Kim Kardashian West, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Kendall Jenner, and Fergie have all worn them, but cornrows are not just a pop culture fad available to the masses. Hair- braiding tutorials on websites like Cosmopolitan and cornrows’ increased presence on white models and celebrities frame the hairstyle as the “new trend,” while ignoring the historical context and ancestral significance that tie cornrows to the black community. Cornrows started out as a marginalized cultural artifact belonging to black people but have since been brought into the mainstream by wealthy white celebrities, serving as a potent example of cultural appropriation.
Cornrows have been worn by black women and men since as early as 3000 B.C., with their roots tracing back to Africa as an indication of one’s tribal affiliation and the region in which they lived. As a result of the Black Power Movement, cornrows became popular in the 1960s and 1970s, as blacks rejected eurocentric beauty standards and an increasing number of notable black celebrities sported the look. In the 1990s and early 2000s they became increasingly embraced by society and were no longer viewed as “unsophisticated.” Within the black community today, they are often worn for convenience or as a protective style for the transition from relaxed to natural hair or when someone is growing out their hair.
When looking at cornrows as a pop culture artifact, it is necessary to examine Fiske’s view that “All pop culture is a process of struggle” (Fiske, 1989, p. 28). He defines pop culture as a power struggle between forces of domination and subordination. When black women wear cornrows they are often regarded as “ghetto” or “urban” and face discrimination, but when the style is worn by white women they are praised for it. After white celebrities including model Cara Delevigne, singer Rita Ora and actress Kristen Stewart wore cornrows the LA Times conjectured, “Cornrows are moving away from urban, hip-hop to more chic and edgy.” When Kendall Jenner sported cornrows in 2014, a style that she continues to wear, Marie Claire tweeted, “Kendall Jenner takes bold braids to a new epic level,” without acknowledging that there is nothing “new” about the style as black women have been wearing cornrows for ages. This demonstrates the power struggle between white wealthy celebrities and the black men and women who have been wearing cornrows for most of history.
Cornrows have always been a part of black culture in the U.S., one that led to discrimination and was viewed negatively by mainstream media, but now that it has been adopted by white celebrities it is seen in a new light. As dominant forces within the culture industry have seized and capitalized upon the hairstyle it has been pushed to the forefront of the cultural conversation. Cultural appropriation is defined as the adoption of practices belonging to one group in society by another more dominant or powerful group, and often carries connotations of exploitation or profiting off of another culture.
When these white celebrities style their hair in cornrows simply as an aesthetic, they are not acknowledging the history of struggle that comes with the style. Cornrows must be examined using Hall’s principle of intertextuality, which he describes 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). When Kim Kardashian West wears cornrows they are often referred to as “Boxer Braids” or “KKW Braids,” separating them from the intense history of the style that she is appropriating. Intertextuality requires that the hairstyle be looked at in a larger context by examining the response to black people wearing cornrows or other hairstyles such as dreadlocks, that are viewed as “dirty” or “unprofessional” when worn by blacks, but seen as “edgy” or “raw” when worn by white celebrities such as Kylie Jenner. Regardless of what they are called, through the lens of intertextuality it is clear that cornrows are steeped in cultural significance and are far more than just a hairstyle.
The increased number of white women wearing cornrows came about around the same time as Black Girl Magic, which is a feminist movement that celebrates the beauty and power of black women while addressing structural inequality. The movement was started by CaShawn Thomas in 2013 to counteract the negativity placed on black women by society and to celebrate black culture. This comes in many forms, but includes the wearing of cornrows, dreadlocks, and natural hair. As Black Girl Magic gained momentum, black celebrities demonstrated an embrace of cornrows, such as Serena Williams’s Teen Vogue cover in 2018, the publication’s first covergirl wearing the hairstyle.
Cornrows began their trajectory as something that was marginalized, viewed as “ghetto” or “urban” and associated with discrimination against black men and women. But recently, through their adoption by wealthy white celebrities they are being portrayed as a hairstyle that is accessible to everyone, when in reality non-black people wearing cornrows is an example of cultural appropriation. In response to white celebrities’ attempts to capitalize on this look, many black activists and celebrities are speaking out about the roots of the style and bringing it back into the black community through movements such as Black Girl Magic.
Cornrows began their trajectory as something that was marginalized, viewed as “ghetto” or “urban” and associated with discrimination against black men and women. But recently, through their adoption by wealthy white celebrities they are being portrayed as a hairstyle that is accessible to everyone, when in reality non-black people wearing cornrows is an example of cultural appropriation. In response to white celebrities’ attempts to capitalize on this look, many black activists and celebrities are speaking out about the roots of the style and bringing it back into the black community through movements such as Black Girl Magic.
