Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series about Lafayette Afro Rock Band, a highly influential French 1970s Funk Rock group that was first formed in the United States.
Part II presents my definition of an afro and my notes about the significance of afro hairstyles for African Americans in the 1960s and 1970s.
This post also documents selected comments from a YouTube discussion thread for Lafayette Afro Rock Band's record "Hihache". These comments focus on the album cover- a photograph of a young Black woman with a big afro (hair style)- which was mistakenly used for that YouTube sound file. That photograph was actually used as the cover for Lafayette Afro Rock Band's album entitled "Malik".
Brief explanatory notes are given after some of these comments.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/04/documenting-tremendous-influence-of.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents information about the American/French funk music band Lafayette Afro Rock Band that was formed in the United States in 1970. This post also showcases a YouTube sound file of that band's 1973 tune entitled "Hihache".
Selected comments from that YouTube sound file's discussion thread are included in this post. Most of these comments focus on the use of samples from the record "Hihache" can be found in songs from multiple United States music genres.
The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Lafayette Afro Rock Band for their musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this YouTube sound file.
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SHOWCASE YOUTUBE EXAMPLE (sound file)
Lafayette Afro Rock Band - Hihache
dravmasta, Published on Sep 26, 2010
Lafayette Afro Rock Band was a French funk rock band formed in Roosevelt, Long Island, New York in 1970. Though almost unknown in their native United States, they are now universally celebrated as one of the standout funk bands of the 1970s and admired for their use of break beats. Wiki.
Song: Hihache
Artist: Lafayette Afro Rock Band
Album: Soul Makossa
-snip-
Several commenters noted that the album cover that is used for this YouTube sound file is actually the cover for that band's album entitled "Malik". Click https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5893219718076521675#overview for a photograph of the cover for the band's "Soul Makossa" album.
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INFORMATION AND COMMENTS ABOUT THE "AFRO" HAIRSTYLE/S
Note #1 "The Psycho-social Implications For African Americans Of Natural Hair
written by Azizi Powell, pancocojams editor on 2012 From http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/06/videos-of-african-american-males-music.html "Videos of African American Males (Music & Natural Hairstyles), Part 1"
"I believe that the hairstyles worn by African American men, like the hairstyles worn by African American women, reflect how much African Americans in general agree with or reject the position that White standards of beauty are the only acceptable standards of beauty. This is definitely not to say that individual African Americans (or other Black people) don't like themselves or other Black people if they don't wear their hair in natural styles.* However, I believe that a greater acceptance of natural hair styles among African Americans and other Black people signifies more than an expansion of the definition of which hair styles Black people and also non-Black people might consider to be attractive.
It's my opinion, that a greater acceptance among African Americans and other Black people of natural hair styles signifies our increased acceptance of and increased valuing of ourselves. It was no coincidence that "afro" hairstyles became popular in the United States in the 1970s during the rise of the Black consciousness and afro-centric Black nationalist movement. Since the 1970s, apart from the jheri curl look of the 1970s and 1980s which will be the subject of a future post on this blog, it has become the standard practice for most African American men to wear their hair un-straightened and relatively un-processed. And most African American men wear their hair in a close cut natural style such as that worn by President Barack Obama, or they have a bald head.
Up to the age of seven years, I believe that most African American females wear their hair naturally. However, between the ages of seven and eighteen years old, it seems to me that most African American girls wear their hair chemically straightened. However, since the 1990s, an increasing number of African American women, appear to have chosen to wear their hair in natural hairstyles, though that is still a small percentage of that population. As a person who was a young adult in the 1970s, it's interesting to see the return in popularity of the "big afros" with Black females & Black men. I believe that the afro and other natural hair styles are legitimate general indicators of African American group esteem. By "group esteem" I mean how much African Americans see their group as capable of intrinsic attractiveness with regard to hair without the application of strategies which attempt to mimic what White people consider to be standards of beautiful hair such straight hair or lightly curled hair, and light hair color.**
That said, I also believe that African American females (and perhaps, other Black females) may be more accepting of and have a higher value toward females having mutiple ways they can wear their hair within short periods of time (i.e. having different hair styles) then other populations of females. In that regards, "natural hairstyles" may be just one of an increasing number of hair style possibilities that Black women may choose. But in my opinion, "natural hair styles" as a possible "neutral" choice (having neither positive or negative implications), is in and of itself a positive change for Black people, given the overwhelming beliefs in the pre-1960s that the only standards of beauty were those standards that fit some White people.
*By natural hair styles I mean the "tightly curled" hair texture which is characteristic of most sub-Saharan African people and most people of sub-Saharan African descent) are worn without chemical or hot comb processing. Other terms for naturally Black hair are "frizzy", "nappy", and "kinky". However, because of their historical and racist usage, some Black people (including African Americans) may find these terms to be loaded with negative connotations. Because of that, I tend to avoid using those terms.
**With regards to African American women (and other Black women), as to what constitutes White standards of beauty in hair, I would also add "long hair" to the previously given descriptors of "straight hair" or "lightly curled hair", and "light color hair" such as blond hair.
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Note #2 "What Is An Afro?"
written by Azizi Powell, pancocojams editor, April 15, 2018
An "afro" is one type of natural hairstyle that was popular with some African American males and females in the 1960s and particularly, in the 1970s. Prior to the 1960s, Black Americans women and men wore other natural hairstyles, but few rarely wore those hairstyles out in public.
Afros are formed when the kinky (tightly curled) hair that many Black people have is combed and styled without adding any heat (including hot combs) or any chemical straightening products. The natural hair is then cut, combed ("picked" with a wooden or a plastic afro comb), and periodically patted by hand in order to achieve and maintain a particular style.
The most popular afro style in the 1970s was a full (halo-like) evenly rounded form. The bigger (fuller) the afro was, the better. Writer, educator, and activist Angela Davis was the prototype of this type of afro hairstyle. Some African American females who wore their hair in large afros, sometimes also styled their hair in two afro puffs (a pony tail on both sides of their head.)
By the end of the 1970s, the full afro hair style was largely retired. Since the 1970s, although a small number of African Americans continued to wear this hairstyle, many more African Americans began to publicly wear their [our] hair in other natural hairstyles, including multiple braids, dreadlocks, short afros ("twas" - "teeny weeny afros), or very closely cropped "naturals". Since the 2000s, a number of African Americans-particularly African Americans have worn their natural hair in "free style" forms that have no apparent shape but emphasize the hair's curly textures (plural because a number of Black people have more than one hair texture in their head of hair).
-snip-
Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/11/excerpts-from-various-online-articles.html for a pancocojams post entitled "Excerpts From Various Online Articles & Discussion Threads About Afros And Afro Picks"
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Excerpt #1:
From https://www.curlcentric.com/natural-hair-movement/
..."Back in the 60s and 70s, racial relations in the United States were tense and strictly segregated. This time of political upheaval and African-American activism saw the rise of more natural hairstyles as a form of political awareness.
Angela Davis, a prominent member of the Black Panther movement and a human rights crusader, sported a famous Afro. The Afro, which was soon adopted by singers and other celebrities, came to symbolize cultural independence for African Americans.
The previous century, stretching back to the end of the Civil War, had been extremely challenging for Black Americans.
The thought that straight hair was beautiful hair was increasing gaining steam, leading many individuals to straighten their hair in order to be accepted. In many cases, employment was contingent on treating natural hair to change its appearance."...
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Excerpt #2:
From https://www.thecut.com/2014/10/21-feminists-with-really-great-hair.html
..."When Angela Davis appeared on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List in 1970, she was sporting an Afro so perfect that to this very day it remains the textbook example of the style. And with that mugshot, she changed the history of hair. The previously New York– and Chicago-based style became an international symbol of black pride and a means of taking back and taking up space. But fabulous though her Afro may have been, Davis has been known to express a certain wariness about it. Her name, which should call to mind a life of radical thought and action, is remembered by many in reference to a hairstyle alone.".
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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD OF THIS YOUTUBE SOUND FILE
Pancocojams Editor's note: This compilation isn't all of the comments from that discussion thread about the album cover that was mistakenly used for this YouTube sound file of Lafayette Afro Rock Band's record entitled "Hihache".
I didn't read all of the comments in that discussion thread, but I did read A LOT of them.
Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
1. mootbooxle. 2014
"Very pretty lady on the cover!!"
**
REPLY
2. Rafael R, 2014
"What's her name?"
**
REPLY
3, Timeless Funk, Soul & R&B, 2017
"Rafael R Goddess!"
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REPLY
4. Big Nicky, 2017
"Looks like Angela Yvonne Davis .. American political activist"
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REPLY
5. smartalek180, 2017
"I was going to ask if that was her -- sure looks like her.
https://alchetron.com/Angela-Davis
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REPLY
6. Jerboy Must Die!, 2017
"The pretty lady on the thumbnail brought me here. That the song sounds like some old porn background doesn't hurt either."
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REPLY
7. Louis Barnes, 2017
"Foxy Cleopatra! :P"
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REPLY
8. Skeksis Law, 2018
"except that she s light skin and wears an afro she doesn t look at all like Angela Davis....
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REPLY
9. Nasty Foxboy, 2018
"Very good music beyond this cover."
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REPLY
10. Marcel LAZZER, 2018
"Pretty & Proud!!"
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REPLY
11. EMAN, 2018
"much love to my brown skin afro beauties, and to all canela skinned mamis, too black too strong much love from Puerto rico."
-snip-
The "too" in the phrase "too black, too strong" means "very". Read my note after Comment #49 about the various meanings of "too + an adjective".
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REPLY
12. Frank Shailes, 2018
"Why are you obsessed with skin colour? Enjoy the music!"
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REPLY
13. Tanman_1107, 2019
"¡Esta mucho mucho mucho bonita!"
-snip-
Google translate from Spanish to English
"She is very very very pretty".
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14. rubbersole, 2014
"Michele Obama's college gig.........."
-snip-
This is only one of several comments that mention former United States First Lady Michelle Obama in reference to this Lafayette Afro Rock Band album cover. (Also read Comment #59 and Comment #67 for two more examples of these comments in this compilation. These comments could be construed as being complimentary or insulting since so many comments about the woman in the photograph are positive, but there are also a lot of negative online comments about Michelle Obama.
Given that this photograph was used as the cover of a 1973 music album, the woman in the photograph couldn't be Michelle Obama.
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REPLY
15. Sophrosynicle, 2014
"Them eyebrows and lips for sure"
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16. Howard Miller II, 2015
"beautiful sista on that cover there now their hair is fried,dyed, and laid to the side."
-snip-
"Sista" ("sister") is a colloquial referent from African American Vernacular English for a Black female (usually a teen or a woman). This isn't the same usage in African American culture as "Sister + last name" (Note that the beginning letter in "sister" is capitalized). In that usage, "Sister" is a title that is used in some Black [non-Catholic] churches for women).
**
17. Daniel Fountain, 2016
"the sister in the photo is fire!"
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REPLY
18. ronald Williams, 2016
"Daniel fountain back in those days black women where very very sexy now in these days no way f&&k* no"
-snip-
*This word is completely spelled out in this comment.
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REPLY
19. PeekaBooo08, 2016
"ronald Williams they're still lots of beautiful women today; it's just that back then natural beauty reigned supreme. Now if your face isn't made up with pounds of makeup on your face, you're irrelevant."
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REPLY
20. eL shadaye, 2016
"PeekaBooo08 You hit it right on the head! Natural Beauty will ALWAYS reign Supreme!
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REPLY
21. ronald Williams, 2016
"PeekaBooo08 i no i was there back then it was actually a lot better"
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REPLY
22. blake, 2017
"yo why you lookin at my queen, lmao"
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REPLY
23. Scott Matheson, 2017
"her 'fro (and the time period)reminds me of funk queen Betty Davis"
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REPLY
24. Rossi Ross, 2017
"Did you mean 'Betty Wright'?"
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REPLY
25. Scott Matheson, 2017
"nope Betty Davis who was married to Miles in the 60s. I dig Betty Wright as well though."
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REPLY
26. SG45 cal, 2017
"Daniel fountain True... She is."
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REPLY
27. steampump 1912, 2017
"So true, she has a natural sexiness....an' that fro,...man, so cool."
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REPLY
28. Neil Soulman Hagan, 2017
"yes sir #mothershipConnection #MaddNubianLove!"
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REPLY
29. mark buns, 2017
"Agree....she is one hot momma"
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30. BONZO KILBOURN, 2017
"Afro needs to make a comeback for the ladies."
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REPLY
31. Milan S, 2017
"PeekaBooo08 You couldn't be more wrong. Girls with 'pounds of makeup on their face' do exist, but they are the exception. People in the comment section of these kinds of videos really romanticize the past."
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REPLY
32. Richard Orahood, 2017
"Just like my wife. Natural hair. No makeup. Fine as can be."
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REPLY
33. bza069, 2017
"haha. in international pols, men rate black women at the bottom of the list behind whites/asians at top, then Latinas, then everything else and finally black women at the bottom. true."
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REPLY
34. M Zach, 2018
"Yep, they don't put ugly women on album covers, she is sexy!"
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REPLY
35. EwaldK, 2018
"Now probably in her seventies....sigh..."
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REPLY
36. Antonio Lott, 2018
"All these comments but I need a name!"
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REPLY
37. julian, 2018
"The origanal slingky KINKY Afro!!!"
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REPLY
38. big baby jesus, 2018
"when black women knew who they were and proud.
not trying to look and act like"Becky with the good hair". afros grow on the head of the royalty of the earth just as the trees and flowers grow on the Earth's Afro ✊😉"
-snip-
"Becky with the good hair" is a line from Beyoncé's song "Sorry" in her 2016 album "Lemonade". "Becky" is an (at least slightly negative) African American originated colloquial referent for a young White woman.
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REPLY
39. Daniel Elston, 2019
"She is beautiful."
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REPLY
40. mr1010 01, 2019
"does anybody know her name?"
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REPLY
41. Earl Halstead, 2019
"True to her heritage,(Smile)"
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REPLY
42. Raptor IX, 2019
"yo sista is fire"
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REPLY
43. Annetta77, 2019
"@PeekaBooo08 that's a shame. I was part of the 60s generation too and yes, we women (girls) were lucky to get to go au natural and still be beautiful. We wore very little makeup compared to today. It's shocking, and I'm sorry for you! If I were you, i'd cut way back on the makeup, just refuse to "do it" and make them like it! We did! It worked and it will always work, because men think you're beautiful no matter what. Sounds like the heavy hand of a misogynist society which apparently has way too much control over this day and age. Apparently we live in a more chauvinist and sexist society than ever! Stop wearing so much makeup! Rebel! Say no to an irrational, abusive culture. Makeup is fine for some women, I guess -- and can be good fun, on occasion, but it's not needed, or really wanted, by most men. A "painted face' is both a sign and method of subjugation still. Don't slather it on anymore just for society's sake!"
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REPLY
44. Annetta77, 2019
"@eL shadaye that's what I been sayin'"
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REPLY
45. SOCOMJON, 2019
"Daniel Fountain She’s the reason I’m here ❤️"
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REPLY
46. btinsley1, 2019
"@Rossi Ross nope...look up betty davis "they say i'm different"...the world was NOT ready for betty..she was ahead of her time! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKWPynScqgw. "
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47. saisiva bala, 2015
"She looks so hot"
-snip-
One slang connotation of the adjective "hot" is "sexy". The comments in this compilation that describe the photographed woman as "hot" probably include that connotation. However, in the United States since at least the early 2000s, "hot"/"fire" (also) may or only means "very good" without any connotations of sexiness. In the context of these comments "hot" and "fire" means "very attractive").
**
48. Ket Hohyh, 2016
"hot black mama on the cover"
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49. jimeas popoloiv, 2016
"that women in the picture. She is to beautiful. Who is she?"
-snip-
"to" = "too". "Too" + an adjective means "very". This adverb plus adjective combination is usually considered a negative in the United States (for example, too noisy). However, it appears that throughout many cultures in the world, "too" + an adjective is a positive descriptor.
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50. XXL-Bilder Mehmet Parmak, 2017
"Queen of Motherland"
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51. saisiva bala, 2017
"i came here for the cover once again she is somethimg else
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52. Zadur Zadur, 2017
"who's the girl on the cover?"
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53. Middy Mizzle, 2017
"who's that nameless beauty in the photo?...hot as jalapenos"
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54. Raider4life, 2017
"Damn if she ain’t Cookie’s(Taraji P Henson) Mama she shoulda been!!
-snip-
"Cookie" is a character in the hit American television series "Empire"."
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55. Wafeeq Zarif, 2017
"But the sister on the album cover though..."
-snip-
Since at least 2013 "that...though" is a formation-probably from African American Vernacular English- that (now) indicates approval without comparing something or someone to another thing, person, or action which is considered less positively.
From http://mentalfloss.com/article/64323/evolution-noun-though
..."Urban Dictionary, for example, has "dat … doe" entries from late 2013 ("dat [blank] doe" from November 2013, for example) but the earliest "that … though" entry isn't until July 2014—almost a year later.
[...]
...the earlier Urban Dictionary entries for "dat booty doe" and similar expressions come with example scenarios which start with a negative comment about someone's face—a response like "but dat booty doe" or "dat smile tho" is clearly intended to express a mitigating factor.
But by a year later, it's become a general way of expressing approval without the initial setup of surprise or disappointment. A commenter on Reddit around the same time adds another contradiction-free example: "Watching a football game. Receiver makes great catch. 'That catch tho!'""...
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56. Benedict Beattie, 2017
"my girls got an afro too so happy :)"
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57. GBRL, 2017
"super dope and girls should wear afros more often these days"
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58. AV Young, 2017
"Who is the lady on the cover?"
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REPLY
59. Adam Yoohasz, 2017
"Sister on the cover is Michelle pre Obama"
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60. Makhete Fall, 2017
"THAT WOMAN IS SUPER PRETTY// WOWOOOW. I AM GOING TO ASK MY GIRLFRIEND TO GROW AFRO. YEAP..."
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61. Dini Dinika, 2017
"So nice "sistà"!!! La belle époque. ...😍😍😍"
-snip-
Google translate from French to English:
"The good times"
The commenter may have written "sista" in parenthesis because that spelling of the word "sister" isn't found in his (or her) language.
**
62. Night East, 2017
"Even Korean guy like me who has no information of 70s USA, that cover-lady is looks so charm and lovely."
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63. michael truthson, 2017
"Ok I always felt home girl on the cover lol was outta sight!!!!!"
