Historically, black people in Europe
and America received more discrimination if they wore their traditional
hairstyles.
To be taken seriously, black people had to wear white hairstyles. It was a requirement forced upon them by white people.
Hence this isn’t an issue of black people can wear white hairstyles: it’s that black people had to wear white hairstyles, that their own hairstyles were taken from them.
So for the people who took their hairstyles to then wear their hairstyles? Anyone would find that hard to process.
Why the Statement’s Reasoning is
Faulty
White people want to wear black
hairstyles because black people wear white hairstyles, even though black people
only wear white hairstyles because white people treated them bad for wearing
black hairstyles. So, white people are allowed black hairstyles now because
they denied black hairstyles to black people in the past? It’s simply not a
sensible line of thought.
People might point out that we
regularly enjoy the food, music and clothes of another culture, so why not
hair? There is a major difference in that these other things had been offered,
either in trade or as a gift. The exchange went both ways; nothing was taken by
force. Black hairstyles haven’t been exchanged but white people have taken them
for themselves. So it’s not comparable.
Acceptable Cases of ‘Black Hairstyles’
on White People
White Rastafari wear dreadlocks
because it is a part of their religion. That hairstyle had been gifted to them
when they joined the religion. Although I must note that dreadlocks have been
prevalent in India for thousands of years and there’s evidence that Vikings and
ancient Celts wore dreadlocks, too. Hence dreadlocks aren’t just a black hairstyle.
When people move to another culture,
people expect the immigrants to integrate into the host culture. So a white
person moving to Africa would be expected to adopt and assimilate the culture
they’re in. This includes food to clothing to, yes, hair. Also, if the
hairdressers only know black hairstyles, that’s what they’ll give all their
customers, whether white or black.
Note: these examples of white people
wearing nominally ‘black hairstyles’ have nothing to do with ‘black people wear
white hairstyles’. The reasonings are different.
Final Thoughts
Whilst black people today have more
freedom to wear their own hairstyles, they are still subject to discrimination
because of it. White people want to wear black hairstyles despite white people once
discriminating black people for wearing black hairstyles. Everything about
‘black people can wear white hairstyles so white people should wear black
hairstyles’ is illogical.
To be taken seriously, black people had to wear white hairstyles. It was a requirement forced upon them by white people.
Hence this isn’t an issue of black people can wear white hairstyles: it’s that black people had to wear white hairstyles, that their own hairstyles were taken from them.
So for the people who took their hairstyles to then wear their hairstyles? Anyone would find that hard to process.
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