The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Dul-Sayin' - The Messed-Up History of Black Hair in America

Episode Date: July 30, 2021

Dulcé Sloan examines the history of Black hair in the U.S., including the pressure of white beauty standards and white people's cultural appropriation. Originally aired September 2020. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts, starting September 17th.

You're listening to Comedy Central. Black people's hair. You know, the thing that we don't want white people to touch because it'll give them superpowers. Oh my God, now I can dunk! For generations, black people have been made to feel as if their hair is a signifier of their inferiority in society. And for generations, black people have had to take that bullshit,

but not anymore. A leading retail pharmacy in South Africa has been forced to close some of its stores after accusations of a racist advertisement. Click's Pharmacy is under fire for posting an ad on its website that described black hair as dull, dry and damaged while calling white hair fine, normal and flat. It's since apologized and pulled down the images, but supporters of the Economic Freedom Fighters Party

want the retail chain to shut down for five days. Yes. Even in a country that's 85% black, this kind of shit is still going on. Which makes you wonder, how black does a country have to be for this not to happen anymore? Like, is this going on in Wakanda? But if you're a black person,

these kinds of stories are nothing new. And it's not limited to South Africa either. In fact, here in America, black people deal with legal and cultural discrimination against their hair all the time. Dulce Sloan has more on that in another installment of Dulcayan. Black hair is like gluten. White people are scared of it. their thanks to it. Black hair is like gluten. White people are scared of it, but for some reason they're obsessed with it.

And for most of America's history, white people have done whatever they can to stop black folks from wearing our hair and its natural glory. And our hair has a lot of natural glory. When we lived in the motherland, hair was so important that you could tell a family's name and social status just by their hairstyle. Basically your hair was how you told all your business. And this is still still tod tod tod tod tod tod tod th th th th th th th th th th th tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho their their their thi. And their their tho- tho- their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their. And their their their their. their their their. their their ha. their their their ha. their their their their their their their status just by their hairstyle. Basically your hair was how you told all your business. And this is still true today. Show me a black man's waves and I'll tell you if he drives a bins or runs after their bus. But when the slave masters came, they cut off our hair as a way to control us and erase who we were. And you know how some people cut off their hair after a bad their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their hair after a bad breakup. It was like that. Except they didn't give us blonde highlights.

And even after slavery ended, our hair was still not allowed to be free. Because in its natural state, black hair was seen as unkempt and unacceptable in white America's spaces, whether it's corporate policies, discouraging our natural hairstyles, or army dress codes that specifically eliminated black hair styles or schools being allowed to punish black students for wearing their hair naturally. Why? It makes me think black people sporting natural hair is like cutting onions to white people. They just start tearing up at the sight of an afro like it's a black son.

It's round. It's so round. Their hair just grows to the sky. Instead, black people are encouraged to straighten our hair to conform to white America's standard of beauty. Not only is this unfair, it's hard as hell. Straightening black hair takes hours. It requires shit like hot cones, relaxers, a silk press process. Not to mention all the chemicals you've got to use.

A breaking bag doesn't have anything on breaking brains. And we've seen the evidence of this in hair this this this this this this this this this this this this this this this this this this this thi thi thi thi thi then thi thens thi thi thens thi that that that to conforms to mention all the chemicals you got to use. Breaking Bad doesn't have anything on breaking brains. And we've seen the evidence of this in hair styles that have since gone by the waistside. Like the unfortunate trends... N*** the unfortunate trend of black uncles everywhere sporting the Jerry curls. The only real symbol of resistance the Jerry curls stood for was destruction. Jerry curls ruined your pillows, your clothes, and your relationships. I went on a date with a guy that had a Jericho once, and my passenger seat was never the same. The only way black hair found cultural acceptance was when it was on white people's heads.

When Bo Derek wore braids in the movie 10, she was held as starting a cross-cultural praise. But in the same era, black people were punished for wearing the clothes the clothes the clothes their clothes, their clothes, their clothes, their clothes, their clothes, their clothes, their clothes, their clothes, their clothes, their clothes, and their clothes, and their clothes, and their clothes, and their clothes, and their clothes, and their their their their their their thiiats, and thiolioliolos, and their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their. I I I I I their, I. I. I their, I their, I their. I their. I their. I their. I was their thi. I was thi. I was the. I was the. I the. I was theat. I theat. I theat. I was theat. I was thiiiole. I was their their their 10, she was held as starting a cross-cultural praise. But in the same era, black people were punished for wearing the same braids. That's got to be the most gas-light and shit I've seen since I learned how to use the Bunsen burner. But for the good news, for as long as white people have been telling us what we can do with our hair, black people have been fighting back. Just look at Frederick Douglassed th Douglas, who intentionally took photographs for his Instagram 200 years early, showing his luscious natural hair to fight against the racist caricatures of black men. He was basically the 19th century Idges Elba.

Black hair was even part of the civil rights era, with the blackest beautiful afro movement. And today, the Crown Act movement is making real progress in breaking down the stigma of black hair's natural state, which will hopefully lead to the day when just letting our hair exist doesn't have to be a political statement. I mean, as soon as I had a baby spro, I couldn't walk down the street without someone yelling, hey, sister queen, I see you over there starting a revolution. Hey man, I'm just going to Whole Foods. So that's the messed up history of black hair in America. And that's just an overview.

The rest is enough to fit an Angela Davis' fro. Until next time, remember white people, when it comes to black hair, you can look. But not touch or copy. And black people put the conditioner in and then the oil. Don't let me catch you walking around with your hair all dry. Hair so dry, dry looks ashy. If your hair is looking like some knees, ha!

You got bribed. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Ears Edition. Subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount Plus. This has been a Comedy Central podcast. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives.

But that's all about to change. Like nonethe treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts.