Random Ridiculousness: White hairstyles website has section on “Ghetto hairstyles”
Shari sent this to me. The site is http://www.updoprincess.com/ and here’s their take on “ghetto hairstyles.”
Ghetto Hairstyles – The Latest Hot Look
The “ghetto” look is the latest creative look for naturally black hair and seems to be popular with the hip hop music crowd. Wearing one is a real fashion statement in itselfBy using extensions, weaves you can create volume, or give the illusion of longer hair. Use hair products such as gel, wax and mouse & you can create stunning styles that express the real you.
This style is the new “punk” look – with outrageous colours, spikes and bangs.Be as daring as you like. Experiment with color. Add bright glittering accessories.
Create your own unique signature look and watch the looks of envy !
For those who prefer a less noticeable look, try a more urban look, like Beyonce and Ciara.
See the full post here… http://www.updoprincess.com/Black_hair_updos.html
My first reaction is oh, no they didn’t! But, this is the media. Apparently being ourselves is “ghetto” but you can’t go anywhere without seeing a Caucasian woman without extensions or without perfect makeup. Seriously, I think that with the media’s portrayal of natural hair as ghetto hair, it’s going to scare more females that want to go natural because they don’t want to be “ghetto”. It’s just sad.
Wow. It would’ve almost been okay if they just didn’t call it “ghetto” hairstyles. They could’ve just called it “creative styles that Black and White women rock.”
Calling our styles “ghetto” is REALLY unnecessary, and I WISH that a woman would call my style “Oh, that’s really GHETTO.”
I’m going to send them a polite email.
anything black = ghetto to those women, i guess.
Some non-blacks (NOT all but some) think anything a black person does is ghetto just because they’re black. When I used to work at a book store,I said something that my Middle Eastern co-worker thought was funny. So, she’s laughing at what I said and says “I love you, you’re so ghetto”. I guess making a joke and saying something funny made me ghetto?!? Maybe she was trying to say “You’re so funny”. I don’t know what she really meant but I was OFFENDED! Because I’m not ghetto and I wasn’t raised in the ghetto. SOME People just assume blacks are ghetto and cornrows are ghetto. But when other races rock cornrows they look “Exotic” like that white actress that made them popular back in the day Bo Derek.
Lol at this link! I typed in ghetto hair in Google and this came up, its similar to what you posted Leila but its a different website and different pics.
http://justabouthair.com/ghetto-hairstyles/
idk, I’m a little confused by the article. Maybe it would have been more clear if they provided a picture of what they considered “ghetto” hairstyles.
I’m a black woman, and I did not find anything they said to be offensive. To be honest, I’m guilty of labeling certain styles as “ghetto” myself. Anything that looks unnatural with too much color, gel, or false shaping is susceptible to this label. I think in today’s society, everybody has something to say about someone else’s style and all of us need to get over being uber sensitive, especially if it doesn’t apply to you!
I prefer not to even waste my time with this one because I don’t let them define me. Never have and never will!Any woman who has a serious problem by thinking that her hair is “Ghetto” because she wears her hair au naturel has got some serious self-esteem issues.
It seems that they’re just as obsessed with celebrity’s as anyone else and as much as I like Beyonce and Ciara, I’m sorry, but I don’t worship at the cult of celebrity. I look to everyday people for their influence and very few celebrities are able to do this.
Let them tell that to the CEO of Xerox, Ursula M. Burns or Susan Akkad the Senior Vice President at Estee Lauder Companies or Thelma Golden, the executive director of the Studio Museum in Harlem, or any other woman in the executive suite who wears her hair au naturel.
Once people realise that what ‘they’ say or think is no longer important, the happier and independent they’ll be. They are no longer responsible for us and it’s time people start realising this. “Self-definition” is key to owning our own beauty.
There’s nothing more beautiful than a ‘Sistah’ who is impeccably dressed on her way to the “Executive Suite” rocking her natural hair. Simply Beautiful!
Amma Mamma, I just checked out your link and it pissed me off! Here was my reply on their page (tho I’m sure the moderater will not approve it!):
“I’ve been known to call a hairstyle or two ghetto, but I need to clear something up here. The term “ghetto” does not apply to every black hairstyle or every black person. I’m not easily offended because I know everyone has their opinions, but I was shocked to see some of your opinions on what can be considered ghetto.
The word “ghetto” references things and people that are FROM the ghetto, and is now loosely being used to reference things that are of poor quality. Any hairstyle can look ghetto if poor technique or low-grade weave is used, but there are many weaved styles that look beautiful, natural, and . . . not ghetto.
Rihanna’s hairstyle is a punk hairstyle. It’s not ghetto. The “layered bangs” and the “bouncy volume” hairstyles are eighties styles and I’ve seen white women wearing very similar styles who would not be referred to as ghetto.
I think it’s best you stay away from this topic, because it’s obvious that you do not fully understand the proper usage of the term, and you are bound to step on many toes in attempt to make an informative publication out of your limited view.”
Is this what is meant by the saying “chickens coming home to roost”?
