Why is touching Black people’s hair considered offensive?

Megan Young went viral after she fixed the hair of Miss Botswana, Lesego Chombo, during the final round of the Miss World competition on Sunday.

Some people criticized her behavior, saying it was offensive to Black people, especially without their permission.

The Miss World 2013 titleholder has apologized since then, explaining she only wanted to lend a helping hand. In the comment section, it appears it’s not clear to many Filipinos why Megan’s act is considered offensive.

Cultural significance 

Black people have long faced oppression and discrimination, including being objectified and even dehumanized not only because of their color but because of their hair texture and styles. 

It goes all the way back to the slave trade, the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. says, when “Africans were forced to abandon their links and connections to their natural hair.” 

Back then, slaves had to shave their heads (because their inhumane quarters led them to contracting lice) and were required to wear headscarves to hide their hair.

This had “a lasting impact on how Black people perceived their own hair and identity,” Ezinne Chidi Obiagazie-Ibezime explained in her 2023 paper, “The Impact of Eurocentric Beauty Stands in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah,” which was submitted to the University of Tartu. 
 
It devalued their natural black hair, which led to social stigma and systemic discrimination.

Hair became a marker that separated Black people from other racial groups, Zakiya Collier explains in her 2021 NYU Paper, “Don’t Touch my Hair: An Examination of the Exercise of Power Through Interracial hair-Centered Interactions.” 

“Because of this, the black body especially that of the female, is frequently subjected to the interrogation by non-black people,” she said. 

Invasion of personal space

“When a Black person’s hair is touched, it’s not only a violation of their personal space but signifies that being different allows them to be singled out and treated differently,” writes Dr. Tamecca Rogers on parenting magazine Tulsa Kids.

“Treating our hair like it is different and strange is treating us like outsiders,” she adds.

Stereotypes and Microagressions 

In Harvard Business Review article, Janice Asare, founder of Diversity Equity and Inclusivity consulting firm BWG Business Solutions, said even being asked if their hair can be touched is a form of “micro aggression,” the term commonly used to refer to insensitive statements that can target aspects of a person. 

“There is often little thought given to how dehumanizing it is to be interrogated about a hairstyle and asked whether your hair is real,” she said.

In the work setting, she calls it “invasive” behavior to ask if you can touch their hair.” 

So while Megan had good intentions — she wanted to offer a helping hand! — she was correct in her apology: “It was a thoughtless and disrespectful act.”

— LA, GMA Integrated News