Beauty - Hair Care - Fashion : Are you offended if someone calls your hair NAPPY?

[Angela22]

That's my job, that's what being a good loving brother is all about.

Its only an insult if you take it as such, people sometimes joke calling you crazy, do you feel insulted by it? or do you just laugh it off and move on. Its impossible for your hair to be use as an insult, its the greatest hair on the planet, you can do whatever you want with it, excuse me but I am about to name drop for a second, the Most High God and Christ has the same texture of hair as you do, what is there to be insulted about? all you have to do , is just correct them with a smile. If they say your hair is nappy, simply reply, "I love it," then tell "by the way proper term is wooly" let them know "educated people say wooly" I guarantee they won't try it again, and you will look good do it.


The Bible says answer not a fool according to his folly, ignore them or, just acknowledge the fullness of your lips, tell he or she they look good on you and be proud about it, but my point is you were created perfect, nothing in your body should be use as an insult unless you allow it to be so. the Black woman's body has been made to a mockery in this society because of the Jealousy and envy of the Oppressor, they hated them because they didn't have them, and brainwashed Negroes have followed their slave masters stupidity and make stupid jokes about their own bodies. Full Lips or big lips ,Nappy or wooly are blessings from God, like I said its impossible for them to be used as an insult unless you take it as an insult.

If someone means to be insulting, sure, I can take it anyway I want, and I can do the same with compliments, also. But why take it any other way than what they mean, as if taking it positively is going to change that they are trying to equate something about me to that which is wrong, bad, negative, etc?

It doesn't mean I'm swayed and am going to break down crying or something, and it doesn't even mean I'll give them a reply back for it, but I recognize the insult in their words, and can now discern what they are all about.

It's no different than if someone tried to insult my gender by saying something like, "sure glad I wasn't born a woman, one of the worst creatures known to mankind!". I'm not ashamed to be a woman, but can see very clearly they are insulting me because of my gender.

So if I feel insulted, I think it's most appropriate for said situation.

 

[Kadijah]

Are you offended if someone calls your hair NAPPY?

I'd heard the term "black self-hate" before I came to MBs. I'd always thought of it as a political statement of how one views the world and one's place in it. Once on MBs, however, I was astounded at folk expressing personal feelings of black self-hate, e.g., "I always hated being dark-skinned" or "I hate my hair." And meant it!

That's never been my problem. Even as a small child, I never hated ANYTHING about myself. Sure, someone would say, "Uh oh! Your "naps" are showing!" and I would laugh.... because that was the expected thing to do.... but inside, I never felt bad, ugly, unworthy or any such negative feelings. I knew it wasn't me - it was "them." They were the ones who had a problem, not me. I suppose because when it came to physical appearance, my parents were remarkably free of black self-hate. They had other issues, but "black" self-hate was not one of them. As a result, us children never had that issue.

My children also don't have black self-hate issues. A co-worker showed my daughter a picture of his half-white new-born and said, smugly, that she had "good" hair. My daughter told him dryly, "No, I have good hair. I can wear it in an Afro, I can straighten it, I can corn-row it, I can do anything with (the texture of) my hair. She can't. She can only wear her hair one way." She was about to say more, i.e., point out more deficiencies in his kid's white folks' hair vs. her crowning glory, when he stopped her. "Ok, Kadijah, Jr.," he smirked. "I get it!"

If someone today said I had nappy hair, I'd prolly laugh, or consider the source and shrug. And, since it's almost always said to insult, I might just turn the tables on the fool and let them know how I really feel - "Yeah, ain't I cute?" And it wouldn't be a "defensive" thing, either. Unlike most blacks (that come to MBs, at least), I LOVE my hair! I never had that convo with my daughter, but she expressed my feelings about the versatility of my hair as if she had! I can do even "more" than she listed with my texture (in actuality, my hair is more kinky than nappy, but like black and African-American, I have no problem using the terms interchangeably). My hair in its natural state has always been full, thick, and soft as lamb's wool. Not to mention healthy, springy and elastic.

So a word to the wise: Teach the children well and they will grow up to love the way they look. And if not love the way they look (what woman wants size 12 feet? ), feel no shame for the way they look.

 

[Michael Smith]

