Hello Meltingpot Readers,
It’s the last Wednesday of the month, which means it’s time for a Black hair check-in. Today’s story was inspired by the esteemed Dr. Yaba Blay, who posted a video on her Professional Black Girl Facebook page. I watched the video and was amazed that; 1) Without chemicals you could turn straight Asian hair into something that very much resembles a kinky, Black Afro. 2) That men would go through such lengths for a “hairstyle.” And 3) Even though Black hair is continuously demonized, politicized and criticized, people still want to have it.
Dear readers, this took me down a rabbit hole of YouTube videos where I discovered an entire subsection of hair tutorials by young Asian men teaching their viewers how to turn their straight hair curly. Yep, that means this is officially a thing. These YouTube vloggers are talking about twists and bantu knots. They’re using products like Cantu Moisturizing Twist and Loc butter and Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie. There’s usually R&B or hip hop music grooving in the background. Honestly, if you replaced the Asian guy with a Black woman in the video, you could keep everything else the same.
On the one hand, I love the very meltingpot nature of this phenomenon. It’s a cross cultural mash-up that is particularly interesting since many Black hair supply stores are run by Asian proprietors. Maybe it was fate that the kids who grew up in these stores would come to embrace the styles and culture they saw everyday. It’s no big surprise to me that Asian men are trying to emulate Black style, as this has been going on for years. Hair could just be the next frontier of cultural exchange between the two. The media always depicts Asians and Blacks in a state of conflict, as if there is no common ground between the two ethnic groups. But clearly that’s the white gaze not seeing the commonalities and genuine friendships between many Black people and their Asian brothers and sisters.
Cultural Appropriation or Appreciation?
On the other hand, we have to consider cultural appropriation. Not only are Asian men borrowing from Black hair culture, they’re even borrowing the YouTube hair tutorial model that Black women pioneered. Because I’m just discovering this phenomenon, I don’t yet have an opinion on whether we call this cultural appropriation. But I’m sure some people will, based on the response to Chinese American NBA star Jeremy Lin wearing dreadlocks. Maybe we should discuss this issue on the podcast. Hmmm. Stay tuned.
What do you think, dear readers? Have you heard about this style trend? Do you think Asian men getting Afros is a sign of respect and admiration for Black culture or is it Kim Kardashian and her Bo-Derek braids all over again? I’d like to hear your thoughts. You know I’m listening.
Peace!
(Note the Afro Pick at the top of the page is actually available to purchase through Etsy. I just saw the image and thought it was perfect.)
