On the topic of Henry Lau. Here is why cornrows braids ARE apart of black culture , Within the Black community, cornrows tend to be worn more so for convenience, as well as a protective style when transitioning from relaxed to natural hair or growing the hair out until the desired length is achieved. They can also serve as a foundation for sew-ins, but cornrows had another purpose back when our ancestors were rocking them.
“History tells us cornrows originated in Africa. The intricate braiding of the hair indicated the tribe you belonged to,” explains Atlanta-based cosmetologist, barber, instructor and author Toni Love. “Cornrows on women date back to at least 3000 B.C. and as far back as the nineteenth century for men, particularly in Ethiopia. Warriors and kings were identified by their braided hairstyles.”
Still largely worn throughout West Africa, Sudan, and the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia), cornrows can signify one’s age, religious beliefs, kinship, marital status and wealth.
While addressing women at an entrepreneurship conference in South Africa, Atlanta-based master celebrity stylist Nancy V Brown says she noticed that cornrows are also a form of self-expression. “The women I met use shells, bottle caps, corals, fresh flowers and twigs, among other items, to adorn their cornrows and express their personalities.“
In the ‘60s and ‘70s, cornrows became popular thanks to the Black Power movement. More of us sought out hairstyles that reflected our heritage and slowly started rejecting White beauty standards. Notable Black celebrities, such as Nina Simone, Valerie Simpson, Roberta Flack, and Stevie Wonder also helped to push cornrows into further popularity.
Not as common during the ‘80s—blame it on the Jheri curl–cornrows experienced a resurgence in the ‘90s and 2000s. D’Angelo, Allen Iverson, Bow Wow, Ludacris, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Ciara are probably some of the first folks who come to mind.
Cornrows are the result of hair that’s braided flat against the scalp. The term itself stems from the nineteenth century. During that time, the majority of Black Americans worked in agriculture to provide for their families. In America, we use the term cornrows because they remind us of cornfields. In the Caribbean, however, cornrows are called canerows because they resemble sugar canes.
An intricate art form, Brown says the cornrow braiding process takes anywhere from a few minutes to several hours to complete depending on the size of the braids and the hair’s density. “There’s a lot of room to be creative in the styling, design and thickness,” she says. “You’ll often see names, faces, flowers, complex patterns and crisscrossed textures.”
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It also helps black peoples hair texture out from heat or chemical damage as well.
This is our culture it is NOT JUST SOME DAMN FASHION TREND. Our culture is NOT for everyone to pick off and steal.
In other cultures it maybe okay to wear their culture like kimono’s for example. They take it as you appreciating their culture but it doesn’t go both ways because of black face. When you take from black culture you’re mocking our culture just like the white people did and STILL do to this day. Our culture IS NOT Cosplay (the words of Henry Lau) it is NOT for anyone to just pick up because it’s "cool” or “in style” and when you’re done you put it down and keep going. Fuck outta here with that mess.
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