Peace Destee Family, the one thing we as People of NUBIAN Descent must NEVER, EVER DO, and that is abandon any part of ourselves, especially our Skin Color and Hair Texture... This is Why...
MELANIN is a direct link to our ancestors of OLIVE-TONE SKIN COLOR with NINE ETHER HAIR, whom also had very large eyes, and from a different GALAXY. This gift MELANIN, being the finest of the refined chemicals known to our species. MELANIN dwells in every essence of our environment. The MELANIN that is throughout our bodies is the very thing that colors this Planet and everything in it. MELANIN not only dwells in the skin, it is found in the eyes, ears, central nervous system, pineal gland, pituitary gland, thyroid gland, and also abundantly in the inner parts of the body. MELANIN requires vitamin B to maintain purity, in order to heal ailments that occur within our bodies. MELANIN is an extremely stable molecule, and highly resistant to digestion by most acids and bases, and is one of the hardest molecules to ever be analyzed. It appear as different shades and hues, colors being BLACK to, BROWN to, RED to YELLOW. MELANIN is found in abundance in the depths of the land of NUBIA called Africa today. The land called North America among the different tribes called NUBIANS ranging in skin color from the darkest of Black to Brown to Red to Yellow hues. The pigment MELANIN is responsible for the color of skin. When MELANIN does not appear in the skin, it is a deficiency, and this deficiency comes about because of the absence of MELANOCYTES. These cells called MELANOCYTES are responsible for all the colors of hair as well, from Black to Yellow. The tree-like MELANOCYTE cells in the deeper epidermis is what produces this dark brown pigment called MELANIN.
HAIR...Kinky, Wavy and Straight. Hair is broken down into different categories described as 9 Ether, 8 Ether, 7 Ether and 6 Ether. First let's define the word "Ether", Webster's Third College Edition define the word Ether as: "A physics hypothetical invisible substance postulated as prevailing space, and serving as the medium for the transmission of light waves, and other forms of RADIANT ENERGY".
The number 9 (nine) is the highest number in supreme mathematics...nine to the ninth power of nine... To further emphasize the superiority of the number 9 (nine)... when multiplied from 1 to 10, it produces the same figures from top to bottom, this mathematical sequence cannot be achieved by any other number...Eample:...
9x1=09 8x1=08 7x1=07 6x1=06
9x2=18 8x2=16 7x2=14 6x2=12
9x3=27 8x3=24 7x3=21 6x3=18
9x4=36 8x4=32 7x4=28 6x4=24
9x5=45 8x5=40 7x5=35 6x5=30
9x6=54 8x6=48 7x6=42 6x6=36
9x7=63 8x7=56 7x7=49 6x7=42
9x8=72 8x8=64 7x8=56 6x8=48
9x9=81 8x9=72 7x9=63 6x9=54
x10=90 x10=80 x10=70 x10=60
OBSERVE THE ANSWERS OF THE 9 (NINE ) SEQUENCE
In the process of Evolution and during the replenishing of the Earth, 9 Ether was placed in the genetic structure of all that are of NUBIAN decent in varying degrees, when the number 9 is inverted it becomes the number 6 which cannot produce a rational mathematical sequence or has less energy (Dr. Malachi Z. York)... to be continued . ... Peace

 

[Black-king]

If someone means to be insulting, sure, I can take it anyway I want, and I can do the same with compliments, also. But why take it any other way than what they mean, as if taking it positively is going to change that they are trying to equate something about me to that which is wrong, bad, negative, etc?

It doesn't mean I'm swayed and am going to break down crying or something, and it doesn't even mean I'll give them a reply back for it, but I recognize the insult in their words, and can now discern what they are all about.

It's no different than if someone tried to insult my gender by saying something like, "sure glad I wasn't born a woman, one of the worst creatures known to mankind!". I'm not ashamed to be a woman, but can see very clearly they are insulting me because of my gender.

So if I feel insulted, I think it's most appropriate for said situation.

Like I said if you feel insulted its because of low self-esteemed or other Character issues you have. If someone tells a rich , you filthy rich as an insult, no matter how much the person says, that won't offend the rich person. If you are offended its because deep down inside you are insecured about your full lips and your Nappy Hair. That's the truth.

 

[rapunzal24]

First of all, this is not an original idea. I came up with this topic after reading the thread asking women who wear their hair natural to identify themselves and share their reasons for choosing to be "natural."

While reading the responses, I really became more curious to know are there any Black(men and women) that get offended if someone referred to their hair as being "nappy"?

When/if someone says that, does it hurt your feelings and make you defensive?

Is anyone willing to admit that they are bothered by the natural curls that spring tight to their head and you just don't like them?

lBlack women:

Has a man ever told you he liked your hair better permed and weaved?

Has he ever named a "movie star" to give you an example of the type of hairstyle he would like you to wear?

When I was much younger, I used to get offended if someone told me my hair was nappy because that was meant to be an insult. Today, I've been long past that form of ignorant way of thinking and have developed a more caring relationship with my hair. I'm no longer insulted if someone refers to my hair as nappy. In fact, I am starting to think that it's one of the highest compliments a Black person can be paid.

As I look at how Black women express themselves through their hairstyles, I often wonder what reasons lie underneath their chosen style. When they look in the mirror, what do they see? I see a Black woman's hair as an expression of who they are and it says a lot about how she thinks of herself and views the world in which she lives.

I think a Black woman's hair is uniquely and wonderfully versatile. It can signify social, political, economic and spiritural connotations. It can be shaped, styled and manipulated in as many different ways as the mind can conjure up ideas. Our hair can reflect so much about us. They say that the eyes are windows into our souls. Maybe our nappy hair is a reflection of our souls.

Here's a website that I found interesting and wanted to share with all my nappy haired sisters! I hope you enjoy it.



http://www.geocities.com/jywanza1/Blackwomenshaira.htm

Only when it is used in a negative way. You can tell when someone uses it as an insult. Most of the time when I hear the word, it is always used in a negative way. Since I have been natural for a few years now, I have just learned to look at people and go...thank you. The look on their face is priceless, lol!