Talk:Cornrows

Picture?

could someone find a non-copyrighted picture to put in?

Swinger222 14:48, Jun 12, 2005 (UTC)

Added picture

Added picture of emperor Yohannes IV of Ethiopia, to examplify the African tradition of braided hair Dizzee ignorant 21:20, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Unisex?

"

The lead sentences says that it's unisex and West African in origin, not that it's unisex in West Africa. --FuriousFreddy 17:24, 23 October 2005 (UTC)

Thanks for getting back to me. Maybe that's what it's supposed to mean, but that's not what it says. I'll try to reword it a bit; see what you think. BrianSmithson 18:53, 23 October 2005 (UTC)

That's a lot better. --FuriousFreddy 19:43, 23 October 2005 (UTC)

I'm just now noticing this. Back in the day (mid to late 1960s), when cornrows were becoming popular among blacks here in the U.S., they were strictly for women. Even in the South, where the cornrowing tradition persisted through the centuries, the style was worn by pretty much women only. Once in a while, you'd come across a brother with them -- but rarely. Not until much later did the style catch on in the U.S. among black men. It was an offshoot of people braiding their afros at night, so they'd be voluminous/stay manageable. Brothers starting asking sisters to braid their for them, and the sisters started cornrowing the brothers' hair, too. Still, not until probably the 1980s did brothers really start wearing cornrows -- and then certainly not with beads. In the '60s and '70s that would have been considered extremely effeminate. 21:28, 23 October 2005 (UTC)deeceevoice

This may have some parallels with the acceptance of longer hairstyles on men in general—which is a topic I'm going to get around to writing one of these days. Very shortly cropped hair wouldn't be be long enough to cornrow, while, as you suggest, longer styles (whether they grow upwards in an afro or downwards to the shoulders) are more amenable to this sort of management. — Phil Welch 22:04, 1 December 2005 (UTC)

That depends on what you call "short." Someone can have a relatively short afro (say, of less than an inch), but tightly curled/nappy hair can uncoil fairly easily (particularly if wet) to surprising length -- and certainly long enough to be styled into cornrows. deeceevoice 09:57, 2 December 2005 (UTC)

Indeed—I'm referring to the length the hair reaches if uncoiled and pulled straight. — Phil Welch Katefan's ridiculous poll 19:11, 2 December 2005 (UTC)

i confirm in senegal and most west africa it has been part of the culture for at least 2000 years it was a warrior hairstyle(THIEDO wolof warrior) associated with specific rituals ,nubians too braided their hair — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.88.227.189 (talk) 03:42, 28 July 2011 (UTC)

I remember African-American males with beads, and sometimes even barrettes, in their cornrows in the 1980's (Leroy from Fame). I also knew a (straight) brother who wore beads in his cornrows in the 1990's. On the west coast cornrows were popular with gang members throughout the 80's & 90's and beads that matched gang colors were sometimes used (High Top from Colors). Cornrows were never a common style for men but they have never been out of style either, similar to the way relaxed hair is to males in the African-American community (at least since the 1960's). Also, the first time I visited Senegal (around 2007) I was told that men do not wear cornrows or any other type of braids in their hair and that braided hair was something only women wore (I used to like to wear my hair in cornrows so I asked). But since then on return visits I have noticed more young men with cornrows but only those that appear to be trying to adopt a more American style with their fashion. It still is primarily looked at as effeminate. (Most men in Senegal have their hair closely cropped (like Akon) with pretty much the only other hairstyle for men being dreadlocks -- which is kind of looked down upon) I was also told that the ceddo (thiedo) traditionally wore their hair in dreadlocks but I suspect this is told to connect the baye fall, who commonly wear dreadlocks, to the ceddo and not necessarily a historical fact. 70.102.94.154 (talk) 02:02, 1 May 2018 (UTC)

Hygeine and Traction alopecia

Two issues which should be a little more thoroughly highlighted. Many teens following the afro-american media pop-culture see this hairstyle as trendy, although in my country and through extensive travel in Europe I've yet to encounter anyone with it, but realistically it would be worthwhile cautioning that such hairstyles have a dramatic link to Traction alopecia, ie: they make you go bald faster if you're male and if you're female, can instigate a very high brow / receding browline.