References
Awake, M. (2019, June 27). What Cornrows Mean. Retrieved from https://www.gq.com/story/what-cornrows-mean.
Conteh, G. (2019, August 23). A Brief History Of Black Hair Braiding And Why Our Hair Will Never Be A Pop Culture Trend. Retrieved from https://www.bet.com/news/features/1619/the- history-of-hair-braiding-in-black-america.html.
Do Not Use Do Not Use. (2017, October 9). Watch Sarah Potempa Create a Mesmerizing Double Cuff Mohawk Braid. Retrieved from https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style- beauty/beauty/news/a57354/double-cuff-mohawk-braid-sarah-potempa/.
Fiske, J. (1989). Commodities and culture. In Understanding popular culture. New York, NY: Routledge. pp. 23-47.
Hall, S. (1997). Representation: Cultural representations and signifying practices. Newbery Park, CA: Sage, pp. 225-249.
Marie Claire. [@mariclaire]. (2014, April 02). Kendall Jenner takes bold braids to a new epic level: http://marie.cl/60199BHv [Tweet]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/marieclaire/status/451403750960562176?lang=en.
Schmidt, I. (2014, September 20). Head-turning hair fashions for fall: bangs, rows and tails. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/fashion/alltherage/la-ig-fall-hair-20140921-story.html.
Wagner, L. P. (2019, July 18). Serena Williams in Conversation With Naomi Wadler on Power, Activism, and #BlackGirlMagic. Retrieved from https://www.teenvogue.com/story/serena- williams-teen-vogue-dec-jan-cover.
What is Black Girl Magic? (2017, November 20). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7EAcpM-X94.
Fiske, J. (1989). Commodities and culture. In Understanding popular culture. New York, NY: Routledge. pp. 23-47.
Hall, S. (1997). Representation: Cultural representations and signifying practices. Newbery Park, CA: Sage, pp. 225-249.
Marie Claire. [@mariclaire]. (2014, April 02). Kendall Jenner takes bold braids to a new epic level: http://marie.cl/60199BHv [Tweet]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/marieclaire/status/451403750960562176?lang=en.
Schmidt, I. (2014, September 20). Head-turning hair fashions for fall: bangs, rows and tails. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/fashion/alltherage/la-ig-fall-hair-20140921-story.html.
Wagner, L. P. (2019, July 18). Serena Williams in Conversation With Naomi Wadler on Power, Activism, and #BlackGirlMagic. Retrieved from https://www.teenvogue.com/story/serena- williams-teen-vogue-dec-jan-cover.
What is Black Girl Magic? (2017, November 20). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7EAcpM-X94.
Great blog post Hannah! I thought that your in-depth analysis of the popular culture artifact cornrows and how their racial origins and modern uses are perceived by the media and people was well-written. You stated that when celebrities such as the Kardashians style their hair with cornrows it is praised as a new style or trend, when in fact it has been around for decades if not centuries. The media and yes, even the Kardashians, are taking away the true meaning behind cornrows and the centuries of oppression that the black community has endured. Your connection between this popular culture artifact and Fiske’s ideals that popular culture is a sign of struggle is perfect and well analyzed. It is a prime example of how the subordinate and dominate forces in society allow for an unknowingly racist media to publish racist opinions. When the LA Times states that “Cornrows are moving away from urban, hip-hop to more chic and edgy”, due to the fact that Kylie Jenner was seen wearing them, a racist ideal that only a white woman can bring something so uniquely and originally African American to the “next level” in fashion is created. Your reference to Black Girl Magic is another great connection with the classes readings and how it allowed for black women and their culture to be celebrated instead of oppressed. This use of cornrows could have been used as a way to elevate Black Girl Magic if the new users recognized where it came from and the struggle people had to go through. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your well-written blog and was intrigued by the topic as a whole.
ReplyDeleteFiske, J. (1989). Commodities and culture. In Understanding popular culture. New York, NY: Routledge. pp. 23-47.
What is Black Girl Magic? (2017, November 20). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7EAcpM-X94.