-snip-
"home girl" - female version of "home boy". In this context, this is a positive referent for a Black female who looks like she is proud to be a Black woman from a Black "hood" (neighborhood).
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REPLY
64. grizz22604, 2018
"she sure is!!!"
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65. LADY HYDRO JEN, 2018
"What a beautiful Sista with an amazing fro. I love this. Bring back the 70s. OLD SCHOOL FOREVER.
💁🏾♀️💋🖤💎👊🏾"
-snip-
This comment was written on that discussion thread in bold font.
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66. scottjinx, 2018
"such awesome music & that funky girl is beautiful, i will never understand why African chicks straighten their hair n stuff, nothing more beautiful than that natural fuzzy fro hey :)"
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67. JustinNasty, 2018
"Anyone else think she looks like a young Michelle Obama in this picture? 😂"
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68. The_Ghost Tiger, 2019
"Why y'all sista can't rock natural like systagurly in the photo! Sick of this hair hat nation.
-snip-
"Hair hat" is one colloquial term for "wigs", or more generally speaking, "fake hair". "Fake hair" also includes hair extensions (also referred to as [hair] weaves)."
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This concludes Part II of this two part series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Showing posts with label afros. Show all posts
Showing posts with label afros. Show all posts
Monday, April 15, 2019
Monday, November 26, 2018
Excerpts From Various Online Articles & Discussion Threads About Afros And Afro Picks
Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on afro picks.
Part II provides excerpts from various online articles & discussion threads about afros and afro picks (pics).
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/11/erykah-badu-pick-your-afro-daddy-afro.html for Part I of this series. Part I showcases Erykah Badu's song "Pick Yo Afro Daddy". This song is also known as "Pick Yo Afro Daddy" and "Afro (Freestyle Skit)" is track 7 in Badu's the 1997 album Baduizm.
Part I also provides information about the Baduizm album.
The Addendum to that post includes a definition of "afro picks" and my comments about what afro picks and how afro picks were used and are now used. The Addendum also includes two related videos about Black hairstyles.
The content of this post is provided for cultural and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-changing-shape-of-womens-afro-hair.html for a pancocojams post entitled "The Changing Shapes Of Women's Afro Hair Styles (with January 2018 Update)"
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ARTICLE AND DISCUSSION THREAD EXCERPTS
These excerpts are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.
Excerpt #1:
From https://www.quora.com/Why-have-afros-fallen-out-of-style-in-the-African-American-community "Why Have Afros Fallen Out Of Style In The African American Community?
[This comment includes photos of different natural styles including the top photo of a woman with a big ‘fro in the style of the late 1960s and 1970s and the bottom photo of a Black woman with hair whose natural curls are more defined.]
[by] Carlet Langford, black all my life
Answered Jun 1, 2015
"It depends on what you mean by "afro".
Do you mean this:
[photos inserted]
Afros that look like the top picture aren't as popular anymore, that's true-for various reasons. Maintaining the above means really paying attention to your hair-black hair is very fragile, and the longer it is, the more care it needs because it tends to break off. The only way to comb big Afros is with a pick-and picking the hair in order to get it to stand up like you see in the above picture can cause the hair to break off. Plus, black hair is pretty dry naturally-so it can look very dull if not constantly moisterized, and the shorter it is, the easier it is to care for.
But afros that look like the bottom pictures are pretty popular. Shorter, with twists or braids or just a shorter version of the above are pretty popular among blacks. There are now more ways to style natural hair in a healthy manner, and there are more products available to keep the hair healthy then in the past-so women (and men) who want to wear their hair in it's natural state don't have to revert to the 60's "black power" style afro.
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Excerpt #2:
From https://www.quora.com/Why-have-afros-fallen-out-of-style-in-the-African-American-community "Why Have Afros Fallen Out Of Style In The African American Community?
[by] Brianna Ruffin, African-American and Afro-Caribbean
Answered Jun 1, 2015
"I would argue that the Afro hasn't disappeared. It, along with other natural hair styles, may have simply changed forms. For example, there's Lupita Nyong'o's teeny weeny afro (TWA), which is shorter and easier to care for. There are also medium-sized afros. In addition to these hair styles, there are other natural hair styles such as twist outs, flat twists, and braid outs that have become much more popular. Some of these hair styles look kind of like the Big Ass Afro (BAA) and have the added benefit of being more socially acceptable."
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Excerpt #3:
From ttps://www.quora.com/Why-do-some-black-people-wear-combs-in-their-hair Why do some black people wear combs in their hair?
[comment by Aaron Ellis, Black on Both Sides
Answered Jan 26 [no year given. However, according to Google search, this question was published in 2015]
"Back when I was fourteen years-old, I stopped cutting my hair. For the first few months, I didn’t notice that my hair was getting long, partly because I played football and helmets hide long hair well. But after six months, I looked in the mirror and realized that my hair had grown like a plant in all directions. I had to face facts: I had an afro.
Personally, I was content to just let my fro grow without paying it any attention. However, my father didn’t like that plan. My dad came of age in the ’60s and ‘70s, when afros were more than just a hairdo: they were symbols of race, culture, and uniformity. He had high standards for the natural hairstyle. If I was going to have an afro, I had to follow his rules, which included regular shape-ups (barbershop visits to keep the hair tidy and shapely) and I had to comb it regularly to keep it presentable. Basically, my afro would have to look like how he styled his natural back in the day.
The one thing you quickly learn when trying to maintain a perfectly globular, velvety-sheened afro is that you have to comb it a lot. No seriously, A LOT.
Combing with a pick keeps your hair at a full length, but it’s temporary. The tendency of the hair to curl closer to the scalp is relentless. So you pick and pat down your hair all the time. Sometimes every hour. Sometimes every fifteen minutes. Sometimes even more frequently than that. If you don’t regularly comb your hair, it will look lumpy and uneven.
Another thing you quickly learn when you grow out a fro is that afro picks are not the most convenient combs to keep around. Even the small ones don’t fit into a front pocket and barely fit in a back pocket, where they are rigid and inflexible. The larger ones don’t fit in pockets at all.
So as a result of frequently needing to use an afro pick that does not easily fit in pockets or elsewhere, eventually it starts to seem like a good idea to just let the pick hang out in your fro. The thick hair is usually sturdy enough to hold it in place, so the pick just stays in place for easy access. As far as I’m aware, afros are the only black hairdos in which it’s possible to keep a comb in it, and afro picks are the only kinds of combs that you’ll find in that hair.
Obviously, some people will keep their afro picks in their hair for other reasons, for example, as a fashion item or hair decoration. However, even people who do this are most likely using their picks on a regular basis to keep their hair combed.
In summary, it’s just practical to leave your pick in your hair."
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Excerpt #3
From ttps://www.quora.com/Why-do-some-black-people-wear-combs-in-their-hair Why do some black people wear combs in their hair?
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Excerpt #4:
From ttps://www.quora.com/Why-do-some-black-people-wear-combs-in-their-hair Why do some black people wear combs in their hair?
[by] Patrick Edwin Moran, former Professor (1968-2010)
Answered Oct 25, 2015
"Decorative artifacts that stick in hair by their several long legs are common in many cultures. They go way back in China.
https://www.pinterest.com/joky717/ancient-chinese-combs/
Ancient Chinese Combs by Joky Lee
Back in the late 60s my African-American friends would stick a "pick" in their Afro hairdos. Those combs looked quite nice that way. Could there be a hold-over from that practice?
The afro comb: not just an accessory but a cultural icon
A new exhibition charts the afro comb from its inception in ancient Egypt through to its ascendency as a political emblem"...
-snip-
This commenter cites the article that is given as Excerpt #5
****
Excerpt #5
From https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/shortcuts/2013/jul/07/afro-comb-accessory-cultural-icon "Afro Comb: Not Just An Accessory But A Cultural Icon" by Felicity Heywood, 7 Jul 2013
"
The afro comb has long been associated with the 1970s, the accessory of a hairstyle that represented counter culture and civil rights during an important era for both. These days it makes a regular appearance on mainstream TV in America – the Roots drummer Questlove is fond of wearing one while performing as part of the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Forty years ago, the afro comb was worn in the hair not only as an adornment, but also as a political emblem and a signature of a collective identity. It was recognised as a way of saying no to oppression. Wearing the comb led to a kind of comradeship amongst those whose hair grows up and out, not down.
Previously, the Afro comb wasn't very visible. And for this reason it has been assumed that the afro comb was invented in the 1970s. But a new exhibition blows that myth out the water. The afro comb dates back to ancient Egypt. The oldest comb from the collection is 5,500 years old.
The hundreds of combs on display show that over time the style hasn't changed. The comb, sometimes called a pick, is commonly upright with long teeth. Sometimes a motif decorates the top. In ancient times it often referenced cultural belonging, and there are artifacts showing how people wore the comb in the hair. Time marches on and culture is always in transition. But perhaps not at the speed we assume.”...
****
Excerpt #6
From https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/02/24/afro-rises/98327072/ "Untangled from politics, the proud Afro hairstyle rises again" by Karyn D. Collins, Special for USA TODAY Published Feb. 24, 2017
"Starla Lewis still remembers her father's reaction almost 50 years ago when she decided to wear her hair natural. She was 18 years old, and she was done using a hot comb to straighten her hair.
"My dad came home and looked at me and said, 'OK, joke's over. Go fix your hair.' And I said, 'Dad, this is the real me,'" Lewis recalls. "He said, 'Do me a favor: If you see me walking down the street, please don't speak.'"
Harsh words.
But in 1968, many black people considered "going natural" to be a radical move, whether that meant styling it in braids, cornrows, or one big puff — the look that became known as the Afro.
"Going natural was a resistance against what had been years of us trying to fit into European-American culture by straightening our hair," says Lewis, professor emerita of black studies at San Diego Mesa College in California. "Going natural was about embracing yourself, loving yourself."
And Lewis loved herself and her "new" hair.
[...]
Lewis has worn her hair natural almost continuously since that day in 1968; these days she sports a short Afro. Her daughter and granddaughter also wear natural hairstyles.
“"Going natural was about embracing yourself, loving yourself."”
She says it took a while for her father to come around, but he eventually did. "I think he realized I wasn't rejecting him. It was about embracing myself."
Today's natural hair is not your father's 'fro. A new generation has joined the natural hair movement and embraced the iconic Afro. Now, the style is relatively free of the political and social implications of the past.
“Back then, a lot of people saw our wearing our hair natural as a rejection of what was deemed socially acceptable. Originally, it was not a style as much as it was an 'unstyle'," says Lori Tharps, co-author of Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America. Tharps is an associate professor in journalism at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Social historians trace the start of the trend to students in the civil rights movement, particularly those in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee working and protesting in the South.
Then, the style was borne out of practical concerns.
"Activists found it was hard to maintain a press and curl after being covered in food during sit-ins, sprayed with high-powered water hoses during protest marches, and housed in cramped, humid Southern jails. Many SNCC women started cutting their hair short and wearing it natural," says Tanisha C. Ford, author of Liberated Threads: Black Women, Style and the Global Politics of Soul and an associate professor in black American studies and history at the University of Delaware. Young men in the movement began growing out their hair as well.
Afros became a political symbol, one that spread worldwide. But ironically, that popularity became its undoing.
"By the '70s, it was all about the Afro. And it wasn't a political statement, it was a style. It was a fashion trend, a hairstyle," Tharps says. "You had white people wearing Afros. You had the Jackson 5 and all of these superstars wearing Afros."
Lewis adds, "When it became the Afro, it became more of a hairstyle. It became about this perfectly shaped creation. You had all these products coming out to keep it perfect. Like any fashion trend, it eventually died, and people moved on to the next trend."
In praise of the pick
The pick, or sometimes pik, and the related wide-toothed Afro comb dates back 5,500 years to ancient Egypt.
But who's responsible for the modern versions some remember from childhood or a recent trip to the beauty supply store?
Willie Morrow was a popular barber in San Diego in the 1960s when he noticed an increasing number of his college-age customers growing their hair longer. Then one of his young customers brought in a comb he had purchased in Nigeria while studying there.
"I took a look at this comb. It didn't look like anything else I'd seen. That was the first time I saw a pick," Morrow said.
Morrow started making his own picks out of wood, eventually adding plastic and metal versions. Those creations, along with other hair implements he has collected, were the basis of an exhibit last year, "The History and the Hair Story: 400 Years Without A Comb," at the Museum at California Center for the Arts in Escondido, Calif.
S. Henry Bundles, Jr., whose wife was the granddaughter of black hair-care pioneer Madam C.J. Walker, held one of the first patents for an Afro pick, along with his business partner Henry Childrey.
A'Lelia Bundles said the pick her father and Childrey developed in 1969 for Summit Laboratories came after they saw a comb in San Francisco in the late '60s.
"Everyone was pivoting to take advantage of the Afro and come up with products for that, various sprays and moisturizers and the combs and picks," said A'Lelia Bundles, a journalist.
Today, Antonio's Manufacturing of Cresson, Pa., appears to be king of the pick market. If you have a pick with a fist and peace sign on the handle, it's probably an Antonio's model based on an original design first patented in the early '70s.
Anthony Romani Jr., the son and successor of company founder Anthony Romani, doesn't know why his father came up with that design.
"I do remember a lady called once and asked him why he put the fist and peace sign together," Romani Jr. said. "And he said, 'Well, you have to fight for peace, I reckon.' "...
****
Excerpt #7
From https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/afro/the-pros-and-cons-of-using-an-afro-pick "The Pros and Cons of Using an Afro Pick"
by Victoria Davis, 12.15.17
"The Afro pick has been a staple in the Black community for years -- did you know it was used in Egypt over 6,000 years ago?
And today, this hair tool has made its way into the hands of curly girls of all shades. If you've never used a pick (here is how to), or you want to dust off your comb from years past, there are some pros and cons of using an afro pick.
Pros
You achieve big curls. If you want to stand out amongst the crowd, big hair is surely the way to go. Afro picks can be used once your wash n go, twistout or braid out has fully dried. Don't even think about putting that pick near your head any time before then -- you will cause major frizz. Prevent this by combing from the roots up to an inch downward.
Inexpensive you say? With so many tools made for hair care, they can get pretty expensive, but the afro pick is one you can count on that won't make you empty your wallet. Picks can cost just a few dollars unless you're on the hunt for a handcrafted comb.
There are tons to choose from. Speaking of that handcrafted comb, there are many styles of picks - including your options of plastic or metal. Many stores sell a variety of colors, but what it's made of will matter. Those with looser, finer curl patterns may want to opt for the plastic pick as they are gentler. If you have a kinkier texture - metal picks will work just as well.
Cons
You may break some curls. The thought of causing breakage while using your pick may seem like a nightmare, but it's only a reality if you use the tool incorrectly. I know us curly girls focus a lot on protecting the ends of our hair, but your roots are the real star of the show when you use a pick. Never use the pick by starting from the roots and combing all the way through to the ends. You will cause severe damage and start the day with a massive headache.
Don't get too friendly. You may feel your newfound pick was sent from God, but over-manipulating your hair using any tool can cause breakage. Long story short: find ways to fluff your hair once without restyling with your pick daily.”...
****
Excerpt #8
From https://blackhairinformation.com/general-articles/tips/5-dos-donts-using-afro-pick/ "5 Dos And Don’ts When Using An Afro Pick" by Victoria, January 18, 2016
[...]
"Do's
Do it on dry hair
First things first, when you use your afro pick you’re probably going to want to use it on dry hair. One of the biggest things naturals know is that if you take down a style while it’s wet, you’re going to get nothing but frizz. To make sure that your curls are able to form and be defined in their own way, let your hair dry fully first. Then you can start using the pick.
Do it on day 1 hair
Most people use their afro pick to truly define their day one curls. When you first take a style down, that’s when it’s the most flat. If you don’t want to wait until day 2 or 3 (after you’ve finally slept on it more and you curls had a chance to drop), then use your afro pick on day one. It will help you get the big curly fro look that you were looking for.
Don’t overdo it
With that being said, don’t overdo the picking! If you want to make your style last a few days or even a little over a week, you don’t want to get it so big on the first day that it looks like a nest on day 4. If you like frizz, or if it’s for a one time occasion, on the other hand, then feel free to use the pick to get that maximum full look.
Do gently lift the roots
Now comes the test of using the pick – when you actually run it through. To get the most voluminous look, place the pick at the root of your hair and gently pull up.
Lift at the roots and repeat all over your head. This way your curls won’t be disturbed and you can see more volume. You can also shape your style in the way you want it to lay on your head.
Don’t tug all the way through
Even though you are lifting your curls, do not run the pick all the way through. Trust me, this is a mistake I had to learn through extensive trial and error. Pulling the pick all the way through is similar to just combing out the curls. Instead, lift at the roots and stop. You’ll still have definition and volume – the best of both worlds!”...
-snip-
Comment from Tayna [no date given]
"Good info! I just learned how to use an afro pick to create volume for my fine, low dense hair. Now my wash n gos, roller sets, and twist outs have the illusion of looking thick!"
****
This concludes Part II of this two part series on afros and afro picks.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on afro picks.
Part II provides excerpts from various online articles & discussion threads about afros and afro picks (pics).
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/11/erykah-badu-pick-your-afro-daddy-afro.html for Part I of this series. Part I showcases Erykah Badu's song "Pick Yo Afro Daddy". This song is also known as "Pick Yo Afro Daddy" and "Afro (Freestyle Skit)" is track 7 in Badu's the 1997 album Baduizm.
Part I also provides information about the Baduizm album.
The Addendum to that post includes a definition of "afro picks" and my comments about what afro picks and how afro picks were used and are now used. The Addendum also includes two related videos about Black hairstyles.
The content of this post is provided for cultural and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-changing-shape-of-womens-afro-hair.html for a pancocojams post entitled "The Changing Shapes Of Women's Afro Hair Styles (with January 2018 Update)"
****
ARTICLE AND DISCUSSION THREAD EXCERPTS
These excerpts are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.
Excerpt #1:
From https://www.quora.com/Why-have-afros-fallen-out-of-style-in-the-African-American-community "Why Have Afros Fallen Out Of Style In The African American Community?
[This comment includes photos of different natural styles including the top photo of a woman with a big ‘fro in the style of the late 1960s and 1970s and the bottom photo of a Black woman with hair whose natural curls are more defined.]
[by] Carlet Langford, black all my life
Answered Jun 1, 2015
"It depends on what you mean by "afro".