I think this stems from popular black culture. A time will come when we as a people will stop using terms we would not want some one to use to describe us. It seems that it’s just regular people trying to sound cool yet failing in a big way.
I was offended by this as well and just sent the message below to jen@updoprincess.com, the CEO of the website, in case you’d like to do the same.
———–
Hi Jen,
As an African American female, I was saddened and offended when I read your article on ‘ghetto hairstyles’. I am certain that you did not mean it to be interpreted this way but it appears as if you are implying that black hairstyles are ghetto because they are worn by black people (putting ‘ghetto’ in quotation marks still does not make it ok). Frankly, I am tired of the word ghetto being used to describe anything associated with black culture. I am sure that you would want to raise your daughter to embrace all cultures and celebrate the diversity of all hair textures and styles. I hope you’ll take this message as an opportunity to learn.
Wow. It reads like a joke, but its obviously not. In most cases when people are labeling something “ghetto” (for those of us who really know what “ghetto” means”) its a class issue, and there is usually a negative connotation to it. Seems like the folks who operate that website are not completely unaware of this because they still present a dualism between the styles they deem “ghetto” and styles that they do not, such as styles worn by Ciara and Beyonce. From the way that it is written, and the information presented, its also obvious that they know nothing about black hairstyles and black haircare, and are merely trying to include “the black woman” on their website, lol.
Like another commenter said, I have referred to certain styles as being “ghetto” too, but I see “ghetto” style as creative. It just all depends on how you relate to it. Some folks have the guts to marry 3 colors in their hair, or rock flips and spikes, and some folks just don’t =).
this pissed me off.
I guess the fact that I subjected myself to Glenn Beck’s rant on India before clicking this link makes me more sensitive. “Ghetto” is offensive. It is a racialized term that should not be bandied about casually.
“Ghetto” is also classist. It connotes a less “professional” “acceptable” appearance. Of course, lumping Black hair with “Ghetto” hair makes things even better. =P
And I quote, “The ‘ghetto’ look is the latest creative look for naturally black hair. . .”
The first line says it all. I am offended (because there are no pictures to define what the term “ghetto” looks like). Natural hair has many different looks. Clearly, the person who posted this had no business putting this up.
I pretty much agree with AMarie. I’ve never liked the term and never felt it was acceptable for me to use it. I also hate when someone decides that something I do is ghetto simply because I am black. I’m not ghetto a person is not ghetto. We are not where we are from as much as where we are going.
Did they remove it? Good if they did. I didn’t see anything about ghetto hair when I hit the link.
No, they didn’t remove it; its under the “Black hair” section on the left side of the page.
Pure ignorance…it reads like a joke.
I am also sending in a polite email. There will always be judgemental people, but there has to be honest people to explain to them of their ways.
The removed it!! Hmm, I guess they received enough responses to that!
Funny…I’m not even offended by this site…check out the spelling mistakes. They are obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed! lmao
I’m not really offended, just confused. The definition doesn’t match what they’re trying to define…so I don’t get it. It’s like when Rush Limbaugh was talking about the “black frame of mind” the other day and I was just like…huh???? I can’t even be mad because I just have no clue what you’re talking about.
So if a White girl dyes her bangs pink and blonde in the back, thats alternative but if we do it its ghetto? Black people just are never gonna get ahead. Why all of us gotta be ghetto? Why can’t a girl with rainbow hair just be creative?
I hate that term ghetoo anything black people do is considdered ghetto i was having an argument with a boy (who is black) and he was saying he didn’t like all the ghetto hairstlyes black women have and hesaid how unnatural hair colours like pink/green/purple etc.
So I showed him a picture of me and two of my friends at a rock concert one of them is asian and the other is half black half white and she was naturally wavy type 2 hair we all had fake purple hair on wearing black and purple looking all goth. I said do we look ghetto since we are wearing unnatural hair colours and he said no but he just said that unnatural hair colour were ghetto so what?
Every gothic/emo or whatever kid that has kool-aid red cottan cnady pink or sky blue hair should be considered ghetto then.
People need to stop with the euphemism like “ehtinc” and “ghetto”
I am a black woman and this is degrading too. But, there are some sisters who look a mess by the head and some of you know it. No one get rstyle like a black girl. we are very versitle with our stuff. Okay, I saw two sisters with that damn european weave that I hate to see. Anyway they had Jet black shiney, with pink and purple and blue streaks. that was awful. Two days later I saw a sister with the cherry cola look and it was pretty. some are tacky…Sorry. Ghetto? they don’t call the Jews Ghetto. A lot of white peopel can represent ghetto too. It’s an attitude and a state of mind. I stop wearing weave because a lot of black are begining to look too phoney wearing all that european weave. Me myself felt as if I was saying I could look beautiful with my own natural hair and not only that white folk wear the shit more than. As always they can get away with more because we like attention and the spot light we sometimes cause ourselves to more noticed. I will never go bakc to it. I defended it for a long time. I like my own hair. I am a naturally beautiful black sister. My color is beautiful and I have learned that anything without color is Blah! Just as they talk about skin lightening they never talk about all the tanning Salons that have risen in the Blah communities.