Is that your real hair darling or did mum purchase it from the salon?
My eldest daughter was asked this question when she was 3 years old by an air hostess. We were on board South African Airways when the air hostess posed this question to my daughter.
This air hostess was a woman of colour like us. My daughter just looked at the lady as she did not know what to say and to be honest, she had not had any extensions* added to her hair in her 3 years of life.
Anyway, a 3-year-old cannot answer such question so it was basically directed to me. I responded politely stating that it was her real hair and she has never had extensions*.
Why didn’t this lady instead compliment the beautiful hair style and instead ask so she can be informed on how to create the style herself? It seemed to me that is was just a way to discredit her beautiful hair by assuming it was not real.
Did mum put something on your hair?
My daughter again looked perplexed because she did not understand what this person was asking. This time she must have been about 9 years old.
She was like, yes mum puts oil because that’s exactly what I use for her hair. The reason behind this lady’s curiosity was because my daughter’s hair felt soft and it was also silky straight. Most people think this can only be achieved using a relaxer, however, I beg to disagree.
When we got home my confused daughter asked me what the lady meant, so I had to explain that the lady meant did I put a relaxer in her hair. Of course, this raised some more questions about what a relaxer does and so I explained that to her as well.
Is that all yours?
Probably a week ago she was asked again if her hair was all hers, now that she is older and more
comfortable with the people she was able to read the body language of the person asking.
This person is transitioning to natural hair and was admiring her hair and not being critical. So my daughter responded jokingly by saying “yes the last time I looked it was all mine”.
In my opinion, she handled that quite well and by now I think she is used to awkward comments from strangers about her hair and understands that it might just be something she will have to deal with until she is an adult.
People can be very strange sometimes! What awkward comments have you received about your or your kids’ hair? How did you deal with them?
It’s sad that this is black culture. If you have natural hair its almost like you’re a side show attraction to everyone wanting to touch it and ask if it’s real. I say black culture because very few…very very few people of other races ask me. Like, why is it anyone’s business ?? Its just hair! Can’t even chop it all off without people being super rude and nosey
Ppl so stupid
Not only is it awkward its sickening! Its like we cant have beautiful long hair! I mean really people?? Where on Gods earth is your mind?? It makes me want to vomit! Black women all over have amazingly beautiful versetile hair! Maybe these people who ask such questions are glued to tv, or these illumanati corrupt magazines who are hell bent on showing us in a negative way , also commercials. Always showing the black woman with short cropped hair, some looking all manly, thats not our trueness at all!!!! Get out of those devilish images shown by our enemies and get into creation and you will see a whole new light of our God givin beauty in everything
That’s so rude!!!
I had a lady argue with me at my job about my hair once. Called me a liar and everything. I could do nothing but laugh at this old hag. I guess black women can’t have nice well taken care of hair.
You are nicer than me. Im sure i would have told her miserable self where she and her opinion could go.
Unfortunately I was at work. It was so sad I just laughed like you jealous bitch
I had a work experience too.
Erika Hopgood that wouldnt stop me.lol probably why its better you handled it that way. Sad how some people get on
I had that happen to me when I wore my huge 70s afro, again when I had my curly perm, & as recently as about 2 years ago.
We act so ignorant in most cases, just really embarrassing.
If Julian had a twin sister MJ Johnson
? wow… Shes gorgeous
Sad b**ches I believe its hers my five year old has hair past her shoulder
I know someone with beautiful long hair and people think it’s weave
I’ve heard people say they were wondering if it was her hair. Sad!!!!
Long hair shouldn’t make no one or break no one
Sad that some of us blacks believe that you’re prettier with long good hair
Well when the vast majority of Black women are rocking someone else’s hair it adds to the misconception, held by most nonBlack people, that Black peoples hair can’t grow.
So when a Black women, even a Black child, has long natural hair many people just assume it’s fake….like mother like daughter, ya know.
So true. Once my daughter’s started looking at me crazy. I knew it was time to give weaves a break.lol
Flow Lis ????
All hair is good hair as long as its taken care of.
I really hate these type of posts, newsflash black ppl can grow long hair!!! #dumbass
A real adult wouldn’t ask a child that question. You would ask the parents
My oldest daughter’s hair was thick & wavy down to her waist….people used to ask was she wearing a wig THIS WAS 30 years ago so people are still so silly.
