Regulating black hair another form of racial prejudice

30 August 2016 - 10:10 By The Times Editorial

There's something fundamentally wrong about deeming black women's hair in its natural state to be unkempt. It's an apartheid aesthetic that reinforces a long history of institutions regulating bodies in such a way that white bodies are the norm. For hundreds of years black women around the world have been discriminated against because of their skin, hair and culture, while white attributes - including straight hair - were seen as superior.And so for many black women, simply wearing their hair in its natural state has become a complex and politicised act.That is because the issue, as one social commentator states, "is about so much more than just hair. It's about dignity, identity and respect."That is what is at stake for girls at Pretoria Girls High School, who at the weekend protested against the school's code of conduct relating to hairstyle.The girls claim they are being forced to straighten their hair and that the code discriminates against them. The school's 36-page-long code does not specifically outlaw afros or expressly prescribe relaxing natural hair, but the experiences of pupils who spoke to Gauteng MEC for education Panyaza Lesufi yesterday tell a different tale."I have a natural afro, but a teacher told me I need to comb my hair because it looks like a bird's nest," said one pupil, adding she was given a brush and told to neaten her hair.Another, whose hair was manhandled by a teacher, was told she had to cut it.The experience of these girls is deplorable. But what is really tragic is their experience is neither new nor unique.In 2014 a 16-year-old from Cape Town was sent home from school for wearing braids. In the Eastern Cape another girl cannot write an exam unless she straightens her afro.But what is it about black hair that frightens people? Does it challenge the standards of beauty that see long, straight hair as the only kind of beautiful hair, or does it symbolise rebellion, pride and empowerment?..

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