Did someone order a Rugrats live-action reboot? Because there’s a high probability that Cynthia doll’s on the way. At least, that’s gonna be the case when TikTok user Starla Soloway starts losing her hair. For years, social media users have been a part of an ongoing debate about cultural appropriation and gatekeeping. However, in a stitch repost by @allaboutliz, some more light is shed on the topic of hair texture and styling.
Soloway debuted a brand new hairstyle on her page, flaunting her new hairdo, much to the dismay of commenters and onlookers. She had braids done, a hairstyle used to protect the hair of Black people and those with much coarser hair textures. Naturally, as Soloway is a white woman, there was instant backlash, with users telling her that her hair’s texture is not fit for such a style.
Liz provided some more information about why some hairstyles are gate-kept. The cosmetologist humorously told Soloway about the incoming repercussions her hair will face in the near future. “Something that is protective of certain textures of hair, is going to be very damaging to other types of textures of hair,” she said.
She continued on with the hilarious one-liner, “baby girl you are about to be Jeff Bezos level bald!” That’s without the billions, by the way.
In a classic case of trolling, the comments are nudging Liz not to warn Starla, and let her come to the harrowing, balding conclusion on her own. User Pickles Mcbangbang has even suggested to “Encourage her to play around with it more. Add some heavy beads!! REALLY give it some weight.” In a similar vein, Quannie Johnson commented, “I personally think she should keep them in for six weeks, immediately relax and dye her hair. She’ll look great!”
While braids may not damage every type of Caucasian hair, it’s still a gamble, and not worth the risk of going bald! According to the hair care professionals YouProbablyNeedAHaircut, braids were not originally intended for 1A to 3B hair types, of which Starla Soloway falls somewhere in between.
“Despite the growing trend toward box braids, people with Caucasian hair should be mindful and wary of installing box braids. Not only might it come off as cultural appropriation, but it could also damage your hair. Caucasian hair is typically thinner and has a different structure than Black hair. This difference in hair type means that Caucasian hair is more prone to damage by the additional weight of the extensions, especially if worn for a long time.”
Braids and all its types can be traced all the way back to 3500 BC Africa, where women used the hairstyle, not just to protect their hair, but as a form of artistic expression and styling. As Africans began to populate the rest of the world, the hairstyle followed, but it is still predominantly meant for thick, coarse hair.