Well alot of young girl’s are wearing weaves these days so maybe that’s why they ask.
I’m an adult and I get asked if my hair is real a lot. I find that people ask mostly when I wear set styles that put a curl pattern into my hair. With my natural curl pattern I’m often asked how I put the “crinkles” in. haha!
Whether it’s her natural hair or not it’s no ones business. If she was any other race would you question if her hair was real??? HELL NO! Contrary to popular belief black people have long hair. Smh some people are so rude and ignorant.
damn right!
im latino/native and get asked is my hair i naturally curly its annoying
Really!
A Jamaican guy was passing by and was saying you have beautiful hair then he stopped in mid sentence and said um is it yours like he was scared to ask…I was thinking What?! But I calmly said yes it is and I could see how relieved he was…worried he had insulted me…so awkward.
He was just being an ass because whether it was all your own or not he liked it enough to tell you he did. The only insult was him asking if it was yours.
I’m not sure why people believe only black people wear weave smdh don’t let these white chicks fool y’all they wear that shit just as much as black people do they R just not questioned as much!!!! They get single braids, crochet, sew ins and erethang else!!!!
In my opinion some black women are to blame for this. When I was growing up most of the girls I knew had long hair that was down to their shoulder, back and butt, but now some black women have gone crazy on wearing other people hair. Now some blacks and whites have picked up on this lie and made it a truth in the public eyes, that black people can’t and don’t have naturally long hair. Oh and I’m not talking about women that has an illness or hair loss. I’m talking about the one’s that feel they look better with it, not realizing that they look much better with their own hair that looks more natural to their own texture of hair. I feel I can say this because I skint all my hair bald off my head and it grew back, again I’m not talking about the one’s that has no choice.
Today a black woman asked if my hair was all my hair…and it just reminded me of the preconception that black women cannot grow their hair…
stupido
How the hell is it awkward? If it’s her real hair then the answer is yes. If it isn’t her real hair then the answer is no. Why would anyone even care what a complete stranger thinks about of all things…their child’s hair! Wth
The answer should be, it’s none of your business.
Black women make the “hair” industry billions of dollars a year. Some black women will not be caught out without a weave or wig on their heads. Little black girls wear braid extensions as young as 3/4 years old. Yet it’s sad and y’all shaking y’all damn heads because someone asked if your hair was your real hair! Really? Get outta here!
I wish people would stop acting like we see Black women with very long hair regularly.
Yes, we ALL know Black women /girls with very long hair. Yes, we ALL know Black women CAN grow long hair.
But please stop acting like it’s the norm that we see all the time.
C’mon now.
So this “outrage” that someone would dare suspect /ask/ wonder that a Black woman /girl with very long hair, that’s it’s her own, seems to be exaggerated.
Calm down and take it as a compliment.
It doesn’t mean that they aren’t aware that Black women can have/grow long hair.
Finally! Someone with a plain & honest account of what it is! Thank you! I was scrolling down these comments of “outrage” and misplaced sympathy and wondering. what the….?! This article also reads suspiciously like a self-congratulatory recounting a self/one’s own-promotion!
Questions (annoying or not) are asked exactly because it’s not regularly seen. Not as in every second or third black woman in the street. Puhleeeze! Youtube is crawling with those seeking the holy grail to grow their ‘non-long’ hair….and sadly those with the most desired and lauded look/hair with the corporate deals and million plus subscribers are those with 4a & up hair past their shoulders. Let’s keep it real and please stop with the misguided outrage. No-one with an ounce of common sense is really fooled; though it seems some are willing to fool themselves.
Smh
As an adult, why would you ask a child that.
u can’t be serious people especially adults are so pathetic to ask a child this
1) Do you have a texlax
2)How are your edges so full
3) Are you mixed
4)Is all of that your hair
5)You’ve that “good” hair..you can go natural. You know natural isn’t for everyone.- Statement
All of those questions/ statements are extremely rude and indicate to me what one was taught. These questions are all about what people are taught within our ethnic group and outside of it.
Do they bother to ask other women if those are their lips, hips, thighs, and backside? Do they ask if their cheekbones and hair’s real? Our features are being sold left and right;just don’t dare ask them if it’s real. “We” can only have those wonderful questions asked..
