Black Face and Afros: Paying Homage or Insulting our Culture

I have always been a fan of Afros, since the days of Pam Grier as Foxy Brown. She was sassy, quick witted and sexy! Afro’s were always a prideful thing for me and represented beauty, and an indulgence of once heritage.

As we start the Halloween season, Pimp outfits and Foxy brown replicas complete with the wigs and white patent leather boots are the top sold costumes. Yesterday my husband and I went into the Halloween shop, and they had 8 different types of Afro wigs, and braided wigs. I chuckled at bit and thought, have the natural revolution transcended, even the Halloween market.  

 Wow everyone wants to cash in on the whole “Natural thing”.  As I walk through the isle to find, braided wigs with beads, Men’s Afros with side burns, a lump formed in my throat. There was a wig with hair pick in it with the prominent fist on it that signified pride. But do these outfit pay homage or are they insulting to a culture of struggle and pride. 

Recently, the news has been on fire because of the costumesa group of White Florida residences decided to wear. They were dressed as Trayvon Martin and Zimmerman. 

Florida-men-dressing-Trayvon-Martin-George-Zimmerman-Halloween

Caitlin Cimeno Posted the pix with a caption of “just for fun”. How can this tragedy be fun.

A group of girls tweeted themselves in “black face” and stated that they were going to be “n*ggas for Halloween.

what-is-wrong-with-this-picture

Julianna Hough was recently slammed for wearing Black face, Bantu Knots and a prison outfit.

 Julianne-Hough

So what is the fascination of dressing in Blackface? Is this Flattery or Mockery?

Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky on the plantation" or the "dandified coon".  In 1848, blackface minstrel shows were an American national art of the time, translating formal art such as opera into popular terms for a general audience. Early in the 20th century, blackface branched off from the minstrel show and became a form in its own right, until it ended in the United States with the U.S. Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. 

Blackface  


These Black face depictions solidified stereotypes and were degrading and in the least  are very unflattering.
So as we prepare for the Halloween season, are we flattered to see Afros and side burns, or is it a blatant depiction of the stereo types that are placed on every culture?