Do you mean this:
[photos inserted]
Afros that look like the top picture aren't as popular anymore, that's true-for various reasons. Maintaining the above means really paying attention to your hair-black hair is very fragile, and the longer it is, the more care it needs because it tends to break off. The only way to comb big Afros is with a pick-and picking the hair in order to get it to stand up like you see in the above picture can cause the hair to break off. Plus, black hair is pretty dry naturally-so it can look very dull if not constantly moisterized, and the shorter it is, the easier it is to care for.
But afros that look like the bottom pictures are pretty popular. Shorter, with twists or braids or just a shorter version of the above are pretty popular among blacks. There are now more ways to style natural hair in a healthy manner, and there are more products available to keep the hair healthy then in the past-so women (and men) who want to wear their hair in it's natural state don't have to revert to the 60's "black power" style afro.
****
Excerpt #2:
From https://www.quora.com/Why-have-afros-fallen-out-of-style-in-the-African-American-community "Why Have Afros Fallen Out Of Style In The African American Community?
[by] Brianna Ruffin, African-American and Afro-Caribbean
Answered Jun 1, 2015
"I would argue that the Afro hasn't disappeared. It, along with other natural hair styles, may have simply changed forms. For example, there's Lupita Nyong'o's teeny weeny afro (TWA), which is shorter and easier to care for. There are also medium-sized afros. In addition to these hair styles, there are other natural hair styles such as twist outs, flat twists, and braid outs that have become much more popular. Some of these hair styles look kind of like the Big Ass Afro (BAA) and have the added benefit of being more socially acceptable."
****
Excerpt #3:
From ttps://www.quora.com/Why-do-some-black-people-wear-combs-in-their-hair Why do some black people wear combs in their hair?
[comment by Aaron Ellis, Black on Both Sides
Answered Jan 26 [no year given. However, according to Google search, this question was published in 2015]
"Back when I was fourteen years-old, I stopped cutting my hair. For the first few months, I didn’t notice that my hair was getting long, partly because I played football and helmets hide long hair well. But after six months, I looked in the mirror and realized that my hair had grown like a plant in all directions. I had to face facts: I had an afro.
Personally, I was content to just let my fro grow without paying it any attention. However, my father didn’t like that plan. My dad came of age in the ’60s and ‘70s, when afros were more than just a hairdo: they were symbols of race, culture, and uniformity. He had high standards for the natural hairstyle. If I was going to have an afro, I had to follow his rules, which included regular shape-ups (barbershop visits to keep the hair tidy and shapely) and I had to comb it regularly to keep it presentable. Basically, my afro would have to look like how he styled his natural back in the day.
The one thing you quickly learn when trying to maintain a perfectly globular, velvety-sheened afro is that you have to comb it a lot. No seriously, A LOT.
Combing with a pick keeps your hair at a full length, but it’s temporary. The tendency of the hair to curl closer to the scalp is relentless. So you pick and pat down your hair all the time. Sometimes every hour. Sometimes every fifteen minutes. Sometimes even more frequently than that. If you don’t regularly comb your hair, it will look lumpy and uneven.
Another thing you quickly learn when you grow out a fro is that afro picks are not the most convenient combs to keep around. Even the small ones don’t fit into a front pocket and barely fit in a back pocket, where they are rigid and inflexible. The larger ones don’t fit in pockets at all.
So as a result of frequently needing to use an afro pick that does not easily fit in pockets or elsewhere, eventually it starts to seem like a good idea to just let the pick hang out in your fro. The thick hair is usually sturdy enough to hold it in place, so the pick just stays in place for easy access. As far as I’m aware, afros are the only black hairdos in which it’s possible to keep a comb in it, and afro picks are the only kinds of combs that you’ll find in that hair.
Obviously, some people will keep their afro picks in their hair for other reasons, for example, as a fashion item or hair decoration. However, even people who do this are most likely using their picks on a regular basis to keep their hair combed.
In summary, it’s just practical to leave your pick in your hair."
****
Excerpt #3
From ttps://www.quora.com/Why-do-some-black-people-wear-combs-in-their-hair Why do some black people wear combs in their hair?
****
Excerpt #4:
From ttps://www.quora.com/Why-do-some-black-people-wear-combs-in-their-hair Why do some black people wear combs in their hair?
[by] Patrick Edwin Moran, former Professor (1968-2010)
Answered Oct 25, 2015
"Decorative artifacts that stick in hair by their several long legs are common in many cultures. They go way back in China.
https://www.pinterest.com/joky717/ancient-chinese-combs/
Ancient Chinese Combs by Joky Lee
Back in the late 60s my African-American friends would stick a "pick" in their Afro hairdos. Those combs looked quite nice that way. Could there be a hold-over from that practice?
The afro comb: not just an accessory but a cultural icon
A new exhibition charts the afro comb from its inception in ancient Egypt through to its ascendency as a political emblem"...
-snip-
This commenter cites the article that is given as Excerpt #5
****
Excerpt #5
From https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/shortcuts/2013/jul/07/afro-comb-accessory-cultural-icon "Afro Comb: Not Just An Accessory But A Cultural Icon" by Felicity Heywood, 7 Jul 2013
"
The afro comb has long been associated with the 1970s, the accessory of a hairstyle that represented counter culture and civil rights during an important era for both. These days it makes a regular appearance on mainstream TV in America – the Roots drummer Questlove is fond of wearing one while performing as part of the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Forty years ago, the afro comb was worn in the hair not only as an adornment, but also as a political emblem and a signature of a collective identity. It was recognised as a way of saying no to oppression. Wearing the comb led to a kind of comradeship amongst those whose hair grows up and out, not down.
Previously, the Afro comb wasn't very visible. And for this reason it has been assumed that the afro comb was invented in the 1970s. But a new exhibition blows that myth out the water. The afro comb dates back to ancient Egypt. The oldest comb from the collection is 5,500 years old.
The hundreds of combs on display show that over time the style hasn't changed. The comb, sometimes called a pick, is commonly upright with long teeth. Sometimes a motif decorates the top. In ancient times it often referenced cultural belonging, and there are artifacts showing how people wore the comb in the hair. Time marches on and culture is always in transition. But perhaps not at the speed we assume.”...
****
Excerpt #6
From https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/02/24/afro-rises/98327072/ "Untangled from politics, the proud Afro hairstyle rises again" by Karyn D. Collins, Special for USA TODAY Published Feb. 24, 2017
"Starla Lewis still remembers her father's reaction almost 50 years ago when she decided to wear her hair natural. She was 18 years old, and she was done using a hot comb to straighten her hair.
"My dad came home and looked at me and said, 'OK, joke's over. Go fix your hair.' And I said, 'Dad, this is the real me,'" Lewis recalls. "He said, 'Do me a favor: If you see me walking down the street, please don't speak.'"
Harsh words.
But in 1968, many black people considered "going natural" to be a radical move, whether that meant styling it in braids, cornrows, or one big puff — the look that became known as the Afro.
"Going natural was a resistance against what had been years of us trying to fit into European-American culture by straightening our hair," says Lewis, professor emerita of black studies at San Diego Mesa College in California. "Going natural was about embracing yourself, loving yourself."
And Lewis loved herself and her "new" hair.
[...]
Lewis has worn her hair natural almost continuously since that day in 1968; these days she sports a short Afro. Her daughter and granddaughter also wear natural hairstyles.
“"Going natural was about embracing yourself, loving yourself."”
She says it took a while for her father to come around, but he eventually did. "I think he realized I wasn't rejecting him. It was about embracing myself."
Today's natural hair is not your father's 'fro. A new generation has joined the natural hair movement and embraced the iconic Afro. Now, the style is relatively free of the political and social implications of the past.
“Back then, a lot of people saw our wearing our hair natural as a rejection of what was deemed socially acceptable. Originally, it was not a style as much as it was an 'unstyle'," says Lori Tharps, co-author of Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America. Tharps is an associate professor in journalism at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Social historians trace the start of the trend to students in the civil rights movement, particularly those in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee working and protesting in the South.
Then, the style was borne out of practical concerns.
"Activists found it was hard to maintain a press and curl after being covered in food during sit-ins, sprayed with high-powered water hoses during protest marches, and housed in cramped, humid Southern jails. Many SNCC women started cutting their hair short and wearing it natural," says Tanisha C. Ford, author of Liberated Threads: Black Women, Style and the Global Politics of Soul and an associate professor in black American studies and history at the University of Delaware. Young men in the movement began growing out their hair as well.
Afros became a political symbol, one that spread worldwide. But ironically, that popularity became its undoing.
"By the '70s, it was all about the Afro. And it wasn't a political statement, it was a style. It was a fashion trend, a hairstyle," Tharps says. "You had white people wearing Afros. You had the Jackson 5 and all of these superstars wearing Afros."
Lewis adds, "When it became the Afro, it became more of a hairstyle. It became about this perfectly shaped creation. You had all these products coming out to keep it perfect. Like any fashion trend, it eventually died, and people moved on to the next trend."
In praise of the pick
The pick, or sometimes pik, and the related wide-toothed Afro comb dates back 5,500 years to ancient Egypt.
But who's responsible for the modern versions some remember from childhood or a recent trip to the beauty supply store?
Willie Morrow was a popular barber in San Diego in the 1960s when he noticed an increasing number of his college-age customers growing their hair longer. Then one of his young customers brought in a comb he had purchased in Nigeria while studying there.
"I took a look at this comb. It didn't look like anything else I'd seen. That was the first time I saw a pick," Morrow said.
Morrow started making his own picks out of wood, eventually adding plastic and metal versions. Those creations, along with other hair implements he has collected, were the basis of an exhibit last year, "The History and the Hair Story: 400 Years Without A Comb," at the Museum at California Center for the Arts in Escondido, Calif.
S. Henry Bundles, Jr., whose wife was the granddaughter of black hair-care pioneer Madam C.J. Walker, held one of the first patents for an Afro pick, along with his business partner Henry Childrey.
A'Lelia Bundles said the pick her father and Childrey developed in 1969 for Summit Laboratories came after they saw a comb in San Francisco in the late '60s.
"Everyone was pivoting to take advantage of the Afro and come up with products for that, various sprays and moisturizers and the combs and picks," said A'Lelia Bundles, a journalist.
Today, Antonio's Manufacturing of Cresson, Pa., appears to be king of the pick market. If you have a pick with a fist and peace sign on the handle, it's probably an Antonio's model based on an original design first patented in the early '70s.
Anthony Romani Jr., the son and successor of company founder Anthony Romani, doesn't know why his father came up with that design.
"I do remember a lady called once and asked him why he put the fist and peace sign together," Romani Jr. said. "And he said, 'Well, you have to fight for peace, I reckon.' "...
****
Excerpt #7
From https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/afro/the-pros-and-cons-of-using-an-afro-pick "The Pros and Cons of Using an Afro Pick"
by Victoria Davis, 12.15.17
"The Afro pick has been a staple in the Black community for years -- did you know it was used in Egypt over 6,000 years ago?
And today, this hair tool has made its way into the hands of curly girls of all shades. If you've never used a pick (here is how to), or you want to dust off your comb from years past, there are some pros and cons of using an afro pick.
Pros
You achieve big curls. If you want to stand out amongst the crowd, big hair is surely the way to go. Afro picks can be used once your wash n go, twistout or braid out has fully dried. Don't even think about putting that pick near your head any time before then -- you will cause major frizz. Prevent this by combing from the roots up to an inch downward.
Inexpensive you say? With so many tools made for hair care, they can get pretty expensive, but the afro pick is one you can count on that won't make you empty your wallet. Picks can cost just a few dollars unless you're on the hunt for a handcrafted comb.
There are tons to choose from. Speaking of that handcrafted comb, there are many styles of picks - including your options of plastic or metal. Many stores sell a variety of colors, but what it's made of will matter. Those with looser, finer curl patterns may want to opt for the plastic pick as they are gentler. If you have a kinkier texture - metal picks will work just as well.
Cons
You may break some curls. The thought of causing breakage while using your pick may seem like a nightmare, but it's only a reality if you use the tool incorrectly. I know us curly girls focus a lot on protecting the ends of our hair, but your roots are the real star of the show when you use a pick. Never use the pick by starting from the roots and combing all the way through to the ends. You will cause severe damage and start the day with a massive headache.
Don't get too friendly. You may feel your newfound pick was sent from God, but over-manipulating your hair using any tool can cause breakage. Long story short: find ways to fluff your hair once without restyling with your pick daily.”...
****
Excerpt #8
From https://blackhairinformation.com/general-articles/tips/5-dos-donts-using-afro-pick/ "5 Dos And Don’ts When Using An Afro Pick" by Victoria, January 18, 2016
[...]
"Do's
Do it on dry hair
First things first, when you use your afro pick you’re probably going to want to use it on dry hair. One of the biggest things naturals know is that if you take down a style while it’s wet, you’re going to get nothing but frizz. To make sure that your curls are able to form and be defined in their own way, let your hair dry fully first. Then you can start using the pick.
Do it on day 1 hair
Most people use their afro pick to truly define their day one curls. When you first take a style down, that’s when it’s the most flat. If you don’t want to wait until day 2 or 3 (after you’ve finally slept on it more and you curls had a chance to drop), then use your afro pick on day one. It will help you get the big curly fro look that you were looking for.
Don’t overdo it
With that being said, don’t overdo the picking! If you want to make your style last a few days or even a little over a week, you don’t want to get it so big on the first day that it looks like a nest on day 4. If you like frizz, or if it’s for a one time occasion, on the other hand, then feel free to use the pick to get that maximum full look.
Do gently lift the roots
Now comes the test of using the pick – when you actually run it through. To get the most voluminous look, place the pick at the root of your hair and gently pull up.
Lift at the roots and repeat all over your head. This way your curls won’t be disturbed and you can see more volume. You can also shape your style in the way you want it to lay on your head.
Don’t tug all the way through
Even though you are lifting your curls, do not run the pick all the way through. Trust me, this is a mistake I had to learn through extensive trial and error. Pulling the pick all the way through is similar to just combing out the curls. Instead, lift at the roots and stop. You’ll still have definition and volume – the best of both worlds!”...
-snip-
Comment from Tayna [no date given]
"Good info! I just learned how to use an afro pick to create volume for my fine, low dense hair. Now my wash n gos, roller sets, and twist outs have the illusion of looking thick!"
****
This concludes Part II of this two part series on afros and afro picks.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Erykah Badu - Pick Your Afro Daddy ( Afro Freestyle Skit), videos, lyrics, & comments about afro picks
Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series on afro picks.
Part I showcases Erykah Badu's song "Pick Yo Afro Daddy". This song is also known as "Pick Yo Afro Daddy" and "Afro (Freestyle Skit)" is track 7 in Badu's the 1997 album Baduizm.
Part I also provides information about the Baduizm album.
The Addendum to this post includes a definition of "afro picks" and my comments about what afro picks and how afro picks were used and are now used. The Addendum also includes two related videos about Black hairstyles.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/11/excerpts-from-various-online-articles.html for Part II of this series. Part II provides excerpts from various online articles & discussion threads about afros and afro picks (pics).
The content of this post is provided for cultural and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Erykah Badu for her musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: Afro Freestyle
AryKayne, Published on Nov 24, 2012
Track 7 from Baduizm album (Afro Freestyle Skit)
Song: Afro (Freestyle Skit)
Artist: Erykah Badu
-snip-
According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baduizm, "Baduizm is the debut album by American singer and songwriter Erykah Badu, released on February 11, 1997 by Kedar Records.
[...]
Baduizm was met with positive reviews from music critics who praised the album's musical style and Badu's artistic vision; other critics noted similarities between Badu and Billie Holiday. Baduizm was a commercial success debuting at number two on the US Billboard charts and number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The album was certified three times platinum by Recording Industry Association of America,[5] Gold by British Phonographic Industry[6] and Gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.[7]
[...]
Badu's particular style of singing drew many comparisons to Billie Holiday.[24] Entertainment Weekly said Badu echoed Holiday in "her phrasing and cadence,"[14] while Greg Kot from the Chicago Tribune commented: "Rather than merely mimicking Holiday, Badu offers a canny update of the socially conscious soul of the early '70s with her midtempo grooves and sultry, conversational vocals."[13] In the Los Angeles Times, Robert Hilburn wrote: "Freely mixing musical eras and inspirations (Billie Holiday to Stevie Wonder, jazz to hip-hop), Badu combines supper-club sophistication with an artistic vision as unique and independent" as Prince in the 1980s.[25] Writing for Rolling Stone, Miles Marshall Lewis stated: "Baduizm showcases the heart and soul of a bohemian B-girl who happens to have an effortless jazz swing."[19]
At the end of 1997, Baduizm was voted the seventh best record of the year in the Pazz & Jop, an annual poll of American critics published by The Village Voice.[26]...
After Baduizm was released, it peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.[29][30] The album's success helped establish Badu as one of the leading artists in the burgeoning neo soul genre.[2] Baduizm was certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, Gold by the British Phonographic Industry and the Canadian Recording Industry Association. [5] [6] [7]
As of February 2017 the album has sold 2.8 million copies in United States."...
****
Example #2:Erykah Badu - Pick Yo Afro Daddy & Jesus On The Main Line LIVE in Chicago March 28th 2013
Kreis Xian, Published on Mar 30, 2013
Erykah Badu performs " Pick Yo Afro Daddy & Jesus On The Main Line " LIVE at House of Blues Chicago in celebration of her 16th anniversary in the music business.
-snip-
Bady's "Jesus [Is] On The Main Line" is a largely non-religious rendition of that song.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/06/rev-timothy-flemming-jesus-is-on.html for a pancocojams post about the Gospel song "Jesus Is On The Main Line".
****
LYRICS: PICK YOUR AFRO, DADDY
Afro (Freestyle Skit)
(Erykah Badu, James Poyser, Jaífar Barron)
Excuse us, Ladies and Gentleman..1, 2..
You need to pick yo afro, daddy
Cuz it's flat on one side
You need to pick yo afro, daddy
Cuz it's flat on one side
What ya waiting for
Well, if you don't pick yo afro
You're gonna have one side high
Well, you said you was gonna take me to see Wu-Tang, baby
So I braided my hair
Well, yes you did
Well, you said you was gonna take me to see Wu-Tang, baby
So I braided my hair, yes I did
Cornrowed and everything, baby
Well, you changed your mind and said we wasn't goin'
But my momma saw you there, yes she did
Check this out, one time
Well, I be blowin' up your pager, daddy
But you never call me back
Well, I be puttin' in 9-1-1, baby
But you never call me back no no
See if you don't know how to use that pager, daddy
I'm gonna take that ho back
Yes I will- you know I'll do it
Source: https://genius.com/Erykah-badu-afro-freestyle-skit-lyrics
Comment on that page by Maira, 2015
"Badu wrote this, as dedicated to ?uestlove of the Roots."