Marie Claire. [@mariclaire]. (2014, April 02). Kendall Jenner takes bold braids to a new epic level: http://marie.cl/60199BHv [Tweet]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/marieclaire/status/451403750960562176?lang=en
- Drew Schwartz
Hannah, I absolutely loved your capturing and well-written blog post! I believe you did an excellent job analyzing the history and influence of cornrows from ancient times all the way to the present day. Further, you did a great job explaining how the mediatization of cornrows has sadly led to cultural appropriation. I vividly remember the time when Kendall Jenner first wore cornrows in her hair and everyone praised her for embracing a new trend. I find it absurd that the media has allowed and even promoted the idea that cornrows are a new trend when seen on “white people.” It truly goes to highlight that despite our society’s progressive advancements in equal treatment towards people of color, the struggle continues on. You made a great connection between cornrows to John Fiske’s belief that “all pop culture is a process of struggle.” The resistance is still seen in today’s society as people of color are not receiving the recognition and applause they deserve as they were the first to invent the hairstyle. Jackson, Vares, and Gill once noted how black magic was a response to inherent whiteness of girl power and addresses the structural inequalities of racism by celebrating the beauty, power, and resilience of black women. I think you did a great job mentioning how black girl magic has allowed for black women, such as Serena Williams, to stand up and embrace the hairstyle. Personally, I think it is super important that people of color continue to lift and empower one another to embrace their culture and style in the face of oppression. Maybe then, the media and society will acknowledge and applaud them for staying true to their culture. In all, I very much enjoyed reading your blog post. Great job!
ReplyDelete- Madison Leal
I very much enjoyed reading your post Hannah! The conversation of cultural appropriation versus appreciation is something that I’m very interested in as well; I was very eager to read the entirety of your blog post after reading the first paragraph. It’s incredibly frustrating and disheartening when some people dismiss the practice of cultural appropriation when we constantly see example after example of white celebrities wearing cornrows or other black hairstyles for the “aesthetic” when black folx are put down for wearing the exact same hairstyles. Even though these celebrities get called out for it and the black community continues to educate the public on its history, it still happens. As a result, ordinary people also begin to adopt these hairstyles after constantly seeing it on celebrities.
ReplyDeleteI want to further your discussion by focusing on the wider impact celebrities have on the general public by perpetuating this practice of cultural appropriation. With the little to no actual impact that white celebrities receive to their careers by wearing black hairstyles, it creates the belief to the public that it’s simply a “trendy hairstyle that looks nice, so they should try it too.” Marshall (2014) explains the concept of rationalization, the replacement of the church with a more scientific way of how the world works, to show the larger role celebrities have in society today. Where religion once provided guidelines on how to be a moral being, celebrities now fulfill that role in order to provide unity. This shows the cultural impact and influence celebrities have on the public; people are more willing to act based on the actions of celebrities because they look to them for direction in life. This ties in with Benjamin’s (1936) theory of the cult of personality that has led people to desire a sense of closeness to a specific celebrity. This results in the desire to replicate things the celebrity has done to achieve this sense of closeness. With these two factors combined, it isn’t hard to imagine the indirect consequences of celebrities engaging in cultural appropriation.
There is a difference between appropriation and appreciation/cultural exchange and I hope that structured conversations around the topic would be discussed more frequently, especially since it’s also prevalent among other communities of color; appropriation exists within every group. Diving deeper into (uncomfortable) conversations would allow for better understanding between groups in order to lead to change.
—Vivienne Chen
I enjoyed reading this refreshing blog post. What an interesting topic! I loved your analysis, and I do agree with your point. Cornrows have become an example of cultural appropriation. This hairstyle displays a racial struggle beyond hair. When black people wear their hair in braids, they are viewed as “dirty” or “informal”. However, once a white celebrity wears this look, it is completely transformed. They are praised for a chic, fashionable hairstyle. As Times Magazine explains, “a white person looking black gets a fashion spread in a glossy magazine; a black person wearing the same thing gets pulled over by the police”. The meaning of the look is completely changed once a white person wears it. As Fiske states, “a text that is made into pop culture must, then, contain both the forces of domination and the opportunities to speak against them.” Cornrows reflect an ongoing racial battle with dominant and nondominant forces. This fight is between wealthy white celebrities and black people sporting this look. Additionally, this hairstyle is often criticized and spoken against in the media. I also found it interesting that you compared the timing of the Black Girl Magic to white celebrities wearing cornrows. Black Girl Magic is a feminist movement that supports racial equality and natural, black beauty. After this movement gained popularity, many black celebrities embraced their natural hair on the red carpet. Despite attempts from the white community, Black celebrities were able to bring the hairstyle back into their community with help from the popular movement.
ReplyDelete- Nola Riina
References:
Abdul-Jabbar, K. (2015, August 26). Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Cornrows and Cultural Appropriation. Retrieved from https://time.com/4011171/cornrows-and-cultural-appropriation-the-truth-about-racial-identity-theft/.
Fiske, J. (1989). Commodities and culture. In Understanding popular culture. New York, NY: Routledge. pp. 23-47.
