The idea of a popular culture artifacts is one that encompasses a large and broad number of items and concepts. Some examples of these artifacts include movies, shows, advertisements, photographs, consumer goods, and much more. Often times, many of these cultural artifacts that make it to “mainstream culture” tend to come from subcultures and marginalized groups, turning what was once seen as the “other” into the norm. An exemplar artifact that tends to clearly reflect this process is the establishment of cornrows in US culture. Cornrows demonstrate a recurring pattern in society, seeing that many aspects that show up in popular culture tend to come from marginalized subcultures.
Cornrows in themselves are not a new development. Evidence of cornrow use within societies has been found as far back as 3,000 B.C in Africa. In her ethnographic book that compiles the experiences of black women and their hair, Ingrid Banks defines cornrows as a hairstyle where, "one’s hair is braided or twisted in various forms and attached to the scalp" (Banks, 2000, p. 173). The practice of cornrowing can be seen throughout history, but it is essential to understand how its use and significance has morphed over time in regards to the US and its internal culture. In Africa, cornrows and the design behind them were used to signal different aspects such as: wealth, age, marriage status, and more. Their appearance within US culture first came about during the enslavement of African people in the Transatlantic slave trade. When brought to the Americas, the enslaved Africans used braids in order to keep their hair “maintained” in terms of European/American standards. Another key use was the cornrowing of hair in order to establish “maps” as escape routes for slaves at the time. Many attempt to argue that cornrows are “just a hairstyle”, but historically, cornrows have been tied to have cultural meaning behind them.
Through a modern lense, the rise of cornrows within popular culture began in the 80s and continued to grow from there. Artists such as Stevie Wonder, Valerie Simpson, Rock James, and other icons brought cornrows to the forefront of black culture (Farr, 1983). In the 90s and early 2000s, cornrows continued to gain exceptional popularity because of the increasing use of it by other icons including Beyonce, Snoop Dogg, and R Kelly. The importance of the subculture created by Hip Hop, R&B, and the icons within it can be seen in the introduction of The Crunk Feminist Collective, describing that the era of Hip Hop tied the black community together despite societal oppression and opposition (Cooper et al, 2017). The establishment of “Hip-Hop Feminism” is a demonstration of the identity associated with that cultural time period, which was deemed important enough to lead to a separation from other counterparts, despite having the same core of feminist ideals. Essentially, the subculture embraced its uniqueness, including the use of cornrows, despite opposition from society.
As cornrows grew their popularity within the subculture, its use also began to make its appearance in US culture. The first major appearance of cornrows in US media was seen in 1979 in the movie 10. Despite being a white woman, Bo Derek became a figure associated with cornrows because of her hairstyle in the movie. This has remained controversial and was brought up into the mainstream when Kim Kardashian, a modern cultural icon, attributed her own cornrows to that of Bo Derek. The allusion to Bo Derek was problematic, being that it gave credit to a white woman while taking away from its deep history within African and black culture. The same issue has come up repeatedly, especially within more recent pop culture icons. White artists have been seen to use and profit off of cornrows and other aspects of black culture. For example, Ke$ha, Iggy, and Katy Perry have all used cornrows and have been described as "Trendy” and “Edgy” when they have done so.
While cornrows are just one example, it demonstrates a pattern within popular culture that tends to take aspects of subcultures. Specifically, it is very common for US pop culture to take aspects of black subculture, but look down upon it when it is conducted by black individuals. An article in The Black Detour went viral on social media because it simply explained this concept, noting that,”America Loves Black Culture But Not Black People”. By studying cultural artifacts, a deeper understanding of social intricacies can be understood, which can then push forth for social change.
References
Banks, I. (2000). Hair matters :beauty, power, and Black women’s consciousness /. New
York ::New York University Press.
Cornrows in themselves are not a new development. Evidence of cornrow use within societies has been found as far back as 3,000 B.C in Africa. In her ethnographic book that compiles the experiences of black women and their hair, Ingrid Banks defines cornrows as a hairstyle where, "one’s hair is braided or twisted in various forms and attached to the scalp" (Banks, 2000, p. 173). The practice of cornrowing can be seen throughout history, but it is essential to understand how its use and significance has morphed over time in regards to the US and its internal culture. In Africa, cornrows and the design behind them were used to signal different aspects such as: wealth, age, marriage status, and more. Their appearance within US culture first came about during the enslavement of African people in the Transatlantic slave trade. When brought to the Americas, the enslaved Africans used braids in order to keep their hair “maintained” in terms of European/American standards. Another key use was the cornrowing of hair in order to establish “maps” as escape routes for slaves at the time. Many attempt to argue that cornrows are “just a hairstyle”, but historically, cornrows have been tied to have cultural meaning behind them.