****
ADDENDUM: WHAT IS AN "AFRO PICK?" AND WHAT DOES "PICKING YOUR HAIR" MEAN IN THE CONTEXT OF BLACK HAIR CARE & THE AFRO AND OTHER BLACK NATURAL HAIRSTYLES? [Revised November 26, 2018]
An "afro pick" is a type of wide tooth hair comb. "Afro" ('fros) usually refer to evenly cut, rounded (halo shaped) big or small natural (non-chemically treated or non-hot comb straightened) hair styles for Black people with tightly coiled hair.
Afro picks can be made entirely of wood or plastic and may also be found as metal "teeth" with a wooden handle. In the context of Black people's hair care "to pick" means "to comb". Because of their wide teeth (prongs) afro picks help detangle tightly curled hair and make it easier to comb. Afro picks also help achieve and maintain afros that have volume and are evenly shaped.
Among Black Americans, "afro picks" may be more colloquially known as "pics" or "picks".
Afros are certain types of natural hairstyles that are worn (mostly) by Black people with tightly curled natural hair (i.e.type 4 hair that isn't treated with chemicals or hot combed.) Click https://www.naturallycurly.com/hair-types/coily for information about and photos of 4a, 4b, and 4C hair).
Afro picks are sometimes placed in the front side of (usually) Black males to facilitate carrying that comb. Much less often, afro picks are (also) worn in the hair on usually informal occasions for ornamental fashion purposes. However, the custom of having an afro pic in one's hair is much less often found in the 2000s than it was in the 1970s -in spite of the increased attention that musician Questlove of the Roots band has given to this custom as a result of the Roots being the house band for the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon series since February 2014.
It should be noted that the uneven style of ?uestlove's (Questlove)'s afro is very different from the evenly rounded (halo) style of big or small afros that were worn in the 1970s.
African Americans who wore our hair in afros, picked our hair for one of these or both of these reasons:
1. to help detangle the tightly curled natural hair
2. to achieve and help maintain a full, evenly rounded afro style
Afros a('fros) are natural hairstyles for (mostly) Black people with 4a, 4b, and/or 4c hair (Note that it's not unusual for an individual to have moer than one type of hair texture. In the late 1960s through the 1970s, afros were round, halo, evenly styled hairstyles, and the bigger (fuller) the afro was the better it was considered to be. However, that afro style became less favored in the 1980s although they can still be found among a small number of Black males and Black females. And in contrast to the 2000s, teeny tiny afros ("twas"- closely cropped natural hair, including shaved almost to the scalp were hardly found at all among Black American women.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-changing-shape-of-womens-afro-hair.html for a pancocojams post entitled "The Changing Shapes Of Women's Afro Hair Styles (with January 2018 Update)"
Another way of achieving a fuller look with afros was (is) to braid or twist one's natural hair (at night before going to bed and then unbraiding or untwisting that hair (the next morning or longer*) before combing it with an afro pick or (more often nowadays) with another style of large tooth comb.
In Erykah Badu's "Pick Your Afro Daddy" freestyle song, Badu suggests that the man she is addressing (originally the drummer known as Questlove, who she informally and affectionately refers to as "Daddy", pick his afro hair in order to achieve an even look to that hair, i.e. one side is "flat" while the other side is higher.
In "Pick Your Afro, Daddy" Badu also refers to the custom (since the 1970s) of Black people braiding our natural hair and then taking out those braids and combing (picking) it in order to help make it easier to comb and wear in a 'fro.
In my opinion, Badu's reference to "cornrowed and everything" is artistic license. Generally speaking, cornrow hairstyles take much too long to do for people to take that hairstyle out the next morning or the next day after doing them.
It's important to note that way back in the 1970s-1990s, neither I nor any other Black female over the age of eighteen I knew would wear our natural hair out in public in braids or in cornrows, excerpt when those braids were worn with decorated with beads or with cowrie shell. Wearing hair in cornrows or braids were children's hairstyles which could be worn by men but were considered only maintenance hairstyles for women. (By maintenance, I mean that braiding or cornrowing helped keep naturally tightly curled hair from tangling and frizzing up). However, since the resurgence of the Black natural hair movement, particularly since the early 2000s- wearing one's hair in braids, cornrows, or "twist out" are considered much more socially acceptable and are even considered stylish by a number of Black women and others.
To be clear, it's usually incorrect to refer to most natural hair styles worn by Black Americans nowadays as "afros" ('fros).
Here's one example (out of numerous YouTube examples) of "twists outs" - one of many popular natural hairstyles that are now worn by Black women: twisting sections of the hair, leaving the twists in overnight, or for several days, then taking the twists out, and wearing your hair that way without picking out (combing out) the hair:
SUPER DEFINED TWIST OUT ON 4C NATURAL HAIR ft SALON PRO TWIN OLIVE GEL | Luchi Loyale
Luchi Loyale, Published on Jun 10, 2018
-snip-
In contrast, here's a 2013 video of a big afro:
Biggest Afro Hair In The World - Guinness World Record
Barcroft TV, Published on Aug 1, 2013
Biggest Afro Hair In The World - Guinness World Record
****
This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series on afro picks.
Read the selected articles and comments about "afro picks" in Part II of this pancocojams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series on afro picks.
Part I showcases Erykah Badu's song "Pick Yo Afro Daddy". This song is also known as "Pick Yo Afro Daddy" and "Afro (Freestyle Skit)" is track 7 in Badu's the 1997 album Baduizm.
Part I also provides information about the Baduizm album.
The Addendum to this post includes a definition of "afro picks" and my comments about what afro picks and how afro picks were used and are now used. The Addendum also includes two related videos about Black hairstyles.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/11/excerpts-from-various-online-articles.html for Part II of this series. Part II provides excerpts from various online articles & discussion threads about afros and afro picks (pics).
The content of this post is provided for cultural and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Erykah Badu for her musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: Afro Freestyle
AryKayne, Published on Nov 24, 2012
Track 7 from Baduizm album (Afro Freestyle Skit)
Song: Afro (Freestyle Skit)
Artist: Erykah Badu
-snip-
According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baduizm, "Baduizm is the debut album by American singer and songwriter Erykah Badu, released on February 11, 1997 by Kedar Records.
[...]
Baduizm was met with positive reviews from music critics who praised the album's musical style and Badu's artistic vision; other critics noted similarities between Badu and Billie Holiday. Baduizm was a commercial success debuting at number two on the US Billboard charts and number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The album was certified three times platinum by Recording Industry Association of America,[5] Gold by British Phonographic Industry[6] and Gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.[7]
[...]
Badu's particular style of singing drew many comparisons to Billie Holiday.[24] Entertainment Weekly said Badu echoed Holiday in "her phrasing and cadence,"[14] while Greg Kot from the Chicago Tribune commented: "Rather than merely mimicking Holiday, Badu offers a canny update of the socially conscious soul of the early '70s with her midtempo grooves and sultry, conversational vocals."[13] In the Los Angeles Times, Robert Hilburn wrote: "Freely mixing musical eras and inspirations (Billie Holiday to Stevie Wonder, jazz to hip-hop), Badu combines supper-club sophistication with an artistic vision as unique and independent" as Prince in the 1980s.[25] Writing for Rolling Stone, Miles Marshall Lewis stated: "Baduizm showcases the heart and soul of a bohemian B-girl who happens to have an effortless jazz swing."[19]
At the end of 1997, Baduizm was voted the seventh best record of the year in the Pazz & Jop, an annual poll of American critics published by The Village Voice.[26]...
After Baduizm was released, it peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.[29][30] The album's success helped establish Badu as one of the leading artists in the burgeoning neo soul genre.[2] Baduizm was certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, Gold by the British Phonographic Industry and the Canadian Recording Industry Association. [5] [6] [7]
As of February 2017 the album has sold 2.8 million copies in United States."...
****
Example #2:Erykah Badu - Pick Yo Afro Daddy & Jesus On The Main Line LIVE in Chicago March 28th 2013
Kreis Xian, Published on Mar 30, 2013
Erykah Badu performs " Pick Yo Afro Daddy & Jesus On The Main Line " LIVE at House of Blues Chicago in celebration of her 16th anniversary in the music business.
-snip-
Bady's "Jesus [Is] On The Main Line" is a largely non-religious rendition of that song.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/06/rev-timothy-flemming-jesus-is-on.html for a pancocojams post about the Gospel song "Jesus Is On The Main Line".
****
LYRICS: PICK YOUR AFRO, DADDY
Afro (Freestyle Skit)
(Erykah Badu, James Poyser, Jaífar Barron)
Excuse us, Ladies and Gentleman..1, 2..
You need to pick yo afro, daddy
Cuz it's flat on one side
You need to pick yo afro, daddy
Cuz it's flat on one side
What ya waiting for
Well, if you don't pick yo afro
You're gonna have one side high
Well, you said you was gonna take me to see Wu-Tang, baby
So I braided my hair
Well, yes you did
Well, you said you was gonna take me to see Wu-Tang, baby
So I braided my hair, yes I did
Cornrowed and everything, baby
Well, you changed your mind and said we wasn't goin'
But my momma saw you there, yes she did
Check this out, one time
Well, I be blowin' up your pager, daddy
But you never call me back
Well, I be puttin' in 9-1-1, baby
But you never call me back no no
See if you don't know how to use that pager, daddy
I'm gonna take that ho back
Yes I will- you know I'll do it
Source: https://genius.com/Erykah-badu-afro-freestyle-skit-lyrics
Comment on that page by Maira, 2015
"Badu wrote this, as dedicated to ?uestlove of the Roots."
****
ADDENDUM: WHAT IS AN "AFRO PICK?" AND WHAT DOES "PICKING YOUR HAIR" MEAN IN THE CONTEXT OF BLACK HAIR CARE & THE AFRO AND OTHER BLACK NATURAL HAIRSTYLES? [Revised November 26, 2018]
An "afro pick" is a type of wide tooth hair comb. "Afro" ('fros) usually refer to evenly cut, rounded (halo shaped) big or small natural (non-chemically treated or non-hot comb straightened) hair styles for Black people with tightly coiled hair.
Afro picks can be made entirely of wood or plastic and may also be found as metal "teeth" with a wooden handle. In the context of Black people's hair care "to pick" means "to comb". Because of their wide teeth (prongs) afro picks help detangle tightly curled hair and make it easier to comb. Afro picks also help achieve and maintain afros that have volume and are evenly shaped.
Among Black Americans, "afro picks" may be more colloquially known as "pics" or "picks".
Afros are certain types of natural hairstyles that are worn (mostly) by Black people with tightly curled natural hair (i.e.type 4 hair that isn't treated with chemicals or hot combed.) Click https://www.naturallycurly.com/hair-types/coily for information about and photos of 4a, 4b, and 4C hair).
Afro picks are sometimes placed in the front side of (usually) Black males to facilitate carrying that comb. Much less often, afro picks are (also) worn in the hair on usually informal occasions for ornamental fashion purposes. However, the custom of having an afro pic in one's hair is much less often found in the 2000s than it was in the 1970s -in spite of the increased attention that musician Questlove of the Roots band has given to this custom as a result of the Roots being the house band for the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon series since February 2014.
It should be noted that the uneven style of ?uestlove's (Questlove)'s afro is very different from the evenly rounded (halo) style of big or small afros that were worn in the 1970s.
African Americans who wore our hair in afros, picked our hair for one of these or both of these reasons:
1. to help detangle the tightly curled natural hair
2. to achieve and help maintain a full, evenly rounded afro style
Afros a('fros) are natural hairstyles for (mostly) Black people with 4a, 4b, and/or 4c hair (Note that it's not unusual for an individual to have moer than one type of hair texture. In the late 1960s through the 1970s, afros were round, halo, evenly styled hairstyles, and the bigger (fuller) the afro was the better it was considered to be. However, that afro style became less favored in the 1980s although they can still be found among a small number of Black males and Black females. And in contrast to the 2000s, teeny tiny afros ("twas"- closely cropped natural hair, including shaved almost to the scalp were hardly found at all among Black American women.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-changing-shape-of-womens-afro-hair.html for a pancocojams post entitled "The Changing Shapes Of Women's Afro Hair Styles (with January 2018 Update)"
Another way of achieving a fuller look with afros was (is) to braid or twist one's natural hair (at night before going to bed and then unbraiding or untwisting that hair (the next morning or longer*) before combing it with an afro pick or (more often nowadays) with another style of large tooth comb.
In Erykah Badu's "Pick Your Afro Daddy" freestyle song, Badu suggests that the man she is addressing (originally the drummer known as Questlove, who she informally and affectionately refers to as "Daddy", pick his afro hair in order to achieve an even look to that hair, i.e. one side is "flat" while the other side is higher.
In "Pick Your Afro, Daddy" Badu also refers to the custom (since the 1970s) of Black people braiding our natural hair and then taking out those braids and combing (picking) it in order to help make it easier to comb and wear in a 'fro.
Well, you said you was gonna take me to see Wu-Tang, baby
So I braided my hair, yes I did
Cornrowed and everything, baby"
In my opinion, Badu's reference to "cornrowed and everything" is artistic license. Generally speaking, cornrow hairstyles take much too long to do for people to take that hairstyle out the next morning or the next day after doing them.
It's important to note that way back in the 1970s-1990s, neither I nor any other Black female over the age of eighteen I knew would wear our natural hair out in public in braids or in cornrows, excerpt when those braids were worn with decorated with beads or with cowrie shell. Wearing hair in cornrows or braids were children's hairstyles which could be worn by men but were considered only maintenance hairstyles for women. (By maintenance, I mean that braiding or cornrowing helped keep naturally tightly curled hair from tangling and frizzing up). However, since the resurgence of the Black natural hair movement, particularly since the early 2000s- wearing one's hair in braids, cornrows, or "twist out" are considered much more socially acceptable and are even considered stylish by a number of Black women and others.
To be clear, it's usually incorrect to refer to most natural hair styles worn by Black Americans nowadays as "afros" ('fros).
Here's one example (out of numerous YouTube examples) of "twists outs" - one of many popular natural hairstyles that are now worn by Black women: twisting sections of the hair, leaving the twists in overnight, or for several days, then taking the twists out, and wearing your hair that way without picking out (combing out) the hair:
SUPER DEFINED TWIST OUT ON 4C NATURAL HAIR ft SALON PRO TWIN OLIVE GEL | Luchi Loyale
Luchi Loyale, Published on Jun 10, 2018
-snip-
In contrast, here's a 2013 video of a big afro:
Biggest Afro Hair In The World - Guinness World Record
Barcroft TV, Published on Aug 1, 2013
Biggest Afro Hair In The World - Guinness World Record
****
This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series on afro picks.
Read the selected articles and comments about "afro picks" in Part II of this pancocojams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Saturday, June 9, 2018
Two Videos Of Nigerian Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Talking About Socio-Cultural & Political Aspects Of Black People's Hair
Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents information about Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and showcases two YouTube videos of interviews that feature Ms. Adichie talking about socio-cultural and political aspects of Black people's hair.
Selected comments from these videos' discussion threads are included in this post.
****
The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for her cultural legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
These are only two out of a number of other YouTube videos of interviews with or speeches by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in which she talks about Black hair.
Although Ms. Adichie wears her hair in almost the same natural style in both of these videos, she wears different natural hairstyles in many of her other YouTube videos that I've watched. In some other YouTube videos, Ms. Adichie wears an African head wrap and in one earlier YouTube video she wears a long natural-looking weave.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/01/igbos-comments-about-names-beginning.html for a related pancocojams post entitled "Nigerian Igbos' Comments About Names Beginning With "Chi" & Comments About The Frequent Use Of Certain Igbo Names"
****
INFORMATION ABOUT CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE
From http://www.cerep.ulg.ac.be/adichie/cnabio.html
"Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born on 15 September 1977 in Enugu, Nigeria, the fifth of six children to Igbo parents, Grace Ifeoma and James Nwoye Adichie. While the family's ancestral hometown is Abba in Anambra State, Chimamanda grew up in Nsukka, in the house formerly occupied by Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe. Chimamanda's father, who is now retired, worked at the University of Nigeria, located in Nsukka. He was Nigeria's first professor of statistics, and later became Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University. Her mother was the first female registrar at the same institution.
Chimamanda completed her secondary education at the University's school, receiving several academic prizes. She went on to study medicine and pharmacy at the University of Nigeria for a year and a half. During this period, she edited The Compass, a magazine run by the University's Catholic medical students.
At the age of nineteen, Chimamanda left for the United States. She gained a scholarship to study communication at Drexel University in Philadelphia for two years, and she went on to pursue a degree in communication and political science at Eastern Connecticut State University, where she also wrote articles for the university journal, the Campus Lantern. While in Connecticut, she stayed with her sister Ijeoma, who runs a medical practice close to the university.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie graduated summa cum laude from Eastern in 2001, and then completed a master's degree in creative writing at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.
It is during her senior year at Eastern that she started working on her first novel, Purple Hibiscus, which was released in October 2003. The book has received wide critical acclaim: it was shortlisted for the Orange Fiction Prize (2004) and was awarded the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book (2005).
Her second novel, Half of a Yellow Sun (also the title of one of her short stories), is set before and during the Biafran War. It was published in August 2006 in the United Kingdom and in September 2006 in the United States. Like Purple Hibiscus, it has also been released in Nigeria.
Chimamanda was a Hodder fellow at Princeton University during the 2005-2006 academic year, and earned an MA in African Studies from Yale University in 2008. In 2011-2012, she was awarded a fellowship by the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University, which allowed her to finalize her third novel, Americanah. The book was released to great critical acclaim in 2013.
Chimamanda is now married and has a daughter. She divides her time between Nigeria, where she regularly teaches writing workshops, and the United States."....
-snip-
This article continues with a list of awards that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has received.
-snip-
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimamanda_Ngozi_Adichie for a Wikipedia article about Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on love, race and hair
Channel 4 News, Published on Apr 10, 2013
Award winning African author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tells Jon Snow why her latest book Americanah mirrors some of the central issues of her own life; race, immigration and the power of hair.
