Can I Touch Your Hair?
October 9, 2009
Image Courtesy of Robert S. Donovan
Today’s stupid question comes from Los Angelista.
I found the link to her blog through a re-post of her original on Stuff White People Do.
The question posed by a white woman to Los Angelista, a Black woman with natural hair was, “Can I touch your hair?”
Los Angelista makes the points about what’s wrong with this much better than I ever could, but the audacity of the strange woman went well beyond the original question. Take the time to read this provocative post.
Thank you. Can I tell you how many people ask to touch Francisco’s hair as if he’s some sort of zoo animal? Or to take a photo with him? Or if he’s “a Rasta” because he has dredlocks. Gah. And the number of people who ask if he washes it… if I had a dollar for each of them, we’d be able to buy a house.
Drives me nuts.
That’s ridiculous. My heart stared beating faster when I read that post. I can’t believe some people – the nerve!
You can almost (ALMOST) excuse her ignorance when asking to touch her hair…it’s the bit after when she’s back at her towel that is so clearly wrong.