, which she dubbed “Bo Derek braids,” on her Snapchat Jan. 29.
Bo Derek is a white actress who wore cornrows in the 1979 film, “10,” but she most certainly did not create the hairstyle, which is actually called “Fulani braids,” after the Fulani tribe in the Sahel Region and West Africa. Kardashian and her sisters have a history of appropriating traditionally black hairstyles and profiting off them. Last June, Kardashian was accused of darkening her skin tone a la “blackface” to sell her newest beauty venture, which, incidentally, had only three skin tone options. In the past, she and her sisters have worn cornrows and made “boxer braids” popular in the white community, despite the hairstyle existing long before the family wore them.
I see people on campus wearing “boxer braids” and little cornrows in their blond hair, probably thinking to themselves, “If I saw it on Instagram, I can wear it.” Here lies the problem with white celebrities who use their platform to steal from other cultures.
When the Kardashians show off their bronzed, darkened skin and cornrowed hair on their infamous show on E!, they make it easier and more attractive to take what is not theirs, all the while raking in millions.
Whether it’s dreamcatchers, geisha Halloween costumes or Coachella “bindis,” white people have a long history of appropriating minority cultures. No, it is not borrowing, and no, it doesn’t mean you are embracing a different culture. You are stealing what is not yours from a group of people who were mocked for those same styles and fashions until a white celebrity made it cool.
The Fulani braids Kardashian wore last week are steeped in African culture that dates back centuries, usually adorned with cowrie shells, beads and even silver coins. In ancient Africa, hairstyles could differentiate a group of people from one another and could even signal one’s rank. People of nobility would often wear intricate braids and coiffed updos, while people in mourning would neglect their hair as a symbol of grief, according to Africa.com.
Just because you saw it on a white celebrity doesn’t mean it’s OK. We must start holding those people accountable for their actions. Next time you see a cute braided hairstyle on Pinterest, ask yourself: Does this hairstyle steal from another culture? Next time you are about to buy makeup and notice only your light shade if offered, ask yourself: Am I supporting a discriminatory company?
To my fellow white brothers and sisters, please let us stop. We have enough hairstyles, makeup and fashion styles that are appropriate to rock without stealing from the people our ancestors enslaved and oppressed.