13 Nov 2008

Say What?: Part 4 - Stop The Ghetto Madness!

I get to work via the over ground and underground trains. So whilst I'm standing up reading my book squashed like a sardine on the Southern Service to Balham I see a young black woman get on. She looks very presentable and from her attire is going to work she looks very smart except she has her headscarf on still laying down her edges. Now blog readers I am a headscarf at night wearing sistah, you know how it goes, we've been conditioned from birth to protect those tresses, and I know the difference between a scarf worn for hair care purposes to a head wrap or scarf worn for a decorative African inspired style. No this sistah with her anorexic ponytail was protecting those edges on the morning train journey. I'm sorry but her hair wasn't all that great looking for her extra-ness on her journey in. If I see her again I'm going to tap her on the shoulder and say "I think you forgot to take off your headscarf this morning" knowing full well that her intention wasn't down to forgetting. It may sound cold but some people need to be embarrassed from time to time.

After Balham I hop on the underground. Again reading my book in an ever tighter space, and then a well suited and booted brotha right down to the overcoat gets on. This fool is wearing a doo rag. This can't be right? Twice in the space of 10 minutes of each other? I look up at him occasionally and then further up at the black satin doo rag tied at the front with the bit at the back flapping like a Superman cape in the wind.

Did I miss something when I went on my holiday? Is this a new trend for the working class in Black London, doo rags and headscarves to work to professional environments. I am up on my hair care like no other, shoot I've been a member of a black hair care forum for 6 years and even have an online photo album chronicling my hair care journey, but never would I even think about wearing a headscarf in public ON SHOW. Under a wool hat yes where nobody can see but this is taking the piss.

The only thing I could think of seeing a black man and woman dressed in bed time head wear was nothing short of ghetto and yes if I saw any other person of any other race doing exactly the same thing I'd give them the ghetto label too. Ghetto is for everybody who fits that description not just us.

But it was ghetto as hell!!

Beautiful, Acceptable and definitely NOT ghetto.

4 comments:

  1. Its a new day and age. Our president is Black so they gonna have to get used to some changes up there and down here cos we got a new HNIC. I know it can be ghetto but also sexy at the same time especially the head wrap it just signifies a tough no nonsense sista. The Doo rag has always been ghetto in my eyes so i am not even defending that crap but i guess brothas have to train their baby hair or naps too lol.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 2nd time today I've seen HNIC **makes note to self go and Google this acronym**

    ReplyDelete
  3. HNIC = Head n!gga in charge.

    I don't want any to refer to Obama as that though because he's so much better than that term as with many of blacks.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ahhh thanks for the breakdown. Yeah I agree with you TLG.

    ReplyDelete

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.