Uzo Aduba aka Crazy Eyes

Recently Julianne Hough was admonished by the media for her black face halloween costume of actress Uzo Aduba in her role as Crazy Eyes from the show Orange is the New Black. The thoughtless actress donned dark make-up an orange jumpsuit and what I assume were supposed to be bantu knots. She looked ridiculous and racist.

Actress Uzo Aduba as Crazy Eyes

Dressed as a black woman for Halloween

I have no idea how in this day and age someone could be so ignorant as to think that portraying another race is an acceptable costume, I continue to be baffled as to why colorless people think it is appropriate to color their skin for costumes. People of color do not paint themselves white when they wear costumes of other colorless characters. IT DOESN'T MAKE YOU LOOK BLACK. YOU JUST LOOK RACIST.

Appropriate costuming - no race necessary

I also wanted to note that the "Crazy Eyes" look is a character and that actress Uzo Aduba looks fierce on the red carpet natural hair and all. 

This dress is giving me life!!

Childrens Hair Care - Part 2

Moms that want this look want this look for their daughters.

I wrote previously about parents poor hair care on their children. I believe this begin with the parent ( especially the mother). If a mother suffers from hair delusion what can she offer her daughter. Hair delusions include but are not limited to the belief that all length is good, any hair that looks good is good regardless of health, straight/loosely curled hair is superior to kinky/tightly curled hair, hair texture can prevent growth and oils moisturize.

The mothers seem oblivious to the fact that the heads of hair they covet are those of celebrities. A celebrity's appearance is part of their job, they have a TEAM devoted just to caring for and styling their hair. I don't expect my hair to look like that of natural celebrities for that reason. I don't have a team of stylist. If you don't have a team why should you look like them, relaxer or not.

I believe these women place this same pressure on their child, expecting them to look like the children on the relaxer boxes. The child doesn't have a team and in most cases not even a well informed parent. They bear your disappointment through demeaning words or caustic chemicals.

If you teach these delusions to your child in addition to the messages she gets from the larger society what will she think? I have seen the results. She is a four-year -old who teases another four-year-old because her shrunken natural hair doesn't show length or swing and flow. She will call her peer "bald-headed" and "ugly". She will ask with all the malice a child can muster, "Who did your hair?". She will learn she is not perfect the way she was born and will want to let her peers know too.

Childrens Hair Care - Part 1

I have been making some very pointed statements in chats recently in regards to childrens hair care. A couple of people misunderstood my stance, I should begin by saying I am a teacher. I have spent years viewing many tiny heads of hair. Teachers like social workers and doctors sometimes see the worst of what society has to offer.

I have seen many happy, healthy heads of hair atop well-adjusted minds. I believe that this is a result of their upbringing, the example set by their mother, the language used in reference to them and their hair.

I have also seen the opposite:

-bald/thinning hair in girls under 5
-weave/braids attached to bald/thinning hair
-hair broken off to TWA length at age 4
-all manner of negative comments made within ear shot of the child (her hair is just so nappy..)
-comparison made to other children hair in front of child ( I wish she had hair like that girls.)
-relaxing hair as soon as possible after scalp trauma ( like rash or skin infection)
-hair pulled with extreme tension
-extreme dryness
-relaxed children insulting natural children
-long hair children insulting short hair children

I know some of this is done in ignorance and some in neglect but it doesn't make me ( or the child) feel any better. So if you catch me on a chat sounding a little preach-y about caring for children's hair please remember I probably saw some ignorant perversion of hair care that week.

My hair pet peeves

My hair pet peeves are a combination of annoying trends, myths and just things that bother me.


The obsession with length.
I preface this by saying that I have always had length, however, I think people take things to the extreme. I am short. I have accepted this fact, I do not go around in stilts daily, nor have I unhealthily or unnaturally attached devices to my legs to make myself appear taller. When I have short children, I won't teach them to hate their shortness or put kiddie stilts on them. I don't mind people who wear tall heels or boots but stilettos aren't for children. Would you teach your child to dislike any of their other god-given attributes? Will they tease children without stilettos at school?



Extreme weave hair color
There is a time and a place for everything. When your server has rainbow spikes as she brings your IHOP to the table, are you not convinced that work isn't the place for rainbow hair. Color is fine but unless there is theater involved there is a limit, c'mon son!


Willful Ignorance
Willful is the operative word in that statement. Ignorance is not a crime. We are all ignorant of something right now. If all your natural children have hair for days, your sister has stopped relaxing and grown a healthy halo and you continue to relax thin, dry, broken, damaged, edgeless hair and try to give them tips. If you insist that because their hair is not straight it doesn't look as good as yours. You are willfully ignorant. When all the facts point right and you scream left, you are willfully ignorant. How will you hair compare when your bald?


My hair making statements my mouth doesn't.
I have decided not to relax my hair. I did not start a revolution, nor do I plan to. I am not naive. I realize that assumptions will be made based on my appearance, but WOW could you speak to me first. I eat meat, wear artificial fibers, like people of all colors and think anyone with healthy hair looks good.

Must See!! - I have no words...

Dear Lord,
I’m saying this prayer to you today,
Please help me get away.
The parents you gave [me] were rejected by you,
I came out the womb with no clue.
You created me grand,
Tiny and precious and not in command.
These pictures will live in infamy,
A pretty baby made to look ugly.
My mommy and daddy are too stupid to know,
That my hair will eventually grow.
Dear Lord, Please help me leave.
My idiot parents gave me a weave.

Composed by Tracy Mendoza

SMH

Reprinted from: http://sandrarose.com/2009/11/19/who-knew-they-made-lacefronts-wigs-for-babies/