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread (with numbers assigned for referencing purposes only)
1. Kai Travelmaker, 2013
"No we can't stop talking about race… There's no such thing as color-blindness." Chimamanda hit the nail on the head! Will be getting my copy of the book."
**
REPLY
2. welll?, 2014
"whats the name of the book?"
**
REPLY
3. ckent ckucklekek, 2014
"Americanah"
**
4. diouranke, 2014
"to hear this staunchly british guy talking about his mother wearing wigs and weavesm box braids lol really interesting"
**
REPLY
5. Adam Stein, 2015
"Yeah that was one of my favorite parts of the interview because I felt like he was trying to get out of his comfort zone in a good way. Maybe I'm giving him too much credit though haha"
**
REPLY
6. Sharp and Smart, 2017
"The interviewer seemed very condescending on his questions on hair"
**
7. Tirsit Endeshaw, 2014
"I really like your saying about the society image 'straight hair is beautiful'... I never thought of it as an influence of the western. what a thoughtful women. I like the way you expressed it as well."
**
8. Ishta Kutesa Atukunda, 2014
"L'dOL when she taught him what Afro Kinky is! hehehe..."
**
9. Xolisa Mahlakahlaka, 2014
"Jon Snow knows nothing! Why not let the lady complete a single thought?!"
**
10. mtnprivy, 2014
"Spending so much time on one's hair means that this person doesn't have more important things to do with her time/money. Of course that is a man's viewpoint. Perhaps there is something more important about hair than I have ever heard articulated. I am sure there are MANY cultural things that white hillbillies (my culture) spend their time on that also seems not really worth the time. I have always had a question in my mind "what is REALLY a good use of my time?" Today I chose to hear this lady talk about "having only one story" and that was absolutely worth my time. We form our habits, then our habits form us.
**
REPLY
11. Ikeoluwa Onasanya, 2016
"+mtnprivy That makes soooooo much sense. 'We form habits and then our habits form us.'"
**
REPLY
12. Maryse Matoko, 2017
"mtnprivy African natural hair has been mistreated for centuries: straightened, ironed, despised, shamed. her love for her hair can be paralleled with her love of herself, of Black self-love in a world where the standard for beauty is White, straight hair, blonde and extremely thin. It's way more serious than you think..."
**
REPLY
13. Ant rip, 2017
"Maryse Matoko You are bringing Black American context into hair though..."
**
14. Maryse Matoko, 2017
"+Ant rip i'm actually African like Chimamanda. This issue concerns all Black people not just African American people."
**
15. bandwagon22, 2016
"I have to rethink doing hair. Former i was seeing it just waste of time and money. However it's culturally rich thing and just like painting creating new. If doing hair is "waste of time" then clearly composing music and painting is too. On the other hand i strongly opposite skin bleaching. It has nothing to do with art and beauty. It's more like a human made cancer."
**
16. Yadok Godwill, 2017
"I believe hair is really important because many people judge it as they would with skin colour. People with afro hairs are immediately almost always considered black."
**
17. Yadok Godwill, 2017
"I believe hair is really important because many people judge it as they would with skin colour. People with afro hairs are immediately almost always considered black."
**
18. Clara Mupepi, 2017
"Jon Snow should probably read her book so he can wake up and STAY WOKE because he's ignorant. I'm not sure why he would think some of his comments were appropriate but as usual, she kept herself poised and sharp. I am thankful that she continues to represent African woman of color with dignity, respect and grace. She should be an inspiration to all men and women."
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/05/what-stay-woke-really-means-definitions.html for a 2018 pancocojams post entitled What "Stay Woke" REALLY Means (definitions, early influences, & uses)".
Here's a definition for "stay woke" that was quoted in that post:
"From http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/stay-woke
Stay Woke
Part of a series on Internet Slang.
Added 2016 by Ari Spool; Updated February 2018 by Y F.
"About
Stay Woke, derived from the phrase “stay awake,” is an Internet slang term often used to demonstrate the need for awareness of an issue, particularly those relating to social justice or the Black Lives Matter movement. The term is also used ironically in a similar manner to "Wake Up, Sheeple"."
****
Example #2: Chimamanda Ngzoi Adichie: "If Michelle Obama had natural hair, Barack Obama would not have won"
Det Kgl. Bibliotek, Published on May 28, 2014
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tells Synne Rifbjerg how she thinks Michelle Obama's hair influenced the presidential election
Excerpt from a conversation on International Authors' Stage in The Black Diamond, Copenhagen - see the full conversation here http://youtu.be/b8r-dP9NqX8
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread (with numbers assigned for referencing purposes only)
1. Lizzy Liz, 2014
"So true and sad that hair still holds us back even in the 21st century"
**
REPLY
2. mike58greenberg, 2014
"+Lizzy Afri I never understood that whole hair issue. I've always thought women of color were awesome and i still do"
**
REPLY
3. Lizzy Liz, 2014
"+mike58greenberg Thanks but if you do live in America you must be aware that Afro hair style or texture isn't generally well accepted especially in corporate jobs yet this is how our hair grows naturally. The worst part is that not only "white people" hate afro textured hair & consider it unacceptable but so do many black people also."
**
REPLY
4. The Adventurous Daydreamer, 2015
"+Lizzy Liz I disagree and it's not far that she'd have to carry the burden of racism and how it effects our self image."
**
REPLY
5. Lizzy Liz, 2015
"+T. L. The fact that she is black & has relaxed hair already proves that she carries the burden of racism in a society that ever promotes white/eurocentric standards of hair type in relation to beauty"
**
REPLY
6. The Adventurous Daydreamer, 2015
"+Lizzy Liz True. That's assuming her hair is even relaxed. I'm sure she has a top notch hairdresser that can press her hair just as straight but it's like Ms. Adichie stated, if she were to truly wear her nature textured hair before she lived in the White House, she would not be in there now because our God given hair is viewed as political or some other crap. Smh."
**
7. SFtoAix, 2014
"So sad BECAUSE it is true."
**
REPLY
8. Anton Takashima, 2018
"SFtoAix, yes I totally agree!"
**
9. mike58greenberg, 2014
"it's a tragedy that SO many feel compelled to straighten their hair. natural is so much cooler, prettier, more down to earth, more honest-looking. it shows a person has the integrity, decency that goes hand in hand with self-respect."
**
REPLY
10. Kelen R, 2015
"+mike58greenberg part of understanding is realizing that the pressure that creates the "feeling" of wanting to straighten hair is of gargantuan proportions."
**
REPLY
11. Isweri Pillay, 2016
"True. He would not have won had Michelle had corn rows. Silly world that we live in."
**
12. Moiralyster Lyster, 2015
"I don't think this is true. As an African black woman, kinky hair tends to be painful to comb. So if there is an easier way to make it more manageable, I personally prefer to keep it straightened and relaxed. I personally don't like kinky hair on me because I'm those tender-headed people who actually do prefer the easy way out. I love seeing my friends in their afros, all pretty and stuff, but I personally prefer relaxed hair On Me. Not because I'm trying to fit into a Western sphere, but because I just don't like an afro on me. It has nothing to do with my self-concept of beauty."
**
REPLY
13. Blessing Kabari, 2015
"that is because that is what you were brought up to think about yourself"
**
REPLY
14. Moiralyster Lyster, 2015
"No. I just like relaxed hair on Me. I am not my hair. My mom has an afro and it looks great. I just don't like it On Me. Understand that."
**
REPLY
15. Blessing Kabari, 2015
"+Moiralyster Dibodu if thats what you like thats what you like... i am just saying if you properly take care of your natural hair you will have no issues with it... i know because i am natural."
**
REPLY
16. 13ritalove, 2015
"you don't have to wear natural hair as an afro you can do braidouts twist outs roller sets etc. you can also straighten or blow dry natural hair. A way to comb your hair so it's not painful is to use conditioner when combing your hair. fyi Im going natural and I dont like afro's either."
**
REPLY
17. jademm, 2016
"The notion that kinky hair is "unmanageable" is a false judgment. Nothing is wrong with the hair. You either don't know how to gently manage kinky hair or you find the time it takes to maintain/nurture it is inconvenient. The type of hairstyle you want to display is ultimately your choice but don't kid yourself into believing that choosing to stay natural (or not) doesn't carry any social significance.
As a black woman living in the West, you know damn well that natural Black hair is generally regarded as "problematic". Afro-Caribbean women are being subtly told that it would be better for them to DAMAGE their hair with strong chemicals (i.e. use a relaxer) in order to "fit in" more easily. Why can't society learn to ACCEPT Black hair as it naturally is? Why can't it change expectations and make adjustments to accommodate diversity? Why is handling Black hair so mystifying or challenging to them?? If any woman can spend an hour in the bathroom meticulously prepping for a date (washing & exfoliating skin, styling hair, putting on makeup, polishing nails, putting on outfits, choosing accessories to match) then there's no reason why time can't be properly spent on caring for Black hair instead of always looking for the "easy way out".
I'm all for free expression, comfort and convenience when it comes to personal style. What I do object to are hair standards that go beyond basic hygiene/grooming matters and try to impose conformity at the expense of Black women's health and authenticity. If Black women are being held back from advancement or are seen as "undesirable" due to their natural, God-given hair...society has a problem (there are plenty of Black fashion models and Hollywood stars to prove my point). It's a sad message we're sending to young girls and women. There are MANY natural hairstyles to choose from to suit your taste. You shouldn't have to fry or hide your hair to be accepted."
**
REPLY
18. Caroline Njoroge, 2016
"Sibongile Dinaledi Kinky hair is so manageable, very easy for me & alot of versatility! now you are here displaying ignorance & laziness."
**
REPLY
19. Moiralyster Lyster, 2016
"+Caroline Njoroge, I'm not ignorant because I am thoroughly informed about natural hair (My mom has it). If preferring to relax it, is me being lazy, then how does that stop your heart from beating? Why am I okay with you managing your own hair but you're mad because I'm managing mine? Why is this logical? I said it's unmanageable for ME... If you had focused on the part where I said "FOR ME", you could saved yourself some time. But why am I being considerate over how you spend your time when you're being inconsiderate about what I do with my own hair?!"
**
REPLY
20. nomkhosi ncanana, 2016
"@sibongile Dinaledi, the ladies here do not understand that we can all be black but our hair textures are not the same, my natural hair is like kinky to the core, it is so painful to comb we call it steelwool.. you just cannot keep up with it on daily basis"
**
REPLY
21. Nubian Queen, 2017
"Sibongile Dinaledi you're ignorant the fact u like straight hair better on u shows how much u hate yourself it's fine to relax your hair that doesn't make u a self hater but once u find that straight hair looks "better" on you than your own natural texture that grows naturally grows from your head that's self hatred you're in denial I used to be like that a long ass time ago so I should know"
**
REPLY
22. spybubbble, 2018
"Black natural hair is manageable, spray some water on it and it will do anything you ask it to. No excuses. I used to think that too until I really started to pay attention to how Haitians do their hair.
Now instead of putting damaging chemicals in my hair and using heat on it so often, I do cornrows, single braids and other hair designs that don't damage my hair. And on top of that I don't have to worry about my hair getting wet, humidity, or moisture whatsoever because you're so restricted to what you can do with straightened hair. But there's a whole of ten options with natural African hair."
**
REPLY
23. know The Way, 2018
"I never like this woman.. her comments are bulls&&t*.. I think Obama would have won, however some people its in their DNA todo what they prefer.. Look at Nigeria, almost 99% of Nollywood and society is wig and weave central."
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this comment
**
REPLY
24. Sankara Garvey, 2018
"know The Way sir be precise , she's a fully intelligent women, I don't agree with all she says, but she does make good point."
**
REPLY
25. know The Way, 2018
"Intelligent because she has big degrees, intelligent because she has a world stage, intelligent because of what.. No doubt she is educated, however I agree with about less than 2% coming from her. Once had PHD teacher at Cambridge in the UK, many would swear he was extremely bright, however all I could see was an educated vassal of empty knowledge."
**
REPLY
26. Sankara Garvey, 2018
"know The Way you are deflecting, I ask that you be precise, on what you don't like about her.
FYI I never claimed she's intelligent BC she has " degrees". Every intelligent person knows it doesn't take formal schooling to become intelligent, self education can also make you intelligent.
NOBODY AGREES WITH ANYONE ON EVERYTHING BC THERE IS NO PERFECTION IN ALL OPINIONS"
**
REPLY
27. know The Way, 2018
"I love the fact that's she is a beautiful black woman, however her logic dispels me at times.. How are you going to tell another woman not include wife in her reference their bio, and another woman that if she didn't wear straight hair, her husband would not have won the presidency. Which wife of a Nigerian president, does not a wear a weave? just find it hypocritical."
**
REPLY
28. Sylviane Divine, 2018
"right:-)"
**
REPLY
29. Sylviane Divine, 2018
"Exactly i am agree if i remembered the white people were the one who came with this product that is why they tend to relate this to the history of slavery, where beauty was the relaxed and straight hair . That is why it has alway been a problem...
Anyway as for me i can't just handle the pain and the stress to manage kinky afro hair , and that has nothing to do with my personality or my roots, i am a proud african and my hair does not define me or who i am as a person.
We have different texture of hair some have manageable one some don't, and the bottom line is that it takes time to manage kinky hair and that is not even a topic of discusion. I have to book a whole day for my daughter hair, is painful she cried yet she does not want to shave , she want to relaxe cause she know it willl ease her pain, but i refused just because i want her to make the choice when she is mature enough.. Now it depends on everyone how much time they are ready to put in , call me lazy if you want but i refuse to have kinky hair.
I know many people who went natural for a while and then later run stoped and start with relaxer and straightener again .This just because they couldn't handle it anymore.. More over they are people who really don't have good hair and uses weave to enhance their beauty and to be more confident as a woman.
i am sick and tire of this hair debate, she once said beyonce was the trend that is true but beyonce does braid she does the conrows as well and she has very good hair that has not stop her to do the weave..
Yes if Michele Obama had natural hair Obama wouln't have wont ok ... ,First we do have some black with very nice natural hair.Winnie mandela wore Afro, check Chantal biya wife of camaroon predident , hahahahahh afro is 10 time better than what she has on..
White people do put extension for the volume to, they straighten their hair to those who have curly and don't like it, does that mean they are not proud of their race to?
If we really want to talk natural or embrasse the kinky hair we should even stop all the extension that we used. If you use extension in any form kinky hair , expression or what so ever then you are not natural period..
I love you chimanda and i have a huge respect for you but sorry you are not that natural. stop using the extenssion to if you want to be really natural. My hair my choice and i am not my hair ."
**
30. Diana Adhiambo, 2015
" "The frizzy is actually her...you just can't be too black." I love, love this woman's attitude. She keeps it real!"
**
REPLY
31. Anton Takashima, 2018
"Diana Adhiambo absolutely! We need more like her. Clone her"
**
32. William Foote, 2017
"Pure definition of a black queen"
**
33. thehoneyeffect, 2015
"Chimamanda is so patient with them"
**
REPLY
34. Joch S. Pouk, 2015
"+thehoneyeffect AHAHAH she is so patient. im glad you caught that"
**
REPLY
35. thehoneyeffect, 2016
"microaggressive racism effects employment, healthcare, love of self and others, education and even gets us shot and they are laughing, that crowd was 100% white and painfully ignorant....google exists but they didnt even bother to learn. Empathyless"
**
36. Josephine Varghese, 2015
"white people and their ignorance about non-white attributes!"
**
Anna, 2017
" "you can't be too Black"
that's so true guys"
**
REPLY
34. Reina Benoir, 2017
"She didn't lie."
**
35. Tosin Ademuwagun, 2017
"I agree with this but i also believe some black people would not have voted for Barak Obama or take Michelle Obama seriously if Michelle had corn rows or dreadlocks."
**
REPLY
36. rggunter, 2018
"Tosin Ademuwagun she’s saying this. She didn’t specify about the race of the voters. On the whole, Barack wouldn’t have won. And not that they wouldn’t “take Michelle seriously.” It’s the exact OPPOSITE. Folks would be fearful that she’d be TOO serious. The politics around BW with natural hair is that she is a free woman, a self-aware woman and she will not be controlled."
**
37. chuindovu, 2017
"colonization of the mind, its unfortunately the truth ."
**
38. Jørg 1, 2017
"It is al about hair isn't it:-) Is this the black female perspective of politics? Embarrassing......."
**
REPLY
39. Kemi Olaleye, 2017
"Jørg 1 of course, one black female speaks out on an issue and she automatically represents the entirety of the black female population🙄
Chimanda has very intellectual views on politics you'd find if we're were to learn more about her instead of making unjustified assumptions based of of a few minute snippet."
**
40. Green Orchid, 2017
"Michael Manley former prime minister of Jamaica was married to Beverley Anderson who had an afro. Now she has dreadlocks! Dreadlocks now have been culturally appreciated and appropriated by a diverse global cultures now even in workplace that normally would frown on even skin color is allowing it. Imagine"
**
41. Maria Morais, 2017
"Frizzy ? and why is the audience laughing. Chlmamanda was dignified when surrounded by stupidity and ignorance."
**
42. Carrina Murphy, 2017
"There are plenty of classy natural hairstyles that Michelle would rock and America would love"
**
REPLY
43. byoung4eva1, 2018
"Smh, that's the point. Why couldn't she wear dreads or an afro and be considered "classy"? And, no, i bet "America", depending on what "Americans" you are referring to, would try to associate them with the black panther party, and/or say they are being divisive. Hell, they already accuse Obama of dividing America, and that's only because he is black, and tried to help bring attention to what black ppl face."
**
44. Jerome Chikezie, 2018
"Chi girl is telling it like it is. These truths that you say may make us love one another as black people. More importantly, from your wisdom, deduce the potential and strength we will possess if we stand together as a people."
**
45. Nick Costello, 2018
"People don't look at hair. They listen to what comes out of your mouth and what you believe."
-snip-
This commenter’s photo is a White man.
**
REPLY
46. spybubbble, 2018
"In a perfect world."
**
47. Golda Eshun, 2018
"Yeah isn’t it odd,that the Obama girls never rocked cornrows,
Or Afro’s?"
**
48. know The Way, 2018
"I think he still would have won, however, I think people are locked into their slave or colonial mentality. At this point we kill ourselves. Look at Nollywood majority of the women nowadays are bleached, really no need todo this.. but its this colonial mindset. Chimamanda brings up a valuable point, I always wondered why she didn't do such. Black women all over the USA wear natural hair."