Hygeine is another issue worth raising, as many wearers of such 'tribal' hairstyles are told not to wash their hair as it will rot (which does happen, especially in the case of dreadlocks), but likewise not washing it in many instances can encourage lice, flea and parasite infestations (or in the case of dreadlocks, small mamals have even been found). I do not have the full facts and figures, so I will leave it up to one of the competant editors of this page to make the update if willing. Jachin 03:50, 5 November 2005 (UTC)

"Tribal" hairstyles? lol FYI, black people generally don't have trouble with lice. That's a white thing. And cornrowed hairstyles are washed regularly -- carefully, usually with a stocking cap in place to preserve the style. So, just as with any hairstyle, hygiene is not a problem. Nasty, ill-kempt people who don't wash their hair wear all kinds of hairstyles. That has absolutely nothing to do with cornrows. And I've never, ever heard of cornrows "rotting." That's rubbish -- or, if you will, "rot". deeceevoice 16:45, 6 November 2005 (UTC)

But with regard to traction alopecia, you have a point. It can be a real problem if braids are too tight or if heavy extensions are worn over a prolonged period of time. deeceevoice 21:38, 6 November 2005 (UTC)

Traction alopecia is totally preventable if the braider knows what they are doing. The problem is that many people don't have proper hair care education and pull too hard, leave the styles in too long, and don't let the hair 'rest' between styles. Ibtisam

picture

This article could really do with a picture. And it shouldn't be that hard to obtain. Anyone with cornrows and a camera who want their face/hair in wikipedia? Shanes 04:06, 10 February 2006 (UTC)

Why is a white guy being pictured here?

It doesn't make any sense to use a white person as an example for cornrows. Cornrows are a Black hairstyle and should be pictured as such. Is there a way to delete this picture, or at least change it to be more appropriate?

The article says that it's not just one race that has this hair. This is the photo that I found already uploaded on wikipedia that had the hair like this. There seems no need to eliminate it because of race. And also if there is no photo the article is weaker. It's better with this photo than without. Lyo 18:45, 1 May 2006 (UTC)

A white guy rockin' the 'rows as the MAIN picture? Talk about an insult. This style is almost exclusively a style for African-Americans, and females at that. Some black males wear them, and even less Caucasians. But overall, it's a style for black women. I don't see a problem w/the white guy, but not as the main picture. Changed. MagentaThompson 04:37, 16 June 2006 (UTC) 04:03, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

We could definitely do better than a picture of Bo Derek!

I deleted her picture. It's ridiculous to have an article about cornrows and have the main picture be a white woman; it's a traditionally black hairstyle. Someone, obviously added it as a slap in the face to the black community because someone mentioned that they added an Ethiopian woman as a pic, but that was clearly deleted and replaced with a white woman.

I agree that maybe we could find a better photo than one of Bo Derek. But since nobody has taken it upon themselves to find a photo of a black person with cornrows, why remove the only photo that this article has? Don't delete the Bo Derek photo unless you can find a better one. At least, the Bo Derek photo will show someone who doesn't know what a cornrow looks like. And to the person above who says that the black photo was replaced by one of Bo Derek that's not true. The Bo Derek photo was first added when this article had no photo at all. Don't you think it's better to have a photo to show people what a cornrow is than to have no photo at all? Isn't the point of Wikipedia supposed to be to educate people? --Mezaco 20:02, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

That picture of Bo Derek has got to go. I agree that having this picture on Wikipedia as the main picture is insulting to peoples of African descent and needs to be changed as soon as possible. Further, I disagree with Mezaco when he says that having a picture of Bo Derek is better than no picture at all. As the old saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words" and this picture is both inaccurate and insulting to members of the black community.

I realise that Wikipedia is edited mostly by white people who are unlikely to see what the problem is, and who are likely in fact to cry foul with claims of anti-caucasian racism (a common lament on-line, it seems). But it's important to try to counter systemic bias by putting yourself in the shoes of black people, especially African Americans. The slave trade destroyed any true, organic cultural connection to Africa for African Americans. Most don't even know which part of West Africa their ancestors hailed from, and as anyone who has ever been to West Africa knows, there are serious cultural and linguistic differences between villages, not to mention countries. Throughout their history, they have been socially pressured to emulate white people -- unlike Indians, East Asians, Middle Easterners, or any other non-white ethnic group, they have not had a sense of origin with which to anchor themselves. Hair has always been a particularly sensitive issue for them. Getting a perm (which in black terms means a straightening of the hair) or a weave or wearing a wig or any other number of relatively drastic measures have been taken by black people over the years to "whitify" their hair.

