By Chandra of Healthy Happy Hair
I love this shirt for a few reasons, primarily because it’s comfortable!! Most of the time I forget what it reads. Saturday my hubby and I decided to tour our own city… (that was a great idea btw, we should do it more often!)
As I was waiting on my food at one of the food trucks I was approached by a non-black man, and he carefully asked me ”I just want to know, is it racist to say that someone has Nappy Hair or to use the word Nappy?” I must admit I was a bit caught off?? Until I remembered what I was wearing!
It’s funny because this question wasn’t as clear cut to answer as I thought it would be. I knew that I really could not answer for all black people with this hair texture, so I said, “I guess it depends how you say it and why you said it, and who you say it too!” I also went on to describe to him what our hair texture really is as it grows out of our scalps. Many people have misunderstood our hair type, even us! I told him it’s a real hair texture and not something that is matted and not groomed or maintained.
I rarely use the word “nappy” to describe kinky or tightly coiled hair, but I also don’t really have a problem with the word. I do know that a lot of African Americans do have a problem with it, and many in the Natural Hair Community do not. So I believe this is why I wasn’t sure how to answer him initially.
I believe the origin of the word is racist. But many African Americans use the word to define “bad” hair or naturally kinky hair also. So it’s almost like, we can say it, but they can’t (sound familiar?)
Click to read the rest at Healthy Happy Hair.
Ladies, what are your thoughts on the term “nappy”?