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This pancocojams post presents information about Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and showcases two YouTube videos of interviews that feature Ms. Adichie talking about socio-cultural and political aspects of Black people's hair.
Selected comments from these videos' discussion threads are included in this post.
****
The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for her cultural legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
These are only two out of a number of other YouTube videos of interviews with or speeches by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in which she talks about Black hair.
Although Ms. Adichie wears her hair in almost the same natural style in both of these videos, she wears different natural hairstyles in many of her other YouTube videos that I've watched. In some other YouTube videos, Ms. Adichie wears an African head wrap and in one earlier YouTube video she wears a long natural-looking weave.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/01/igbos-comments-about-names-beginning.html for a related pancocojams post entitled "Nigerian Igbos' Comments About Names Beginning With "Chi" & Comments About The Frequent Use Of Certain Igbo Names"
****
INFORMATION ABOUT CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE
From http://www.cerep.ulg.ac.be/adichie/cnabio.html
"Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born on 15 September 1977 in Enugu, Nigeria, the fifth of six children to Igbo parents, Grace Ifeoma and James Nwoye Adichie. While the family's ancestral hometown is Abba in Anambra State, Chimamanda grew up in Nsukka, in the house formerly occupied by Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe. Chimamanda's father, who is now retired, worked at the University of Nigeria, located in Nsukka. He was Nigeria's first professor of statistics, and later became Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University. Her mother was the first female registrar at the same institution.
Chimamanda completed her secondary education at the University's school, receiving several academic prizes. She went on to study medicine and pharmacy at the University of Nigeria for a year and a half. During this period, she edited The Compass, a magazine run by the University's Catholic medical students.
At the age of nineteen, Chimamanda left for the United States. She gained a scholarship to study communication at Drexel University in Philadelphia for two years, and she went on to pursue a degree in communication and political science at Eastern Connecticut State University, where she also wrote articles for the university journal, the Campus Lantern. While in Connecticut, she stayed with her sister Ijeoma, who runs a medical practice close to the university.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie graduated summa cum laude from Eastern in 2001, and then completed a master's degree in creative writing at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.
It is during her senior year at Eastern that she started working on her first novel, Purple Hibiscus, which was released in October 2003. The book has received wide critical acclaim: it was shortlisted for the Orange Fiction Prize (2004) and was awarded the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book (2005).
Her second novel, Half of a Yellow Sun (also the title of one of her short stories), is set before and during the Biafran War. It was published in August 2006 in the United Kingdom and in September 2006 in the United States. Like Purple Hibiscus, it has also been released in Nigeria.
Chimamanda was a Hodder fellow at Princeton University during the 2005-2006 academic year, and earned an MA in African Studies from Yale University in 2008. In 2011-2012, she was awarded a fellowship by the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University, which allowed her to finalize her third novel, Americanah. The book was released to great critical acclaim in 2013.
Chimamanda is now married and has a daughter. She divides her time between Nigeria, where she regularly teaches writing workshops, and the United States."....
-snip-
This article continues with a list of awards that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has received.
-snip-
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimamanda_Ngozi_Adichie for a Wikipedia article about Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on love, race and hair
Channel 4 News, Published on Apr 10, 2013
Award winning African author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tells Jon Snow why her latest book Americanah mirrors some of the central issues of her own life; race, immigration and the power of hair.
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread (with numbers assigned for referencing purposes only)
1. Kai Travelmaker, 2013
"No we can't stop talking about race… There's no such thing as color-blindness." Chimamanda hit the nail on the head! Will be getting my copy of the book."
**
REPLY
2. welll?, 2014
"whats the name of the book?"
**
REPLY
3. ckent ckucklekek, 2014
"Americanah"
**
4. diouranke, 2014
"to hear this staunchly british guy talking about his mother wearing wigs and weavesm box braids lol really interesting"
**
REPLY
5. Adam Stein, 2015
"Yeah that was one of my favorite parts of the interview because I felt like he was trying to get out of his comfort zone in a good way. Maybe I'm giving him too much credit though haha"
**
REPLY
6. Sharp and Smart, 2017
"The interviewer seemed very condescending on his questions on hair"
**
7. Tirsit Endeshaw, 2014
"I really like your saying about the society image 'straight hair is beautiful'... I never thought of it as an influence of the western. what a thoughtful women. I like the way you expressed it as well."
**
8. Ishta Kutesa Atukunda, 2014
"L'dOL when she taught him what Afro Kinky is! hehehe..."
**
9. Xolisa Mahlakahlaka, 2014
"Jon Snow knows nothing! Why not let the lady complete a single thought?!"
**
10. mtnprivy, 2014
"Spending so much time on one's hair means that this person doesn't have more important things to do with her time/money. Of course that is a man's viewpoint. Perhaps there is something more important about hair than I have ever heard articulated. I am sure there are MANY cultural things that white hillbillies (my culture) spend their time on that also seems not really worth the time. I have always had a question in my mind "what is REALLY a good use of my time?" Today I chose to hear this lady talk about "having only one story" and that was absolutely worth my time. We form our habits, then our habits form us.
**
REPLY
11. Ikeoluwa Onasanya, 2016
"+mtnprivy That makes soooooo much sense. 'We form habits and then our habits form us.'"
**
REPLY
12. Maryse Matoko, 2017
"mtnprivy African natural hair has been mistreated for centuries: straightened, ironed, despised, shamed. her love for her hair can be paralleled with her love of herself, of Black self-love in a world where the standard for beauty is White, straight hair, blonde and extremely thin. It's way more serious than you think..."
**
REPLY
13. Ant rip, 2017
"Maryse Matoko You are bringing Black American context into hair though..."
**
14. Maryse Matoko, 2017
"+Ant rip i'm actually African like Chimamanda. This issue concerns all Black people not just African American people."
**
15. bandwagon22, 2016
"I have to rethink doing hair. Former i was seeing it just waste of time and money. However it's culturally rich thing and just like painting creating new. If doing hair is "waste of time" then clearly composing music and painting is too. On the other hand i strongly opposite skin bleaching. It has nothing to do with art and beauty. It's more like a human made cancer."
**
16. Yadok Godwill, 2017
"I believe hair is really important because many people judge it as they would with skin colour. People with afro hairs are immediately almost always considered black."
**
17. Yadok Godwill, 2017
"I believe hair is really important because many people judge it as they would with skin colour. People with afro hairs are immediately almost always considered black."
**
18. Clara Mupepi, 2017
"Jon Snow should probably read her book so he can wake up and STAY WOKE because he's ignorant. I'm not sure why he would think some of his comments were appropriate but as usual, she kept herself poised and sharp. I am thankful that she continues to represent African woman of color with dignity, respect and grace. She should be an inspiration to all men and women."
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/05/what-stay-woke-really-means-definitions.html for a 2018 pancocojams post entitled What "Stay Woke" REALLY Means (definitions, early influences, & uses)".
Here's a definition for "stay woke" that was quoted in that post:
"From http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/stay-woke
Stay Woke
Part of a series on Internet Slang.
Added 2016 by Ari Spool; Updated February 2018 by Y F.
"About
Stay Woke, derived from the phrase “stay awake,” is an Internet slang term often used to demonstrate the need for awareness of an issue, particularly those relating to social justice or the Black Lives Matter movement. The term is also used ironically in a similar manner to "Wake Up, Sheeple"."
****
Example #2: Chimamanda Ngzoi Adichie: "If Michelle Obama had natural hair, Barack Obama would not have won"
Det Kgl. Bibliotek, Published on May 28, 2014
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tells Synne Rifbjerg how she thinks Michelle Obama's hair influenced the presidential election
Excerpt from a conversation on International Authors' Stage in The Black Diamond, Copenhagen - see the full conversation here http://youtu.be/b8r-dP9NqX8
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread (with numbers assigned for referencing purposes only)
1. Lizzy Liz, 2014
"So true and sad that hair still holds us back even in the 21st century"
**
REPLY
2. mike58greenberg, 2014
"+Lizzy Afri I never understood that whole hair issue. I've always thought women of color were awesome and i still do"
**
REPLY
3. Lizzy Liz, 2014
"+mike58greenberg Thanks but if you do live in America you must be aware that Afro hair style or texture isn't generally well accepted especially in corporate jobs yet this is how our hair grows naturally. The worst part is that not only "white people" hate afro textured hair & consider it unacceptable but so do many black people also."
**
REPLY
4. The Adventurous Daydreamer, 2015
"+Lizzy Liz I disagree and it's not far that she'd have to carry the burden of racism and how it effects our self image."
**
REPLY
5. Lizzy Liz, 2015
"+T. L. The fact that she is black & has relaxed hair already proves that she carries the burden of racism in a society that ever promotes white/eurocentric standards of hair type in relation to beauty"
**
REPLY
6. The Adventurous Daydreamer, 2015
"+Lizzy Liz True. That's assuming her hair is even relaxed. I'm sure she has a top notch hairdresser that can press her hair just as straight but it's like Ms. Adichie stated, if she were to truly wear her nature textured hair before she lived in the White House, she would not be in there now because our God given hair is viewed as political or some other crap. Smh."
**
7. SFtoAix, 2014
"So sad BECAUSE it is true."
**
REPLY
8. Anton Takashima, 2018
"SFtoAix, yes I totally agree!"
**
9. mike58greenberg, 2014
"it's a tragedy that SO many feel compelled to straighten their hair. natural is so much cooler, prettier, more down to earth, more honest-looking. it shows a person has the integrity, decency that goes hand in hand with self-respect."
**
REPLY
10. Kelen R, 2015
"+mike58greenberg part of understanding is realizing that the pressure that creates the "feeling" of wanting to straighten hair is of gargantuan proportions."
**
REPLY
11. Isweri Pillay, 2016
"True. He would not have won had Michelle had corn rows. Silly world that we live in."
**
12. Moiralyster Lyster, 2015
"I don't think this is true. As an African black woman, kinky hair tends to be painful to comb. So if there is an easier way to make it more manageable, I personally prefer to keep it straightened and relaxed. I personally don't like kinky hair on me because I'm those tender-headed people who actually do prefer the easy way out. I love seeing my friends in their afros, all pretty and stuff, but I personally prefer relaxed hair On Me. Not because I'm trying to fit into a Western sphere, but because I just don't like an afro on me. It has nothing to do with my self-concept of beauty."
**
REPLY
13. Blessing Kabari, 2015
"that is because that is what you were brought up to think about yourself"
**
REPLY
14. Moiralyster Lyster, 2015
"No. I just like relaxed hair on Me. I am not my hair. My mom has an afro and it looks great. I just don't like it On Me. Understand that."
**
REPLY
15. Blessing Kabari, 2015
"+Moiralyster Dibodu if thats what you like thats what you like... i am just saying if you properly take care of your natural hair you will have no issues with it... i know because i am natural."
**
REPLY
16. 13ritalove, 2015
"you don't have to wear natural hair as an afro you can do braidouts twist outs roller sets etc. you can also straighten or blow dry natural hair. A way to comb your hair so it's not painful is to use conditioner when combing your hair. fyi Im going natural and I dont like afro's either."
**
REPLY
17. jademm, 2016
"The notion that kinky hair is "unmanageable" is a false judgment. Nothing is wrong with the hair. You either don't know how to gently manage kinky hair or you find the time it takes to maintain/nurture it is inconvenient. The type of hairstyle you want to display is ultimately your choice but don't kid yourself into believing that choosing to stay natural (or not) doesn't carry any social significance.
As a black woman living in the West, you know damn well that natural Black hair is generally regarded as "problematic". Afro-Caribbean women are being subtly told that it would be better for them to DAMAGE their hair with strong chemicals (i.e. use a relaxer) in order to "fit in" more easily. Why can't society learn to ACCEPT Black hair as it naturally is? Why can't it change expectations and make adjustments to accommodate diversity? Why is handling Black hair so mystifying or challenging to them?? If any woman can spend an hour in the bathroom meticulously prepping for a date (washing & exfoliating skin, styling hair, putting on makeup, polishing nails, putting on outfits, choosing accessories to match) then there's no reason why time can't be properly spent on caring for Black hair instead of always looking for the "easy way out".
I'm all for free expression, comfort and convenience when it comes to personal style. What I do object to are hair standards that go beyond basic hygiene/grooming matters and try to impose conformity at the expense of Black women's health and authenticity. If Black women are being held back from advancement or are seen as "undesirable" due to their natural, God-given hair...society has a problem (there are plenty of Black fashion models and Hollywood stars to prove my point). It's a sad message we're sending to young girls and women. There are MANY natural hairstyles to choose from to suit your taste. You shouldn't have to fry or hide your hair to be accepted."
**
REPLY
18. Caroline Njoroge, 2016
"Sibongile Dinaledi Kinky hair is so manageable, very easy for me & alot of versatility! now you are here displaying ignorance & laziness."
**
REPLY
19. Moiralyster Lyster, 2016
"+Caroline Njoroge, I'm not ignorant because I am thoroughly informed about natural hair (My mom has it). If preferring to relax it, is me being lazy, then how does that stop your heart from beating? Why am I okay with you managing your own hair but you're mad because I'm managing mine? Why is this logical? I said it's unmanageable for ME... If you had focused on the part where I said "FOR ME", you could saved yourself some time. But why am I being considerate over how you spend your time when you're being inconsiderate about what I do with my own hair?!"
**
REPLY
20. nomkhosi ncanana, 2016
"@sibongile Dinaledi, the ladies here do not understand that we can all be black but our hair textures are not the same, my natural hair is like kinky to the core, it is so painful to comb we call it steelwool.. you just cannot keep up with it on daily basis"
**
REPLY
21. Nubian Queen, 2017
"Sibongile Dinaledi you're ignorant the fact u like straight hair better on u shows how much u hate yourself it's fine to relax your hair that doesn't make u a self hater but once u find that straight hair looks "better" on you than your own natural texture that grows naturally grows from your head that's self hatred you're in denial I used to be like that a long ass time ago so I should know"
**
REPLY
22. spybubbble, 2018
"Black natural hair is manageable, spray some water on it and it will do anything you ask it to. No excuses. I used to think that too until I really started to pay attention to how Haitians do their hair.
Now instead of putting damaging chemicals in my hair and using heat on it so often, I do cornrows, single braids and other hair designs that don't damage my hair. And on top of that I don't have to worry about my hair getting wet, humidity, or moisture whatsoever because you're so restricted to what you can do with straightened hair. But there's a whole of ten options with natural African hair."
**
REPLY
23. know The Way, 2018
"I never like this woman.. her comments are bulls&&t*.. I think Obama would have won, however some people its in their DNA todo what they prefer.. Look at Nigeria, almost 99% of Nollywood and society is wig and weave central."
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this comment
**
REPLY
24. Sankara Garvey, 2018
"know The Way sir be precise , she's a fully intelligent women, I don't agree with all she says, but she does make good point."
**
REPLY
25. know The Way, 2018
"Intelligent because she has big degrees, intelligent because she has a world stage, intelligent because of what.. No doubt she is educated, however I agree with about less than 2% coming from her. Once had PHD teacher at Cambridge in the UK, many would swear he was extremely bright, however all I could see was an educated vassal of empty knowledge."
**
REPLY
26. Sankara Garvey, 2018
"know The Way you are deflecting, I ask that you be precise, on what you don't like about her.
FYI I never claimed she's intelligent BC she has " degrees". Every intelligent person knows it doesn't take formal schooling to become intelligent, self education can also make you intelligent.
NOBODY AGREES WITH ANYONE ON EVERYTHING BC THERE IS NO PERFECTION IN ALL OPINIONS"
**
REPLY
27. know The Way, 2018
"I love the fact that's she is a beautiful black woman, however her logic dispels me at times.. How are you going to tell another woman not include wife in her reference their bio, and another woman that if she didn't wear straight hair, her husband would not have won the presidency. Which wife of a Nigerian president, does not a wear a weave? just find it hypocritical."
**
REPLY
28. Sylviane Divine, 2018
"right:-)"
**
REPLY
29. Sylviane Divine, 2018
"Exactly i am agree if i remembered the white people were the one who came with this product that is why they tend to relate this to the history of slavery, where beauty was the relaxed and straight hair . That is why it has alway been a problem...
Anyway as for me i can't just handle the pain and the stress to manage kinky afro hair , and that has nothing to do with my personality or my roots, i am a proud african and my hair does not define me or who i am as a person.
We have different texture of hair some have manageable one some don't, and the bottom line is that it takes time to manage kinky hair and that is not even a topic of discusion. I have to book a whole day for my daughter hair, is painful she cried yet she does not want to shave , she want to relaxe cause she know it willl ease her pain, but i refused just because i want her to make the choice when she is mature enough.. Now it depends on everyone how much time they are ready to put in , call me lazy if you want but i refuse to have kinky hair.
I know many people who went natural for a while and then later run stoped and start with relaxer and straightener again .This just because they couldn't handle it anymore.. More over they are people who really don't have good hair and uses weave to enhance their beauty and to be more confident as a woman.
i am sick and tire of this hair debate, she once said beyonce was the trend that is true but beyonce does braid she does the conrows as well and she has very good hair that has not stop her to do the weave..
Yes if Michele Obama had natural hair Obama wouln't have wont ok ... ,First we do have some black with very nice natural hair.Winnie mandela wore Afro, check Chantal biya wife of camaroon predident , hahahahahh afro is 10 time better than what she has on..
White people do put extension for the volume to, they straighten their hair to those who have curly and don't like it, does that mean they are not proud of their race to?
If we really want to talk natural or embrasse the kinky hair we should even stop all the extension that we used. If you use extension in any form kinky hair , expression or what so ever then you are not natural period..
I love you chimanda and i have a huge respect for you but sorry you are not that natural. stop using the extenssion to if you want to be really natural. My hair my choice and i am not my hair ."
**
30. Diana Adhiambo, 2015
" "The frizzy is actually her...you just can't be too black." I love, love this woman's attitude. She keeps it real!"
**
REPLY
31. Anton Takashima, 2018
"Diana Adhiambo absolutely! We need more like her. Clone her"
**
32. William Foote, 2017
"Pure definition of a black queen"
**
33. thehoneyeffect, 2015
"Chimamanda is so patient with them"
**
REPLY
34. Joch S. Pouk, 2015
"+thehoneyeffect AHAHAH she is so patient. im glad you caught that"
**
REPLY
35. thehoneyeffect, 2016
"microaggressive racism effects employment, healthcare, love of self and others, education and even gets us shot and they are laughing, that crowd was 100% white and painfully ignorant....google exists but they didnt even bother to learn. Empathyless"
**
36. Josephine Varghese, 2015
"white people and their ignorance about non-white attributes!"