Through a modern lense, the rise of cornrows within popular culture began in the 80s and continued to grow from there. Artists such as Stevie Wonder, Valerie Simpson, Rock James, and other icons brought cornrows to the forefront of black culture (Farr, 1983). In the 90s and early 2000s, cornrows continued to gain exceptional popularity because of the increasing use of it by other icons including Beyonce, Snoop Dogg, and R Kelly. The importance of the subculture created by Hip Hop, R&B, and the icons within it can be seen in the introduction of The Crunk Feminist Collective, describing that the era of Hip Hop tied the black community together despite societal oppression and opposition (Cooper et al, 2017). The establishment of “Hip-Hop Feminism” is a demonstration of the identity associated with that cultural time period, which was deemed important enough to lead to a separation from other counterparts, despite having the same core of feminist ideals. Essentially, the subculture embraced its uniqueness, including the use of cornrows, despite opposition from society.
As cornrows grew their popularity within the subculture, its use also began to make its appearance in US culture. The first major appearance of cornrows in US media was seen in 1979 in the movie 10. Despite being a white woman, Bo Derek became a figure associated with cornrows because of her hairstyle in the movie. This has remained controversial and was brought up into the mainstream when Kim Kardashian, a modern cultural icon, attributed her own cornrows to that of Bo Derek. The allusion to Bo Derek was problematic, being that it gave credit to a white woman while taking away from its deep history within African and black culture. The same issue has come up repeatedly, especially within more recent pop culture icons. White artists have been seen to use and profit off of cornrows and other aspects of black culture. For example, Ke$ha, Iggy, and Katy Perry have all used cornrows and have been described as "Trendy” and “Edgy” when they have done so.
While white women are praised for wearing cornrows, black women are scrutinized for the same hairstyle. The main issue at hand involves understanding and implementing the concept of intertextuality, a term Stuart Hall described as the,“accumulation of meanings across different texts, where one image refers to another, or has its meaning altered by being “read” in the context of other images” (Hall, 1997, p. 232). Fundamentally, the response white women get for wearing cornrows must be compared to the response black women get for the same action as a form of “text” in order to understand the cultural significance behind it. For example, an article published in Essence Magazine’s February 1988 issue was titled with the question,” Are Cornrows Right For Work?”( Shipp, 1998, p. 109 ) This article came in response to a black woman being fired for refusing to undo her cornrows in order to be deemed “more professional”. Only a few years prior, Bo Derek was being praised, but black women were losing their careers over “just a hairstyle”. Many may believe that situations such as this are in the past, but there are still similar circumstances which plague US society. A 2019 news story explained,” A former... news anchor... was fired after not conforming to her station’s views on natural hair and beauty” (Rogers, 2019). Despite a 30 year gap, white women in media continue to profit by wearing hairstyles like cornrows, but black women continue to be at a loss when they do so.
While cornrows are just one example, it demonstrates a pattern within popular culture that tends to take aspects of subcultures. Specifically, it is very common for US pop culture to take aspects of black subculture, but look down upon it when it is conducted by black individuals. An article in The Black Detour went viral on social media because it simply explained this concept, noting that,”America Loves Black Culture But Not Black People”. By studying cultural artifacts, a deeper understanding of social intricacies can be understood, which can then push forth for social change.
References
Banks, I. (2000). Hair matters :beauty, power, and Black women’s consciousness /. New
York ::New York University Press.
Cooper, B.C., Morris, S.M., & Boylorn, R.M. (2017). The Crunk Feminist Collection. New
York: The Feminist Press. muse.jhu.edu/book/49610.
York: The Feminist Press. muse.jhu.edu/book/49610.
Farr, F. (1983, Jun 01). CORNROWS AND INDIVIDUALS: AFRO-AMERICAN BRAID
STYLES IN LOS ANGELES.Ornament (Archive: 1979-2005), 6, 12-15. Retrieved from https://proxy.library.upenn.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.proxy.library.upenn.edu/docview/1459673307?accountid=14707
STYLES IN LOS ANGELES.Ornament (Archive: 1979-2005), 6, 12-15. Retrieved from https://proxy.library.upenn.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.proxy.library.upenn.edu/docview/1459673307?accountid=14707
Hall, S. (Ed.). (1997). Representation: Cultural representations and signifying practices (Vol. 2). Sage.Rogers, D. W. (2019, January 14). Black news anchor fired over natural hair. Retrieved from https://rollingout.com/2019/01/14/black-news-anchor-fired-over-natural-hair/.
Shipp, E. R. (1988, 02). Are cornrows right for work?Essence, 18, 109-110. Retrieved from https://proxy.library.upenn.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.proxy.library.upenn.edu/docview/1876768336?accountid=14707
White, R. (2018, January 17). America Loves Black Culture But Not Black People. Retrieved November 13, 2019, from https://theblackdetour.com/america-loves-black-culture-not-black-people/
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