Hair We Go Again!
October 14, 2003
by Yan
Almost daily exposure to American-European popular culture convinces me of the critical need for African people to develop their own alternative forms of media. Almost universally we see the belief that 'white is right', forced down our throats by the American European dominated media.
http://www.msn.co.uk/Default.asp?Ath=f
I came across something so simple and so common that we hardly ever even realize it. On the Msn home page I saw a tiny highlighted advertisement/ article entitled "MAD HAIR" the picture next to it was of the black American singer Macy Gray, an African woman who sports a natural afro hairstyle.
Next to the picture are the words " How to keep your wild locks under control" With growing dread I click the link and come to a page full of white, sleek haired, blond females who are held up as the icons of 'sleek, beautiful hair', while the beautiful hair of the sister on the front page is portrayed as the icon of the kind of hair that needs controlling, taming, that requires some gargantuan effort to make beautiful.
Original Link kept but removed
Images like this are so prevalent and so subtle that many people do not even notice them. So many black women have become so brainwashed and desensitized that they no longer even feel the slap in the face when they are disrespected and ridiculed by white popular culture. For those who think that these issues are not important…check yourself!
October 15, 2003
by Poetic Princess
That article was a disgust to me. It just shows that as much they say racism is out of this century it is still much very well present… as how they described Macy Gray hair as being "mad hair" but if it was a white lady with her hair in that very same hairstyle it wouldn't have been described as that, it would have been classified as a new style not anything mad or crazy.
I really believe it time that black women stop getting brainwashed by all this relaxing and white is right, so to belong, we have to relax our hair and let it be straight like the models own depicted in the article. I really feel this is a very important issue because if every young BLACK woman was to follow this trend of having straight hair it will kill our heritage and history slowly, and then that part of us would no longer remain.
Yet it still causes to me to ponder why we copy the white women with having our hair straight and where I live I have seen white ladies copying us trying to get their hair cornrow and trying to grow locks and they wishing to have nappy hair like ours so they can get them into our styles so I don't know why we aren't proud to have to have nappy hair that we are gifted with and they are not, WE ARE ALL BLACK QUEENS AND WE SHOULD BE PROUD OF OUR HAIR.
October 15, 2003
by Kingston
Good find Yan...
Subtly is the new form for racism and this is a perfect example of the ingenuity of the powers that press for white dominance.
It really is sad that we are exposed to these racist hints and many do not even know about it. I think this is called subliminal advertising wouldn't you? No it is not subliminal in the classic sense but it has all the same characteristics of hidden messages.
We really must actively be involved in what let into our minds for as we see there are new tricks being used. I fear for the impressionable young who just take everything thing in without a filter.
To me this type of suggestion without words is one of the most dangerous problems we face these days. It only goes to show us all that racism is still around...we are just seeing new forms of it.
Yan. Good on you for bringing this to the light. I am not sure I would have taken much notice to it.
Respect to all,
Kingston.
October 15, 2003
by iyah360
Peace.
The media not only feeds our perception of reality, but also caters to the mass's sense of prejudice.
Part of the reason the media continues with racist over and under-tones is because the marketing people have done research and have found out what the average American is comfortable with.
It is a two way street.
October 16, 2003
by Ras Tyehimba
Yes Yan, I totally agree with you. People have a right to be wrong (once it doesn't infringe on the rights of others) but they also have a right to be exposed to information. The mass of conditioning spewed by media in this Patriarchal White Supremacist is mind-boggling. We are being conditioned to accept less for ourselves and be lead like sheep to slaughter. It's impossible for an individual to escape the bombardment that psyches face without proper mechanism to counter it.
By developing alternative forms of media such as this site people can be exposed to the other half and from that they could make a choice. But in the absence of that critical half, the masses will continue to fall victim to the mass of ignorance. Analysis of what is shown in mainstream media and even who controls it emphasizes how unbalanced things are. We should not leave our education in the hands of fools.
Read this article.
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