Kinky: closely or tightly curled (dictionary.com)
Many of us use the word kinky without actually knowing what it means or is. As defined by dictionary.com I would say that many people (Black and not) have kinky hair, or hair that kinks at times. Now some people are distraught when they hear this word used to describe their hair, but for most of us, it's true. I am curious as to how the word got a negative connotation? I have to admit, although I often describe my own hair as kinky, I was recently slightly annoyed by someone else doing so. I was at Earthfare, and I asked the lady working about some hair products I was looking at. She pointed a product out and said a lot of women with kinky hair like this product. At the time I had my hair pulled back and was wearing an old twist out or something, so the texture wasn't so apparent (at least in my opinion). It really irritated me that she assumed that all Black people have kinky hair. Of course I may have assumed that she assumed and in reality she had peeped my hair out. I later wondered if I would have been as irritated if it were a Black lady saying this to me opposed to a White lady. I suppose it wasn't as much her calling my hair kinky as it was being put into the box of she's Black so her hair must be kinky. No racial, ethnic, national group all have the exact same hair texture, but I feel like we so often generalize hair types especially within the Black community.
So, what I want to know from you all is, does the word kinky have a negative connotation to you? Is you referring to your hair as kinky different from someone else doing it? And if so, does the racial background of the other person affect how you take the word to mean? Hmmm....let's talk about it.
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| me and my kinky hair :-) |
A lot of my perceptions of words such as kinky & nappy have been passed down from family, friends, and media. For instance I view kinky as a good term that is reserved for black hair, with a few exceptions ( I've known full blooded indians & whites that had to get relaxers & straighteners to smooth their hair). But I view nappy as bad. When my son was 11 months old I cut all of his hair off because out was nappy. When I think about nappy I think about old slave movies & my mom straightening my hair because my edges were nappy. Wile writing this comment I'm now thinking what's wrong with having naps? Absolutely nothing! Everything in this world is based on perceptions. I viewed nappy hair as bad but I feel the same way about soft hair. My new outlook as of right now is hair is beautiful no matter what texture it is because its apart of who you are! Thanks I needed that!
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