**
Anna, 2017
" "you can't be too Black"
that's so true guys"
**
REPLY
34. Reina Benoir, 2017
"She didn't lie."
**
35. Tosin Ademuwagun, 2017
"I agree with this but i also believe some black people would not have voted for Barak Obama or take Michelle Obama seriously if Michelle had corn rows or dreadlocks."
**
REPLY
36. rggunter, 2018
"Tosin Ademuwagun she’s saying this. She didn’t specify about the race of the voters. On the whole, Barack wouldn’t have won. And not that they wouldn’t “take Michelle seriously.” It’s the exact OPPOSITE. Folks would be fearful that she’d be TOO serious. The politics around BW with natural hair is that she is a free woman, a self-aware woman and she will not be controlled."
**
37. chuindovu, 2017
"colonization of the mind, its unfortunately the truth ."
**
38. Jørg 1, 2017
"It is al about hair isn't it:-) Is this the black female perspective of politics? Embarrassing......."
**
REPLY
39. Kemi Olaleye, 2017
"Jørg 1 of course, one black female speaks out on an issue and she automatically represents the entirety of the black female population🙄
Chimanda has very intellectual views on politics you'd find if we're were to learn more about her instead of making unjustified assumptions based of of a few minute snippet."
**
40. Green Orchid, 2017
"Michael Manley former prime minister of Jamaica was married to Beverley Anderson who had an afro. Now she has dreadlocks! Dreadlocks now have been culturally appreciated and appropriated by a diverse global cultures now even in workplace that normally would frown on even skin color is allowing it. Imagine"
**
41. Maria Morais, 2017
"Frizzy ? and why is the audience laughing. Chlmamanda was dignified when surrounded by stupidity and ignorance."
**
42. Carrina Murphy, 2017
"There are plenty of classy natural hairstyles that Michelle would rock and America would love"
**
REPLY
43. byoung4eva1, 2018
"Smh, that's the point. Why couldn't she wear dreads or an afro and be considered "classy"? And, no, i bet "America", depending on what "Americans" you are referring to, would try to associate them with the black panther party, and/or say they are being divisive. Hell, they already accuse Obama of dividing America, and that's only because he is black, and tried to help bring attention to what black ppl face."
**
44. Jerome Chikezie, 2018
"Chi girl is telling it like it is. These truths that you say may make us love one another as black people. More importantly, from your wisdom, deduce the potential and strength we will possess if we stand together as a people."
**
45. Nick Costello, 2018
"People don't look at hair. They listen to what comes out of your mouth and what you believe."
-snip-
This commenter’s photo is a White man.
**
REPLY
46. spybubbble, 2018
"In a perfect world."
**
47. Golda Eshun, 2018
"Yeah isn’t it odd,that the Obama girls never rocked cornrows,
Or Afro’s?"
**
48. know The Way, 2018
"I think he still would have won, however, I think people are locked into their slave or colonial mentality. At this point we kill ourselves. Look at Nollywood majority of the women nowadays are bleached, really no need todo this.. but its this colonial mindset. Chimamanda brings up a valuable point, I always wondered why she didn't do such. Black women all over the USA wear natural hair."
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Thursday, January 25, 2018
The Sylvers' 1976 Hit Song "Boogie Fever" And YouTube Comments About Big Afros & "Dead" Audiences
Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post provides a compilation of comments about big afros (hairstyles) and "dead" audiences on a YouTube discussion thread about The Sylvers' 1976 Midnight Special television show performance of their hit song "Boogie Fever".
Information about the "Boogie fever" song is included in this post.
The Addendum to this post contains my comment about racial differences in audience etiquette.
The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composers of "Boogie Fever" and thanks to The Sylvers for their musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
-snip-
This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on Black hair styles. Click the "afros" tag and the "Black hair styles" tag for other posts in this series.
-snip-
I've decided to publish a separate post on racial differences in audience etiquette. Here's the link to that pancocojams post: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/01/racial-differences-in-audience-etiquette.html Racial Differences In Audience Etiquette
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: The Sylvers - Boogie Fever (Midnight Special 1976)
thepaak786, Published on Nov 8, 2009
The Sylvers Perform "Boogie Fever" on The Midnight Special In 1976.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE R&B SONG "BOOGIE FEVER"
From https://genius.com/The-sylvers-boogie-fever-lyrics
“Boogie Fever” is a single on The Sylvers‘ fourth album Showcase.
“Boogie Fever” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for a week in May 1976 and Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart in March of 1976.
It also topped the RPM charts in Canada and was also certified Gold.
-snip-
The song's lyrics are also found on that page.
****
From
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boogie_Fever https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boogie_Fever
..."Billboard ranked it [the song "Boogie Fever"] as the No. 20 song for 1976. "Boogie Fever" is one of two gold records by the Sylvers, the other being "Hot Line".
[...]
The song was featured in the Stephen King miniseries The Stand (1994) and the feature film Roll Bounce (2005). In 2010, "Boogie Fever" was briefly used in a scene in Despicable Me, and in 2012 it was used in its theme park attraction adaptation, Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem. The song has also appeared in TV ads for Intel Pentium II, Old Navy and Little Caesars Pizza. An instrumental version was also music for level 1 and level 9 of the game Frantic Freddie.”…
[...]
Songwriter(s) Freddie Perren, Kenneth St. Lewis"...
-snip-
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sylvers
for an article about The Sylvers.
Note: "Boogie" is an African American Vernacular English term that means "to dance".
****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD
These selected comments are divided into two sections: "Comments about The Sylvers' afro hairstyle" and "Comments about the audience at this televised performance of The Slyvers' performing "Boogie Fever".
These comments are given in chronological order by year with the oldest comments given first, except for responses. The comments in each section are numbered for referencing purposes only.
Notice that some of these comments address both of these section topics.
I've added my own comments after a few of the comments about afros. I've also added a comment after the section about that particular television audience's lack of response during that "Boogie Fever" performance.
SECTION I- COMMENTS ABOUT THE GROUPS' AFROS
2010
1. parisel313
"silly froes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
**
REPLY
2. mslegacy01
"@parisel313 Silly 'fro's?!??? WHAT was SO silly about 'em!?! Those boys had some of the BIGGEST, BADDEST most beautiful and healthy fro's around! I'd LOVE to stop relaxing my hair (as a woman) and wear my hair PROUDLY in a 'FRO!
Tell me you're NOT black making that stupid comment"
****
2011
3. charlesw62
"WOW! I remember when my afro was that big!!! LOL"
**
4. TheRealCritique
"I think this wins the all-time afro competition...big, and seriously well-rounded and even. I can't imagine what that looks like after you sleep on it."
-snip-
While my 'fro was never that big, I had what I would consider a "medium size afro". Usually at night I adhered to the common custom of plaiting my hair into several braids*. The next morning I took out the braids and picked (combed my hair using a wide tooth afro pic). Braiding my hair and then "picking it" helped to de-tangle the tightly curled hair coils, resulting in a wider look. While I picked my hair, I would pat it down to achieve the round look (that I call a "halo look") that was popular in the 1970s. A much more wind-spread, any shape or no shape natural ("afro") look is much more popular now, if that look can even be termed an "afro".
*This wasn't a hair style that was usually worn in public. This hair style wasn't cornrolls that Black females have worn forever, and wasn't the micro braids hairstyles that Black females wear nowadays.
**
5. Oakbluffsdiva
"Boy those fro's were picked to perfection!!! Foster was my boyfriend when Michael J. wouldn't act right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lolllllllllll"
-snip-
“picked to perfection” = The comb used for “afros” was called an “afro pic”. "Picked to perfection" means combing out your hair (combing the tightly coiled strands of hair which probably had been braided overnight)* with an afro pic) until it achieved its desired round shape.
*Read the note that I wrote after comment #4 above.
**
6. InfinityNebula Heaven
"BLACK PPL NEED TO GO BACK TO THE PPL THEY REALLY WERE BEGINNING WITH THE BEAUTIFUL AFROS AND STOP ASSIMILATING INTO WHITE CULTURE THAT WATERS DOWN WHO BLACK PPL ARE AS A WHOLE
THE BEGINNING OF BLACK DOWNFALL IN AMERICA BEGAN WHEN THEY ASSIMILATED AND BEGAN TO BE ASHAMED TO BE BLACK CUTTING THE BEAUTIFUL AFRO AND STRAITENING THE HAIR LIKE EURO'S"
PEACE!
**
7. vinyl45junkie
" I took my baby to the DRIVE IN show" What a great time era! Drive in's, fashion, hair,(great afro's,purfectly round) and the music just awsome !
****
2012
8. DARLENE THERATLADY
"Back in the days of the natural fro"
**
9. Calvin Roach
"Now those are Afro's!"
**
10. mrsfifties
"blows my mind when i c how all the guys have the same afro look,, im not knockin them by any means,they were very good, funny how u notice things like tht now"
****
2013
11. BerlinFan82
"Some serious 'fros."
**
12. BALD ETTA
"THE SYLVER'S HAD THE GREATEST FROS OF ALL TIME!"
**
13. creativechic92
"This is so AFROTASTIC!!"
**
14. discolady2
"like the afros every body getting back n2 their afros again i'm glad didn't need that perm noway ."
-snip-
"n2"= into
**
15. Karmadog
"If only their hair were a bit bigger, they'd be perfect! :)"
****
2014
16. Calvin Dunn
"The guys were my "hair idols" back in the 70's..LOL I saw them live in Oakland Cal. After that - I had one of the biggest afros in high school. Lol Whats amazing to me is they sound perfect, and their harmonies are excellent - even while doing dance steps. There's no groups or bands out there today that can sound that good live or in studio."
**
17. Jeff Cobb
"Lordy, those fros ain't no joke!"
**
18. Marcela Buggin'
"Ooh, them 'fros. Got a sista swoonin' over here!"
**
19. troysvisualarts
"Always been a fan of this super disco group and this great dance groove classic, makes me wanna get down!!! :D Man these guys had the biggest baddest finest frizzed afro hairdos of any disco/funk group of that era, I bet they invested a good portion of their income on Afro Sheen to maintain those fros! ;)"
-snip-
"Afro Sheen" the brand name for very popular hair care products for Black Americans' hair. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/06/eleven-non-racist-product-commercials.html for two 1970s Afro-Sheen commercials. Another hair care commercial from is featured in that post is for Ultra-Sheen, a rival Black hair care brand.
**
20. OrchidIslander
"I grew up back in the day dancing to the Sylvers. Back then I had a killer "fro" Today my head is shaved because of my hair challenged ancestors and the only place I seem to grow hair is on my back and knuckles. Life is still good....boogie fever baby!"
****
2015
21. Wildman
"Those Afro's are Bad Ass..Love Em..."
**
22. zigzagbigbag
"If I could grow an afro like that I'd do it in a heartbeat. Alas.... I'm white. :("
**
REPLY
23. Chris Simpson
"+zigzagbigbag Are you Jewish? There might still be hope! #jewfro"
**
REPLY
24. pup lover
"+Chris Simpson LOL"
**
REPLY
25. a j
"zigzagbigbag Back in the late 60s, Eric Clapton had a killer 'fro! :D"
**
26. William Gibbs
"Huge afros rock. What a great era."
**
27. Motoroil
"Those fros had their own zip code!"
**
28. Hozaak Labias
"I always wanted to have a afro but I'm native American"
**
29. Elizabeth Roberto
"this is a "GOOD" song & the singer is "REAL CUTE" & i do like "The Sylvers!" but that HAIR makes them look like Q-tips Heads! lol do people even wear their hair like that anymore? it would be "VERY ODD LOOKING" if they did. -_- _"
****
2016
30. FancyPants69
"Great live performance of this song....Foster Sylvers was so damn cute.....RIP Edmund Sylvers....During a time when anybody that had a Big Afro was considered fine as all get out!!!"
-snip-
Edmund Sylvers is the lead singer for "Boogie Fever".
****
2017
31. Jose Martínez
"What the hell that hair😘😘😱😱😱😱"
**
32. rafterscott
"The 'Fro seriously needs to make a comeback."
-snip-
The rounded natural hair style (big, medium, or short) is largely out of style. However, the "unstyled", non-descriptive shaped "natural", particularly big unstyled "naturals" are "in". Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-changing-shape-of-womens-afro-hair.html The Changing Shape Of Women's Afro Hair Styles (with January 2018 Update) for video examples of these Black natural hairstyles and video examples of the older "afro" hair styles.
**
33. jjj ddd
"I miss seeing fros and Bell bottomms"
-snip-
"bell bottoms [pants] = pants that flared out toward their bottoms
**
34. dennis tate
"Awesome song
There fros are dope!"
-snip-
"Dope"= an African American Vernacular English term meaning "very good".
****
2018
35. brandon stewart
"I LOVE THESE AFROS OMG."
**
36. Rich Lo
"The bigger the fro the better"
****
SECTION II- COMMENTS ABOUT THIS TELEVISION SHOW'S AUDIENCE
1. OldskolFan, 2009
"Audience is too sedated. I was 10 when I saw them perform this and I was standing on the chair screaming. I guess it was not their kind er musiq?"
****
2. thediva3BC, 2010
"It's cracking me up how this audience is subdued and then watch the same performance on soul train and the audience is PARTYIN'"
-snip-
Soul Train was a long running [from October 2, 1971 to March 27, 2006], iconic dance series that mostly targeted Black Americans. The series was "created by Don Cornelius, who also served as its first host and executive producer." Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_Train for information about Soul Train.
****
2011
3. memdiva
"That choreography is sooooo amazing! They really got down up there! I cant believe the crowd was just sitting there. How can you just sit there amd stare and something like that and not dance? I would have caught the boogie fever right along with the sylvers!"
**
4. Yabbadabbawhat100
"@949galaxy I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing the audience was told to stay seated by the director. It's the only explanation I can think of for people quietly sitting through a killer performance like that. :-)"
-snip-
I didn't see an comment by someone with that name. "memdiva" could have changed her name from @949galaxy or someone else could have dropped that screen name for another name.
**
5. NanTheGoldChild
"That damn audience needed life support, wth?? That was a live ass boogie down performance if I ever saw one!!! Sylvers Forever!!!"
**
REPLY
6. eniebabe44
"@Nanadsyl ..unfortunalely that was the Midnight Special Audience for a while..they would just sit there and then applaud at the end...the show got on my nerves because people are performing their asses off and the audience just sits there...the producers of the show must have been out of the minds or maybe they were hungover...lol"
**
7. Mama Nuveau
"@Nina513 Yeah, but that audience WAS mostly white, even though they were on The Midnight Special show, which was supposed to be so hip and cool with all that acts they showcased. That audience WAS pitiful...dead, dead, dead! They could've at least had some cues for the audience to get hype like they do now...but that was then...Ed Sullivan's audiences were much more lively, it seemed."
**
8. jonathan taylor
"They're on the stage rocking and everyone's just sitting there like it's a black and white movie. Come on crowd show some emotion. Sing along, clap your hands, something."
**
9. Mucupuru
"whats wrong with the audience ? they will never be infected with the boogie fever !"
****
2012
****
2013
10. Scott O'Mary
"The funniest part of this clip is not the afro's or the clothes, but the audience full of stiff white people"
**
11. T Conte
"That audience was about the unboogiest audience of all time. Stiff as boards, except for a few. How could they remain so still with this funkiness?"
**
REPLY
12. pchelloo
"Yeah...I agree......must've been in Russia or Korea maybe? True Sylvers fan here"
**
13. 67johnnyjoe
"Great song, great LIVE singing and dancing! Today's groups couldn't perform this. But can't believe the audience wasn't up and dancing!"
**
14. Silver Jag
"You can see this was the transitional period between rock music and disco for MNS because you have a disco/dance group performing but the audience is still sitting in chairs just watching."
-snip-
"MNS" = Midnight Special television series
**
REPLY
15. typo368
"probably all stoned!!! :)"
-snip-
"stoned" = " on 'recreational' (illegal) drugs
**
16. David Huff
"what's wrong with the crowd? sitting on hands."
**
17. RockWithYu
"Man, that is the DEADEST crowd…it's like they're performing inside a morgue…"
****
2014
18. Jez Parish
"Check out the drummer - looks as bored as hell. Are the audience all dead????"
**
REPLY
19. CaneFu
"Are the audience all dead?"...NO, it's called 'watching and appreciating' the performance"
**
REPLY
20. Jez Parish
"Really? How the hell could you tell? lol"
**
REPLY
21. elijah jackson
"+CaneFu They're in Japan?"
**
22. jmusic45
"That's a dead looking audience. I don't even see but one person nodding their head,"
****
2015
23. BigMTBrain
"WHOA!?!?! Why such a DEAD audience?!?
****
2016
24. Jim Bilbrey
"yeah the audience looks like a bunch of Deadbeats. but if that had been a soul train audience. with Don Cornelius they would be getting down"
**
25. Carl Trascher
"[profanity abbreviation deleted] is wrong with the audience?"
**
REPLY
26. RayNDeere
"A lot of times they brought in crowds for long tapings. They may have several acts perform their set for later performances. But early on they did tell the crowds not to dance."
****
2017
27. gabstanace2
"It should be a federal crime not to dance to that song!"
**
2018
28. tanya ms80sfreak
"I'm dancing right now how can the audience be superglued to their seats"
**
29. spiff2268
"1. The audience was quiet because the bands actually played live and the producers wanted to get the best recordings possible.
2. Black people, bring back them 'fros! They were awesome!"
**
30. Jerry Jazzbo
"The audience was on qualludes."
****
ADDENDUM: RACIAL DIFFERENCES IN AUDIENCE ETIQUETTE
It's possible that the audience for this Midnight Special television show featuring The Sylvers' performance of "Boogie Night" -and other Midnight Special shows were instructed to be silent and stay in their seats without clapping or moving during the show's taping.
However, I believe that there are core differences in audience etiquette during performances or other cultural events (including religious events) between African Americans and White Americans, and between some other racial populations. I have experienced these cultural differences and have read about them online, including in some YouTube discussion threads of other videos (and especially pre-1980s videos) of African American performances in front of White audiences or majority White audiences in the United States and in Europe.
Generally speaking, African Americans' audience etiquette is rooted in Black African traditions where people are expected to demonstrate their appreciation-or lack of appreciation for performances- during and not just after those performances. In so doing, audiences give energy to the performers and are active participants in those performances. This active, expressive audience behavior has been found and continues to be found during religious events such as certain but not all Black denominations' church services and during certain non-religious cultural performances such as some musical concerts, plays, spoken word events, and rallies.