Then, in the 1960s and 70s, something special happened: there was rebellion against this definition of beauty, the "Black is Beautiful" movement started, and men and women began to explore hairstyles derived from African sources. This was an important and empowering transition for black people, and remains so.

What we are doing by picturing a white person and only a white person is, in effect, robbing the black community of their pride. We are suggesting, with the picture, that this is a white hairstyle. I know the article says otherwise, but believe me, the picture speaks volumes. It leaves the reader wondering, "If this is a black hairstyle, why is a white person pictured?"

It needs to go, even if we have nothing to replace it with.70.231.253.59 21:01, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

No question. I agree. It's gotta go -- and stay gone. Find someone black. deeceevoice 21:40, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

This article is about a hairstyle. A picture of the hairstyle would be an improvement, regardless of who's wearing it. Heck, the article even mentions Bo Derek so why is a picture of her a problem? Turning this into a racial issue is ridiculous. Friday (talk) 23:03, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

I agree. I am a white woman who is married to a black man who has cornrows. We have a five year old "malato" boy who has cornrows. I ran across this looking for help in dealing with a Christian Privite School issue concerning the length of his cornrows. I don't see the problem nor do I see a picture. I guess the ridiculous fuss worked. Again, if people spent that type of dedication to help the homeless or the hungry. What a world we might live in. God Bless. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Stayceavery (talk • contribs) 17:17, 5 September 2008 (UTC)

Cornrows are not an african hairstyle. Cornrows have been a popular hairstyle around the world. Its a human hairstyle. The article should reflect that. See:

https://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2F9N_Kozsyyx0%2Fhqdefault.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D9N_Kozsyyx0&docid=qGg-iISVmASLcM&tbnid=WYR3ce8ReXW5kM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwj43v6ix9TWAhVIIlAKHWdBBloQMwgnKAIwAg..i&w=480&h=360&client=safari&bih=776&biw=1127&q=cornrows%20ancient%20venus&ved=0ahUKEwj43v6ix9TWAhVIIlAKHWdBBloQMwgnKAIwAg&iact=mrc&uact=8

https://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia%2FCB26pyhUAAA-Vok.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fbrandonpilcher%2Fstatus%2F584828755153035264&docid=TKSxw6ffN1ls4M&tbnid=CU8KUJeYB4CSBM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwi8uYv9xtTWAhUJmrQKHZaWBUIQMwgnKAIwAg..i&w=375&h=500&client=safari&bih=776&biw=1127&q=cornrows%20ancient&ved=0ahUKEwi8uYv9xtTWAhUJmrQKHZaWBUIQMwgnKAIwAg&iact=mrc&uact=8

https://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2F236x%2F57%2Fe4%2F33%2F57e4339f49dce25630c4f6c06bb06992--buddha-religion-black-buddha.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F395050198541341577%2F&docid=DfV4mNBPTnPqUM&tbnid=uzFc9DX_DDffDM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwi8uYv9xtTWAhUJmrQKHZaWBUIQMwhJKBowGg..i&w=189&h=278&itg=1&client=safari&bih=776&biw=1127&q=cornrows%20ancient&ved=0ahUKEwi8uYv9xtTWAhUJmrQKHZaWBUIQMwhJKBowGg&iact=mrc&uact=8 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A02:8109:8140:71A0:133:B91A:EF45:B45E (talk) 13:38, 3 October 2017 (UTC)

Cornrows is an African style. Go find your own and write an article about it. Researcherofgreatness (talk) 19:32, 19 February 2024 (UTC)

The sources you've cited do not meet Wikipedia standardsDanJazzy (talk) 21:32, 3 October 2017 (UTC)

There are no hairstyles for a certain race. Anyone can do a hairstyle they like. Luhh. Kimberly (talk) 10:24, 6 July 2021 (UTC)

The origin must be stated rightly though. Researcherofgreatness (talk) 19:32, 19 February 2024 (UTC)

nasty picture

the current closeup is pretty gross. do we need to see each unkempt strand? the bo derek photo is a lot nicer, who cares if she's white?