I found this blog post to be especially interesting to read considering how I think the overarching topic you bring up continues to have unfortunate applications throughout pop culture. From the appropriation of cornrows to Native American traditional clothing and headwear, this problem is definitely very prevalent in modern pop culture. I thought that your analysis of cornrows within pop culture and their various portrayals within the media was both really interesting and well-written. The duality to cornrows and the media’s perception of them has always been a source of confusion for me. I have never understood this ignorant perception of cornrows only being considered “chic” and “edgy” when they are worn by white people but “ghetto” or “dirty” when black men or women style their hair in cornrows. And it’s even more frustrating to know that there is this almost blind support and praise behind this cultural appropriation of cornrows as cultural artifacts. It’s definitely a struggle. I think you did a good job of not only unpacking this complex duality to media’s perceptions of cornrows but also incorporating Fiske’s idea of pop culture as a struggle. As you unpacked the history behind cornrows and then spoke on the various examples of their cultural appropriation, I think it perfectly displayed this power struggle that Fiske speaks about. The connection between the two ideas was well executed in your blog post!
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading your post, it reminded me of this Instagram account I follow: @dietprada. Not only have they touched on this appropriation of cornrows that you spoke on, but the account focuses on cultural appropriation and plagiarism in fashion in general and “calling people out” when appropriate. I remember seeing posts about corn rows—primarily within the context of the Kardashians—as well as when Victoria Secret appropriated Native American traditional headwear and clothing for their annual fashion show. On a more common basis, however, I see posts about fashion designers or companies plagiarizing other designers’ or companies’ work. I think all of this relates really well to when we spoke about Jonathan Letham and his opinions on plagiarism, particularly when he spoke on imperial plagiarism—the one form of plagiarism he is not interested in. In some instances, perhaps one could argue that the fashion design plagiarism that @dietprada highlights could be examples of how society and the fashion industry places strict use monopolies on designs and ideas even when it may be argued to be a part of the public commons. Cornrows—as you spoke on—and even the appropriation of Native American clothing for a fashion show, however, are arguably examples of the imperial plagiarism that Letham noted. With all of that being said, I really enjoyed reading this blog post and was interested in these other ideas and topics that it pushed me to think about.
I loved reading your blog post, Hannah! Your analysis of cornrows as a pop culture artifact and the way that its being appropriated in today’s society without any regard to its historical context was really insightful and eye-opening. I believe this topic is something more people should be having discussions about. When you talked about Kim Kardashian West wearing cornrows and people referring to them as “Boxer Braids”, it reminded me of the ongoing debates in the Kpop fandom, specifically about Korean artists wearing cornrows or dreads in their music videos and live showcases. In your blog post, I know you mention the cultural appropriation that comes from specifically white celebrities, but this also shows that cultural appropriation of originally African hairstyles is also being done by other races as well. For example, Kai from one of the most famous Kpop boy groups, EXO, has been seen wearing cornrows and dreadlocks in past music videos. This is another supporting example of another non-black celebrity wearing this style of hair without acknowledging the history of struggle that is tied to it. Furthermore, these celebrities are profiting off this hairstyle as they promote themselves and garner views on their content. Because of this, there are huge debates in the fandom about this, which I find important because it informs others who would not have known otherwise. Like Fiske said, “All popular culture is a process of struggle” (Fiske, 1989). From reading your post and being reminded of cultural appropriation of cornrows by celebrities across the world, it is evident that our media and society needs to reevaluate why we can discriminate against a hairstyle on a marginalized group of people, but celebrate it when it is worn by celebrities.
ReplyDeleteSources
Fiske, J. (1989). Commodities and culture. In Understanding popular culture. New York, NY: Routledge. pp
There is a very interesting disparity that you call out in this blog post, one that highlights the double standard that exists in America even today. The idea that white women wearing cornrows actually demeans the struggle of the African American people by not acknowledging the struggle that the aesthetic comes from is disheartening. It is especially disturbing because it perpetuates the racial injustice in this country if we seem to ignore the past and ignore the very issues that brought us to this moment in time. How are we to learn from our mistakes if we don't acknowledge them? This reminds me of the controversy around "camp," and the notion that something like the MET Gala, which saw mainstream celebrities appropriating the queer style as their own without the context that makes it special, actually diminishes the very concept of camp. Susan Sontag, once the foremost authority on the logic (or illogic) of camp, describes this attitude as naive. Like camp, cornrows have been taken mainstream by celebrities you mention like Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner. This defeats the purpose, and fails to promote the very message that cornrows are meant to highlight: the perseverance through adversity. When you take away the adversity, the cornrows are just a fashion statement, a far cry from their intended purpose. There is a very fine line that we must all walk, to support movements born from struggle but not to make them our own out of respect for those who hold value within these artifacts.
ReplyDelete-Ethan Kaufman