Here are some verbal examples and physical examples of active expressive audience behavior during performances and/or other non-religious or religious cultural events:
Verbal
-shouting approval exclamations such as "Amen!", "Go 'head!", "Do it!", "Yeah!" [Note that disapproval exclamations may also be shouted]
-speaking on command in "response" to a performer's "call"
Physical
-nodding your head in time with the song
-clapping hands along with a song
-raising your hand (and/or waving your hand) while seated or standing up
-raising both hands (and/or waving both hands)
-standing up
-singing along
-dancing
Historical accounts of English theatre audiences attending Shakespearean plays and other plays of that time document that those audiences demonstrated some of these active, expressive audience behaviors, and more. However, eventually the White European norm developed in which the audience was-and largely still is- expected to be silent and still during cultural performances, i.e. audiences were and are expected to be inactive and non-expressive during performances and other cultural events.
I've experienced how people are sometimes not sure which audience etiquette standards they should follow when there are integrated audiences for cultural events in the United States. This particularly occurred at "downtown" events when audiences consist of a large number of African Americans and also a considerable number of White Americans. One example that comes to mind was during a Drum Line performance that I attended that was staged by an African American ensemble. In addition to playing drums as if they were part of a drum & bugle corp drum line, the ensemble sang and danced to old & current Black songs. Because this performance was held in a downtown concert venue, and because there were so many White folks there, I believe that Black folks' expressive responses to the show was far less than it would have been if the performance had been held in a Black community venue and if there were no White people or fewer White people in attendance.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This pancocojams post provides a compilation of comments about big afros (hairstyles) and "dead" audiences on a YouTube discussion thread about The Sylvers' 1976 Midnight Special television show performance of their hit song "Boogie Fever".
Information about the "Boogie fever" song is included in this post.
The Addendum to this post contains my comment about racial differences in audience etiquette.
The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composers of "Boogie Fever" and thanks to The Sylvers for their musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
-snip-
This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on Black hair styles. Click the "afros" tag and the "Black hair styles" tag for other posts in this series.
-snip-
I've decided to publish a separate post on racial differences in audience etiquette. Here's the link to that pancocojams post: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/01/racial-differences-in-audience-etiquette.html Racial Differences In Audience Etiquette
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: The Sylvers - Boogie Fever (Midnight Special 1976)
thepaak786, Published on Nov 8, 2009
The Sylvers Perform "Boogie Fever" on The Midnight Special In 1976.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE R&B SONG "BOOGIE FEVER"
From https://genius.com/The-sylvers-boogie-fever-lyrics
“Boogie Fever” is a single on The Sylvers‘ fourth album Showcase.
“Boogie Fever” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for a week in May 1976 and Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart in March of 1976.
It also topped the RPM charts in Canada and was also certified Gold.
-snip-
The song's lyrics are also found on that page.
****
From
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boogie_Fever https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boogie_Fever
..."Billboard ranked it [the song "Boogie Fever"] as the No. 20 song for 1976. "Boogie Fever" is one of two gold records by the Sylvers, the other being "Hot Line".
[...]
The song was featured in the Stephen King miniseries The Stand (1994) and the feature film Roll Bounce (2005). In 2010, "Boogie Fever" was briefly used in a scene in Despicable Me, and in 2012 it was used in its theme park attraction adaptation, Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem. The song has also appeared in TV ads for Intel Pentium II, Old Navy and Little Caesars Pizza. An instrumental version was also music for level 1 and level 9 of the game Frantic Freddie.”…
[...]
Songwriter(s) Freddie Perren, Kenneth St. Lewis"...
-snip-
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sylvers
for an article about The Sylvers.
Note: "Boogie" is an African American Vernacular English term that means "to dance".
****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD
These selected comments are divided into two sections: "Comments about The Sylvers' afro hairstyle" and "Comments about the audience at this televised performance of The Slyvers' performing "Boogie Fever".
These comments are given in chronological order by year with the oldest comments given first, except for responses. The comments in each section are numbered for referencing purposes only.
Notice that some of these comments address both of these section topics.
I've added my own comments after a few of the comments about afros. I've also added a comment after the section about that particular television audience's lack of response during that "Boogie Fever" performance.
SECTION I- COMMENTS ABOUT THE GROUPS' AFROS
2010
1. parisel313
"silly froes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
**
REPLY
2. mslegacy01
"@parisel313 Silly 'fro's?!??? WHAT was SO silly about 'em!?! Those boys had some of the BIGGEST, BADDEST most beautiful and healthy fro's around! I'd LOVE to stop relaxing my hair (as a woman) and wear my hair PROUDLY in a 'FRO!
Tell me you're NOT black making that stupid comment"
****
2011
3. charlesw62
"WOW! I remember when my afro was that big!!! LOL"
**
4. TheRealCritique
"I think this wins the all-time afro competition...big, and seriously well-rounded and even. I can't imagine what that looks like after you sleep on it."
-snip-
While my 'fro was never that big, I had what I would consider a "medium size afro". Usually at night I adhered to the common custom of plaiting my hair into several braids*. The next morning I took out the braids and picked (combed my hair using a wide tooth afro pic). Braiding my hair and then "picking it" helped to de-tangle the tightly curled hair coils, resulting in a wider look. While I picked my hair, I would pat it down to achieve the round look (that I call a "halo look") that was popular in the 1970s. A much more wind-spread, any shape or no shape natural ("afro") look is much more popular now, if that look can even be termed an "afro".
*This wasn't a hair style that was usually worn in public. This hair style wasn't cornrolls that Black females have worn forever, and wasn't the micro braids hairstyles that Black females wear nowadays.
**
5. Oakbluffsdiva
"Boy those fro's were picked to perfection!!! Foster was my boyfriend when Michael J. wouldn't act right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lolllllllllll"
-snip-
“picked to perfection” = The comb used for “afros” was called an “afro pic”. "Picked to perfection" means combing out your hair (combing the tightly coiled strands of hair which probably had been braided overnight)* with an afro pic) until it achieved its desired round shape.
*Read the note that I wrote after comment #4 above.
**
6. InfinityNebula Heaven
"BLACK PPL NEED TO GO BACK TO THE PPL THEY REALLY WERE BEGINNING WITH THE BEAUTIFUL AFROS AND STOP ASSIMILATING INTO WHITE CULTURE THAT WATERS DOWN WHO BLACK PPL ARE AS A WHOLE
THE BEGINNING OF BLACK DOWNFALL IN AMERICA BEGAN WHEN THEY ASSIMILATED AND BEGAN TO BE ASHAMED TO BE BLACK CUTTING THE BEAUTIFUL AFRO AND STRAITENING THE HAIR LIKE EURO'S"
PEACE!
**
7. vinyl45junkie
" I took my baby to the DRIVE IN show" What a great time era! Drive in's, fashion, hair,(great afro's,purfectly round) and the music just awsome !
****
2012
8. DARLENE THERATLADY
"Back in the days of the natural fro"
**
9. Calvin Roach
"Now those are Afro's!"
**
10. mrsfifties
"blows my mind when i c how all the guys have the same afro look,, im not knockin them by any means,they were very good, funny how u notice things like tht now"
****
2013
11. BerlinFan82
"Some serious 'fros."
**
12. BALD ETTA
"THE SYLVER'S HAD THE GREATEST FROS OF ALL TIME!"
**
13. creativechic92
"This is so AFROTASTIC!!"
**
14. discolady2
"like the afros every body getting back n2 their afros again i'm glad didn't need that perm noway ."
-snip-
"n2"= into
**
15. Karmadog
"If only their hair were a bit bigger, they'd be perfect! :)"
****
2014
16. Calvin Dunn
"The guys were my "hair idols" back in the 70's..LOL I saw them live in Oakland Cal. After that - I had one of the biggest afros in high school. Lol Whats amazing to me is they sound perfect, and their harmonies are excellent - even while doing dance steps. There's no groups or bands out there today that can sound that good live or in studio."
**
17. Jeff Cobb
"Lordy, those fros ain't no joke!"
**
18. Marcela Buggin'
"Ooh, them 'fros. Got a sista swoonin' over here!"
**
19. troysvisualarts
"Always been a fan of this super disco group and this great dance groove classic, makes me wanna get down!!! :D Man these guys had the biggest baddest finest frizzed afro hairdos of any disco/funk group of that era, I bet they invested a good portion of their income on Afro Sheen to maintain those fros! ;)"
-snip-
"Afro Sheen" the brand name for very popular hair care products for Black Americans' hair. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/06/eleven-non-racist-product-commercials.html for two 1970s Afro-Sheen commercials. Another hair care commercial from is featured in that post is for Ultra-Sheen, a rival Black hair care brand.
**
20. OrchidIslander
"I grew up back in the day dancing to the Sylvers. Back then I had a killer "fro" Today my head is shaved because of my hair challenged ancestors and the only place I seem to grow hair is on my back and knuckles. Life is still good....boogie fever baby!"
****
2015
21. Wildman
"Those Afro's are Bad Ass..Love Em..."
**
22. zigzagbigbag
"If I could grow an afro like that I'd do it in a heartbeat. Alas.... I'm white. :("
**
REPLY
23. Chris Simpson
"+zigzagbigbag Are you Jewish? There might still be hope! #jewfro"
**
REPLY
24. pup lover
"+Chris Simpson LOL"
**
REPLY
25. a j
"zigzagbigbag Back in the late 60s, Eric Clapton had a killer 'fro! :D"
**
26. William Gibbs
"Huge afros rock. What a great era."
**
27. Motoroil
"Those fros had their own zip code!"
**
28. Hozaak Labias
"I always wanted to have a afro but I'm native American"
**
29. Elizabeth Roberto
"this is a "GOOD" song & the singer is "REAL CUTE" & i do like "The Sylvers!" but that HAIR makes them look like Q-tips Heads! lol do people even wear their hair like that anymore? it would be "VERY ODD LOOKING" if they did. -_- _"
****
2016
30. FancyPants69
"Great live performance of this song....Foster Sylvers was so damn cute.....RIP Edmund Sylvers....During a time when anybody that had a Big Afro was considered fine as all get out!!!"
-snip-
Edmund Sylvers is the lead singer for "Boogie Fever".
****
2017
31. Jose Martínez
"What the hell that hair😘😘😱😱😱😱"
**
32. rafterscott
"The 'Fro seriously needs to make a comeback."
-snip-
The rounded natural hair style (big, medium, or short) is largely out of style. However, the "unstyled", non-descriptive shaped "natural", particularly big unstyled "naturals" are "in". Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-changing-shape-of-womens-afro-hair.html The Changing Shape Of Women's Afro Hair Styles (with January 2018 Update) for video examples of these Black natural hairstyles and video examples of the older "afro" hair styles.
**
33. jjj ddd
"I miss seeing fros and Bell bottomms"
-snip-
"bell bottoms [pants] = pants that flared out toward their bottoms
**
34. dennis tate
"Awesome song
There fros are dope!"
-snip-
"Dope"= an African American Vernacular English term meaning "very good".
****
2018
35. brandon stewart
"I LOVE THESE AFROS OMG."
**
36. Rich Lo
"The bigger the fro the better"
****
SECTION II- COMMENTS ABOUT THIS TELEVISION SHOW'S AUDIENCE
1. OldskolFan, 2009
"Audience is too sedated. I was 10 when I saw them perform this and I was standing on the chair screaming. I guess it was not their kind er musiq?"
****
2. thediva3BC, 2010
"It's cracking me up how this audience is subdued and then watch the same performance on soul train and the audience is PARTYIN'"
-snip-
Soul Train was a long running [from October 2, 1971 to March 27, 2006], iconic dance series that mostly targeted Black Americans. The series was "created by Don Cornelius, who also served as its first host and executive producer." Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_Train for information about Soul Train.
****
2011
3. memdiva
"That choreography is sooooo amazing! They really got down up there! I cant believe the crowd was just sitting there. How can you just sit there amd stare and something like that and not dance? I would have caught the boogie fever right along with the sylvers!"
**
4. Yabbadabbawhat100
"@949galaxy I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing the audience was told to stay seated by the director. It's the only explanation I can think of for people quietly sitting through a killer performance like that. :-)"
-snip-
I didn't see an comment by someone with that name. "memdiva" could have changed her name from @949galaxy or someone else could have dropped that screen name for another name.
**
5. NanTheGoldChild
"That damn audience needed life support, wth?? That was a live ass boogie down performance if I ever saw one!!! Sylvers Forever!!!"
**
REPLY
6. eniebabe44
"@Nanadsyl ..unfortunalely that was the Midnight Special Audience for a while..they would just sit there and then applaud at the end...the show got on my nerves because people are performing their asses off and the audience just sits there...the producers of the show must have been out of the minds or maybe they were hungover...lol"
**
7. Mama Nuveau
"@Nina513 Yeah, but that audience WAS mostly white, even though they were on The Midnight Special show, which was supposed to be so hip and cool with all that acts they showcased. That audience WAS pitiful...dead, dead, dead! They could've at least had some cues for the audience to get hype like they do now...but that was then...Ed Sullivan's audiences were much more lively, it seemed."
**
8. jonathan taylor
"They're on the stage rocking and everyone's just sitting there like it's a black and white movie. Come on crowd show some emotion. Sing along, clap your hands, something."
**
9. Mucupuru
"whats wrong with the audience ? they will never be infected with the boogie fever !"
****
2012
****
2013
10. Scott O'Mary
"The funniest part of this clip is not the afro's or the clothes, but the audience full of stiff white people"
**
11. T Conte
"That audience was about the unboogiest audience of all time. Stiff as boards, except for a few. How could they remain so still with this funkiness?"
**
REPLY
12. pchelloo
"Yeah...I agree......must've been in Russia or Korea maybe? True Sylvers fan here"
**
13. 67johnnyjoe
"Great song, great LIVE singing and dancing! Today's groups couldn't perform this. But can't believe the audience wasn't up and dancing!"
**
14. Silver Jag
"You can see this was the transitional period between rock music and disco for MNS because you have a disco/dance group performing but the audience is still sitting in chairs just watching."
-snip-
"MNS" = Midnight Special television series
**
REPLY
15. typo368
"probably all stoned!!! :)"
-snip-
"stoned" = " on 'recreational' (illegal) drugs
**
16. David Huff
"what's wrong with the crowd? sitting on hands."
**
17. RockWithYu
"Man, that is the DEADEST crowd…it's like they're performing inside a morgue…"
****
2014
18. Jez Parish
"Check out the drummer - looks as bored as hell. Are the audience all dead????"
**
REPLY
19. CaneFu
"Are the audience all dead?"...NO, it's called 'watching and appreciating' the performance"
**
REPLY
20. Jez Parish
"Really? How the hell could you tell? lol"
**
REPLY
21. elijah jackson
"+CaneFu They're in Japan?"
**
22. jmusic45
"That's a dead looking audience. I don't even see but one person nodding their head,"
****
2015
23. BigMTBrain
"WHOA!?!?! Why such a DEAD audience?!?
****
2016
24. Jim Bilbrey
"yeah the audience looks like a bunch of Deadbeats. but if that had been a soul train audience. with Don Cornelius they would be getting down"
**
25. Carl Trascher
"[profanity abbreviation deleted] is wrong with the audience?"
**
REPLY
26. RayNDeere
"A lot of times they brought in crowds for long tapings. They may have several acts perform their set for later performances. But early on they did tell the crowds not to dance."
****
2017
27. gabstanace2
"It should be a federal crime not to dance to that song!"
**
2018
28. tanya ms80sfreak
"I'm dancing right now how can the audience be superglued to their seats"
**
29. spiff2268
"1. The audience was quiet because the bands actually played live and the producers wanted to get the best recordings possible.
2. Black people, bring back them 'fros! They were awesome!"
**
30. Jerry Jazzbo
"The audience was on qualludes."
****
ADDENDUM: RACIAL DIFFERENCES IN AUDIENCE ETIQUETTE
It's possible that the audience for this Midnight Special television show featuring The Sylvers' performance of "Boogie Night" -and other Midnight Special shows were instructed to be silent and stay in their seats without clapping or moving during the show's taping.
However, I believe that there are core differences in audience etiquette during performances or other cultural events (including religious events) between African Americans and White Americans, and between some other racial populations. I have experienced these cultural differences and have read about them online, including in some YouTube discussion threads of other videos (and especially pre-1980s videos) of African American performances in front of White audiences or majority White audiences in the United States and in Europe.
Generally speaking, African Americans' audience etiquette is rooted in Black African traditions where people are expected to demonstrate their appreciation-or lack of appreciation for performances- during and not just after those performances. In so doing, audiences give energy to the performers and are active participants in those performances. This active, expressive audience behavior has been found and continues to be found during religious events such as certain but not all Black denominations' church services and during certain non-religious cultural performances such as some musical concerts, plays, spoken word events, and rallies.
Here are some verbal examples and physical examples of active expressive audience behavior during performances and/or other non-religious or religious cultural events:
Verbal
-shouting approval exclamations such as "Amen!", "Go 'head!", "Do it!", "Yeah!" [Note that disapproval exclamations may also be shouted]
-speaking on command in "response" to a performer's "call"
Physical
-nodding your head in time with the song
-clapping hands along with a song
-raising your hand (and/or waving your hand) while seated or standing up
-raising both hands (and/or waving both hands)
-standing up
-singing along
-dancing
Historical accounts of English theatre audiences attending Shakespearean plays and other plays of that time document that those audiences demonstrated some of these active, expressive audience behaviors, and more. However, eventually the White European norm developed in which the audience was-and largely still is- expected to be silent and still during cultural performances, i.e. audiences were and are expected to be inactive and non-expressive during performances and other cultural events.
I've experienced how people are sometimes not sure which audience etiquette standards they should follow when there are integrated audiences for cultural events in the United States. This particularly occurred at "downtown" events when audiences consist of a large number of African Americans and also a considerable number of White Americans. One example that comes to mind was during a Drum Line performance that I attended that was staged by an African American ensemble. In addition to playing drums as if they were part of a drum & bugle corp drum line, the ensemble sang and danced to old & current Black songs. Because this performance was held in a downtown concert venue, and because there were so many White folks there, I believe that Black folks' expressive responses to the show was far less than it would have been if the performance had been held in a Black community venue and if there were no White people or fewer White people in attendance.
****
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