I WEAR THE WAY I WANNA DO

raylene05:

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So, getting to the point: the women on these pageant shows aren’t even putting their daughters in immediate health danger (although it’s arguable that they’re being primed for low self-esteem or eating disorders), and we find their behavior reprehensible, yet relaxers and hot combs are excusable despite the clear health risks involved.  Who knows whether the parents in either scenario are selfishly motivated or not; either way, it seems hypocritical to me to shun pageant moms while expressing approval of [Black] mothers giving [Black] daughters relaxers and hot comb presses.

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It’s racism, simply put. It’s “okay” to force a little Black girl to endure hot combs and relaxers because American society values white beauty norms above Black ones and it’s considered a good thing for Black girls to emulate white standards of hair styling. But it isn’t okay to force a little white girl to endure hair curlers and perms because white girls are “already beautiful”—i.e., they already conform to predominant white standards of beauty, making such treatments seem unnecessary and cruel. It’s horrible.

Cute. I particularly like the line, “Make several visits to speak with various staff members and get a sense of which waitress is most suited to your needs.” Like shopping. For a Japanese waitress. For a human being with thoughts and feelings and desires that might not have anything to do with some schmuck pestering her at work for a date just because her eyes have epicanthic folds.