This is a joke right? Nasty? I think the new image looks beautiful. The woman has thick full hair and it shows the process of creating cornrows. We can keep the image of bo, I guess it shows the influence of African hair styles on the broader global culture. Please sign your post in the fulture. Thanks. futurebird 21:01, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

There's nothing unkempt or nasty about the closeup. It's an accurate representation of professionally done cornrows. It's an idea image.Res05e (talk) 19:03, 23 December 2007 (UTC)

File:Cornrows1.jpg Nominated for speedy Deletion

An image used in this article, File:Cornrows1.jpg, has been nominated for speedy deletion for the following reason: All Wikipedia files with unknown copyright status What should I do? Don't panic; you should have time to contest the deletion (although please review deletion guidelines before doing so). The best way to contest this form of deletion is by posting on the image talk page. If the image is non-free then you may need to provide a fair use rationale If the image isn't freely licensed and there is no fair use rationale, then it cannot be uploaded or used. If the image has already been deleted you may want to try Deletion Review To take part in any discussion, or to review a more detailed deletion rationale please visit the relevant image page (File:Cornrows1.jpg) This is Bot placed notification, another user has nominated/tagged the image --CommonsNotificationBot (talk) 05:54, 22 March 2012 (UTC)

Is that cornrows?

That hairstyle doesn't look like cornrows. Are there reliable sources that say those are cornrows? EyeTruth (talk) 01:55, 9 December 2015 (UTC)

No. Seems more like melon coiffure, which is referenced a lot in articles of ancient Greek/Roman statues. Have clarified in the text. Lewisguile (talk) 14:28, 27 February 2024 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Media Innovations

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 23 August 2022 and 9 December 2022. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Bigtimenaenae (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Bigtimenaenae (talk) 18:21, 27 September 2022 (UTC)

This is a badly written Wikipedia page

I don't know where to start but the conflation of corn rows with European braids is bizzare. Conrows isn't another word for braids. Its a type/types of braiding style by people of African descent. Its also just a style of braids by African descent people as there are different African braid styles as well. All in all, these has nothing to do with Europeans or whatever braids they do. Researcherofgreatness (talk) 19:32, 19 February 2024 (UTC)

Noted. Read the updated version and tell me what you think. Lewisguile (talk) 14:29, 27 February 2024 (UTC)

CornRow Origination

The CornRow originated in the United States among Black American Saves. It's not possible for Africans to have invented this stye of braiding and name it such because 1. rows of corn weren't a staple among West Africans & 2. The Englis language wasn't spoken until well after 1860's. shiznaw (talk) 16:18, 29 February 2024 (UTC)

Just because it didn't gain its current name until the Americas, doesn't mean it didn't exist. There are lots of African names for cornrows. Also, the Caribbean and South America aren't the US, and they have equal claims. Though, you've reminded me to add them to the page: https://www.popsugar.co.uk/beauty/cornrows-canerows-original-west-african-names-48148196 Lewisguile (talk) 19:52, 29 February 2024 (UTC)

Meaning and Myth

The second paragraph talks about the meaning of cornrows and then says 'folklore'. Since the Snopes article referred to even says 'nope', could this be removed or moved to a myth/folklore section? If not, it seems like something more is needed, like how the paths were encoded, explained and transferred/used. (comment by User:130.44.180.105 moved from article space by Joyous! Noise!)

I take your point, but the Snopes article doesn't actually say "nope". It concludes that we don't know if it's true or not, but that it's important anyway. This article doesn't have space to go into the same detail, but summarises that the stories are "according to folklore", which is probably enough?

From Snopes: "While we cannot definitively answer the question of whether this was a real practice by slaves fleeing captivity in the American South, we can point to the rich and varied tales surrounding a real movement toward emancipation. Those stories certainly matter to people, hence their continuing popularity today." Lewisguile (talk) 06:04, 10 July 2024 (UTC)