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Is Braided hair a cultural Appropriation?

Brading is an ancient protective hairstyle. Some believe the first braiding style went back about 30,000 years. Between 28000 to 25000 BC, the evidence of people having braids can be found in a female figurine of the Venus of Willendorf. That proves the existence of the braiding style in that era. Now the question is, is braided hair a cultural appropriation? Before we answer that question, let’s talk about the burning question—What is cultural appropriation?

What is cultural appropriation?

To put it in a very simple way, when a dominant social group uses an object or element of a non-dominant group in a way that creates a stereotypical reinforcement without giving proper respect or credit to the source.

 Is braided hair a cultural appropriation?

As we have stated already, braiding is an ancient hairstyle that existed more than 30000 years ago. While some groups want to take sole credit for the braid, history says otherwise. There is no feasible trace of the origin and therefore calling braiding hairstyle a part of a particular culture is nothing but a complete nuisance. People from Africa believe braiding originated in Africa while we can see Romans, Greeks, and Germanic peoples used to have braided styles even though they had never been to Africa. Keeping that in mind, it’s safe to say that a braided wig is not a cultural appropriation. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why a braided hairstyle is not a cultural appropriation.

 1.   No specific origin

The braided hairstyle has been there since the ancient era and there is no way one can trace the origin of this style. While the ancient Romans and greek used to have braided, there are a few pieces of rock art that suggests braided styles excised during the store age as well. Since there is no one to claim the origin of this style, we should not call it a cultural appropriation.

 2.   Social Stereotypes

The only reason why we hear braided wigs being a cultural appropriation is the cultural stereotypes. Braiding styles such as box braids and cornrows are typically worn by people with African roots. That must have been the case why some people are now considering braiding styles as a potential cultural appropriation. While there is no denying the popularity of branding styles among people of African roots, but still there is no way we can call it a cultural appropriation only based on social stereotypes.

 3.   A protective style that goes with any type of hair

Bairds are protective styles that go with hair of any kind, be it curly hair or straight blonde. That said, there is no only we can assume that only people from the black community like the idea of braiding their hair. It’s a protective style that anyone can fancy having.

 Final Verdict

Let’s come back to the initial question, Is braided hair a cultural appropriation? Our verdict would be NO. The braid hairstyle is an ancient hairstyle that appeals to people regardless of their origin or race. The current fashion trend has seen a massive hike in the popularity of braided styles especially braided wigs as they are easy to wear and save both time and money.

Feel free to check out this article to learn more about the trending braiding styles.