Sunday, June 06, 2010

touch-up

after leaving the farmers market today, i went to one of my favorite grocery stores. i saw a black woman there with an obvious hair piece. she had her hair all done, her "stylish" outfit on, her name brand handbag. the first thing that went through my head was "hair weave". i mean, not that she didn't look nice, but a black woman can usually spot a hair weave or hair piece a mile away.

but what's the point of wearing a hair weave if it's obvious? every other black woman knows it's a weave. white people rarely know, so maybe that's the idea? i'm not sure. i've never had a weave, and as i waited in line with my own hair pulled back, in need of a touch-up i wondered which was worse: having a hair weave that almost everyone knows is not real or wearing my real hair out when it's obvious that i have new growth and need a touch-up?

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, you can tell when someone has dyed their hair, has fake nails, etc and if it still looks nice, it's ok. Maybe it's the same with her.

Anonymous said...

WHite people don't know, and that is EXACTLY the point! hahaha-- not to sound disrespectful, but I can go longer between relaxing touch-ups when I hang with my white friends.. they have no clue that my hair is actually lookin' ratty.

haha-- what a hilarious post.

Anonymous said...

well then, you are doing a better job than other black women...I think it's pretty obvious, and I'm white.

Shukura Li said...

LOL at the weave part

Mandi said...

I say...rock whatcha got!

Anonymous said...

i feel u girl. I feel the same way.i have had barbie dolls with better weaves. I dont know....maybe theyre getting these weaves out the toy section made by mattel. I just cant do it. Braids ok as long as u dont keep em in so much that ur hair line starts to recede that wouldnt be good either.

Anonymous said...

Really??? You just woke up this day and felt the need to blog about another woman's choice of hair weave? You said yourself that she looked nice. Why does it matter to YOU? Maybe she likes the way she looks, and that's all that matters. Man, black women...please, please stop putting other black women down! You sound VERY petty!

Eileen said...

As a "white girl" (well, not really; I'm a mutt - but I have "white" hair), I think most black women look best when they don't do anything special to their hair. Weaves look really fake. Straightened "black" hair usually looks like my hair would if I went too long without washing it. Pulling it back looks nice. Natural and curly looks nice. I volunteer at the YMCA in a pretty black neighborhood, and it absolutely killed me when a little girl said she wished her hair were like mine - she was so pretty just the way she was.

Anonymous said...

emn8- that was a very cute comment.

i have long hair and i wear weaves (partial weaves-meaning only half of my hair is left out) ...and my black friends can't tell half the time i have to convince them its a weave because they just assume that its my hair...and of course the white people can never tell lol but its fine however alot of my white female wear extensions and they dont attach the stigma to it like blacks do....

for a black person you have to have the right hair texture and face shape to wear weave especially straight weave

Anonymous said...

I don't know where to start here. I read several of these posts, and the thing they seem to have in common is an extreme level of contempt for black people in general, and black men in particular. So sad. I see this mentality quite often in these black chicks who are quick to own the legacy of the black struggle, but feel that their elite education and light skin exempt them from the struggle and entitle them to condescend toward black men. Funny thing is it's not new -- in my mind's eye, I can see this chick's forebearer two centuries ago laid up with some white planter making fun of the field hands or whatever. It's really sad to read.

Moreover, this chick misses black folks but she lives in Portland and mentions her white husband in each posting whether he is germane to the posting or not. Wow.

the lion cubs playbook said...

Some women wear weaves and wigs to give their hair a rest i.e. protective styles. So the woman in question may just have the most gorgeous head of hair you've ever seen under the weave

alice said...

I guess it's just hair. I wear my hair natural and I love it, no more scalp burns every 6 weeks. Also, I just love the way it feels :)

Girl with Smile said...

When my hair is freshly done and shiny people (black and white and anything between) assume it's weave because its sooo impossible for a black girl to have nice long hair. But when its not long n shiny, its okay, cuz that's just black hair. It's saying that only white people can have nice shiny long hair. No, I just like my stuff straight and shiny..that's all.

But to your question..i think it's better to have a fresh weave than a nappy natural that needs to be done.

J.L. said...

Honey, many white people DO know. Especially if they are in the beauty industry. White people also wear extensions, wigs, pastiches and all manner of fake hair to improve their appearance. They also straighten, perm and color. As well as fake nails, breasts, face lifts, whatever floats their boat to make them feel better about themselves. Who cares? It's like fake designer bags. If you own a real one, you KNOW. But who cares? If the chick with the fake one is feeling good, why put her down? Clearly, I'm white. Perhaps you ought to just not worry about others and focus on your issue of why you have this need to criticize? Whites feel all the same things about themselves as you apparently do. Having gone through 60 years as "that blond girl/bitch/woman" or, worse, the Barbie Doll", and working in a largely male field, I do relate to much of what your saying. Not because I want you to think I'm not a racist but because discrimination is everywhere; it is human nature for some to tear down others who are different in order to feel better about themselves. Whites can be very nasty to other whites whom they perceive as inferior. It shows through dress, language, hair, make-up, length of nails, accessories, conversation, field of work, lack of education,etc.

Anonymous said...

Yes. I know. I am European, and I wonder why so many American white women hug each other, and why there are so many lesbians. I guess American white males are failing in the bed room. That's why so many european women prefer you-know-who.

v said...

I'm very against weaves and feel women wear them because they don't want to deal with their kinky/coily hair. I'm natural and have been for over 20 years. But I understand having choices. I just feel that weaves are EVERYWHERE now and it's just gotten out of hand. Sisters deal with your hair, it's like not dealing with yourself--like you're ashamed of something about you.