What Is An Afro Hairstyle? (Video & YouTube Discussion Thread Comments About A 1970s Photograph Of A Black Woman With A Big Afro)

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!!"

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REPLY
2. Rafael R, 2014
"What's her name?"

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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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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).

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17. Daniel Fountain, 2016
"the sister in the photo is fire!"

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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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27. steampump 1912, 2017
"So true, she has a natural sexiness....an' that fro,...man, so cool."

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28. Neil Soulman Hagan, 2017
"yes sir #mothershipConnection #MaddNubianLove!"

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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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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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34. M Zach, 2018
"Yep, they don't put ugly women on album covers, she is sexy!"

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35. EwaldK, 2018
"Now probably in her seventies....sigh..."

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36. Antonio Lott, 2018
"All these comments but I need a name!"

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37. julian, 2018
"The origanal slingky KINKY Afro!!!"

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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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41. Earl Halstead, 2019
"True to her heritage,(Smile)"

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42. Raptor IX, 2019
"yo sista is fire"

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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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44. Annetta77, 2019
"@eL shadaye that's what I been sayin'"

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45. SOCOMJON, 2019
"Daniel Fountain She’s the reason I’m here ❤️"

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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").

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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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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.

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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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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.

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Visitor comments are welcome.