When I was in elementary & middle school there were people who were jealous of those of us who had long braids because they or their kids didn’t have them. It was generally understood that light skinned people were the ones who usually had long hair so that was a given . HOWEVER ! Those of us who have type 4 hair that grows thick & down our backs are sometimes treated like we’re traitors of some sort; like we’ve done something or gotten something we weren’t supposed to do or have & experience even more resentment than the light skinned ones. I personally had a hairdresser tell me my hair was in bad shape & too thick & long. She tried to burn it with a super hot pressing comb after i refused to let her cut it. I complained loudly that it was burning my scalp & hair & made her stop . When mom got back from a meeting she read her the riot act & we never went back to her. I wasn’t the only one who went thru that. Some girls would try to sneak & cut the braids of long haired type 4 girls. This hair business among blacks is just plain CRAZY !!
She should be allowed to answer those questions as such: “this is my natural hair, my mom wouldn’t put anything in it, I’m only a child”.It’s not a negative response, it’s not rude even from a child, it’s just answering the question and stating facts. The nerve of some “adults”.
Well I dont’ have kids and my mom relaxed my hair before I turned 5 and it started breaking off. Im natural now and been natural for 2 years . I had big chopped but my hair is now longer than it has ever been . I wished I went natural earlier. I do get compliments on my hair and asked what products I used and how did I achieve my coils . I only flat iron it once a year . Thats about it though .
Start asking…buck the trend!
Ignorance at best.
Jealousy! She is beautiful
My response: Is yours? Lol
Lol and the answer is more than likely no. Hating asses.
It is a form of jealousy…sometimes unintentjonal
I’m 48 people ask my daughter that aswell her hair is to her waist when she was little people would say she has beautiful hair to be so dark …..my reply ur so stupid to be a human ????
Patrice Ezeff Can’t blame them. Black women are just coming into their own with their natural hair so people would normally ask. I don’t think its anything to be offended by
Now that’s rude to say about her complexion. People are idiot’s
Preye Dolly Pere-Sinclair. I didn’t mind the question about hair but the she so dark thing I did and so I would say that remark about their silly comment to show them it’s offensive
Shawntel Singletary yes but they didn’t do it again lol not inform of me
Patrice Ezeff God bless you! Because, had someone fixed their lips to say such foolishness to me about my child..
I dont know why they think we supposed to be baldheaded. Our shit be mopped out
Any adult asking a child that is an adult hater of a child real long hair while their bald head ass daughter wear weave.
Why do black people always feel someone is jealous? We are just coming into our own with our natural hair, so people are not used to seeing gorgeous natural hair so normally they would ask. Most black women I have seen with long hair always seem offended when you ask if it their hair. Why? Nobody is jealous of you. Other races have long gorgeous hair too. Let’s stop thinking like this. It sets us back.
Preye Dolly Pere-Sinclair they are offended because why in the world would someone ask that question? Like, why would they think it’s fake so they have to ask if it’s really yours. I don’t think people are jealous when they ask that but more so ignorant.
Preye Dolly Pere-Sinclair I have had plenty of friends with long real hair. They never get offended when people ask if it’s real.
Shit one of my friends done asked me a few times to try on my wig…she got hair down her back.
I think some people want you to be jealous of their long hair.
But when you’re not that’s when they give attitude.
We are just coming into our own with our natural hair, …we who? You mean you? Speak for yourself and not for all black women.
Preye Dolly Pere-Sinclair I was even asked by a family as he grabbed my hair if it was real or not. I am offended because the implication is that someone thinks I couldn’t actually grow long hair. You don’t see people going up to non-blacks asking them if their hair is real.
So sad
When my hair is straightened they ask if it’s a wig or can they touch it!
Maria Janelle Ikr right like we are dogs are something. I ask them can i touch your straight messy fur you call hair. Bc i have really curly hair. People are something else.
When my daughter got in Highschool girls asked her “what are you mixed with “ because of her hair ????????♀️????????♀️and even asked if her butt was fake????????♀️????????♀️
Lisa Jewdi the only time I’ve ever experienced racism, or colorism..was from a black person. And I grew up in one of the whitest places in America..
I have gotten this all my life bc I’m too white to be all black.
Too black to be all white. Yes bc I have curly hair which I get from my grandmother mom mom who is dark skinned. I’m white, asian. Puerto Rican, Dominican, Mexican, anything but 1 race.
So I still to this say receive racism. Just sad why are there so many evils ass people on this world.