They Stole It Part 3: The Hair

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They Stole It Part 3

A Black Woman Can Still Lose Her Job For This Hairstyle. A White Celebrity Gets A Magazine Cover For The Exact Same One.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

  • Identify the historical origins of African braiding traditions dating back to 3500 BC and explain their cultural significance as markers of tribe, status, and community identity
  • Describe Cicely Tyson's 1963 television appearance and the cultural and professional consequences she faced for wearing her natural hair
  • Explain how Bo Derek's 1979 portrayal of cornrows in the film 10 was received by mainstream America and contrast that reception with how Black women were treated for the same hairstyle
  • Analyze the documented pattern of cultural appropriation of Black hairstyles by the fashion industry — including Marc Jacobs, Valentino, and Kim Kardashian — and the renaming and rebranding that accompanied each case
  • Compare the treatment of Black students and professionals who wear natural hairstyles with the treatment of white celebrities and designers who adopt the same styles
  • Evaluate the argument that the policing and appropriation of Black hair is a systemic pattern — not coincidence, not trend, not fashion — but a documented, repeating cycle of theft and erasure

Key Vocabulary

  • Cornrows — A traditional African hairstyle in which the hair is braided flat against the scalp in rows, using an underhand, upward motion. Cornrow evidence has been found in African rock art dating to 3500 BC. The style carries deep cultural, social, and spiritual significance across dozens of African ethnic groups. [1]Sagay, Esi. African Hairstyles: Styles of Yesterday and Today. Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers, 1983.[2]Tassili n'Ajjer Rock Art. UNESCO World Heritage Site documentation. Evidence of cornrow hairstyles in Saharan rock art dated to 3500 BC.
  • Bantu Knots — A hairstyle originating from the Bantu peoples of sub-Saharan Africa in which sections of hair are twisted into small, coiled knots close to the scalp. Worn for generations as a marker of cultural identity and ceremony. In 2016, Marc Jacobs sent white models down the runway in Bantu knots and labeled them "mini buns." [3]Marc Jacobs Spring 2017 Collection controversy. Coverage by Refinery29, The Guardian, and Allure, 2016.
  • Cultural Appropriation — The adoption of elements of one culture by members of another — particularly when a dominant culture takes from a marginalized one without credit, consent, or compensation, and profits from it while the originating culture continues to be penalized for the same practices. [4]Tharps, Lori L. and Ayana D. Byrd. Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001.
  • The CROWN Act — Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair. Legislation passed in several U.S. states prohibiting discrimination based on hair texture and protective hairstyles including braids, locs, twists, and knots. The existence of this law confirms that hair discrimination against Black people is ongoing and legally recognized. [5]The CROWN Act. National documentation of state-level hair discrimination legislation. Available at thecrownact.com.
  • Tignon Law — An 1786 Louisiana law ordering Black women to cover their hair with a tignon — a cloth wrap — as a means of marking them as socially inferior. Black women responded by adorning their tignons with jewels, feathers, and gold. The law is the direct historical predecessor of modern hair discrimination. [6]Thompson, Shirley Elizabeth. Exiles at Home: The Struggle to Become American in Creole New Orleans. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2009.
  • Locs / Dreadlocks — A hairstyle formed by allowing hair to mat and coil into rope-like strands. Worn for spiritual and cultural reasons across African and African diaspora communities for centuries — including by Maasai warriors, Rastafari practitioners, and ancient Kemetic priests. In 2016, Marc Jacobs sent white models down a runway in colored locs and credited punk and rave culture. He named no African origin. [3]Marc Jacobs Spring 2017 Collection controversy. Coverage by Refinery29, The Guardian, and Allure, 2016.
  • Sounder (1972) — An American film in which Cicely Tyson played Rebecca Morgan, a Louisiana sharecropper. Tyson wore her hair in cornrows for the role. Her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination. The same cornrows she was criticized for wearing in 1963 became part of her most celebrated role. [7]Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences records. Cicely Tyson Academy Award nomination, 1973, for Sounder (1972).
  • Bo Derek Effect — A cultural phenomenon in which a white actress wearing cornrows in the 1979 film 10 was credited by mainstream American media with starting a braiding "trend" — despite Black women having worn the same hairstyle for thousands of years and being penalized for it. The term describes the broader pattern of Black styles being made acceptable only when adopted by white celebrities. [8]Rooks, Noliwe M. Hair Raising: Beauty, Culture, and African American Women. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1996.
  • Renaming / Rebranding — The practice of taking a Black cultural hairstyle, giving it a new name associated with white celebrities or fashion brands, and presenting it as a new invention. Examples include "boxer braids" for cornrows and "mini buns" for Bantu knots. Renaming strips the hairstyle of its cultural origin and transfers the cultural credit to a new, non-Black source. [3]Marc Jacobs Spring 2017 Collection controversy. Coverage by Refinery29, The Guardian, and Allure, 2016.[8]Rooks, Noliwe M. Hair Raising: Beauty, Culture, and African American Women. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1996.
  • Natural Hair — Hair that has not been chemically altered with relaxers, perms, or straightening treatments. For Black women, wearing natural hair has historically been treated as unprofessional, rebellious, or inappropriate in professional and academic settings — while the same textures and styles, when worn by white celebrities, are described as edgy, fashion-forward, or trendsetting. [4]Tharps, Lori L. and Ayana D. Byrd. Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001.[5]The CROWN Act. National documentation of state-level hair discrimination legislation. Available at thecrownact.com.

The Full Lesson

Part 1 — The Hair They Tried to Erase

A Black woman can still lose her job for this hairstyle. A white celebrity gets a magazine cover for the exact same one. This is not a coincidence. This is a pattern — and it has been running for over sixty years. [4]Tharps, Lori L. and Ayana D. Byrd. Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001.[5]The CROWN Act. National documentation of state-level hair discrimination legislation. Available at thecrownact.com.

In 1963, Cicely Tyson walked onto national television with her hair in its natural state. No wig. No relaxer. No straightening comb. At a time when Black women in public life were expected to conform — to press, straighten, and chemically alter their hair to meet a white standard of professional appearance — Tyson appeared as herself. The backlash was immediate. [7]Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences records. Cicely Tyson Academy Award nomination, 1973, for Sounder (1972).

Hairdressers wrote her letters blaming her for ruining their business. Black women accused her of embarrassing the race. It nearly ended her career before it started. She kept her hair anyway. [7]Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences records. Cicely Tyson Academy Award nomination, 1973, for Sounder (1972).

"She kept her hair anyway."

Part 2 — The Nomination and the Contradiction

In 1972, Cicely Tyson braided her hair into cornrows to play Rebecca Morgan in the film Sounder. The performance earned her an Academy Award nomination — one of the first Black actresses to receive one. The same hairstyle she was punished for in 1963 became part of her most celebrated work nine years later. [7]Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences records. Cicely Tyson Academy Award nomination, 1973, for Sounder (1972).

Her hair was still treated as a risk. Almost a provocation. Because braids were never just hair. They date back to 3500 BC. African rock art found on the Tassili Plateau in the Sahara — dated to 3500 BC — depicts women with intricate cornrow patterns. Braids were a societal custom. A social security number worn on the body — identifying your tribe, your status, your community. [1]Sagay, Esi. African Hairstyles: Styles of Yesterday and Today. Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers, 1983.[2]Tassili n'Ajjer Rock Art. UNESCO World Heritage Site documentation. Evidence of cornrow hairstyles in Saharan rock art dated to 3500 BC.

"Braids date back to 3500 BC. A social security number worn on the body."

A Black woman with intricate cornrows beside ancient African rock art depicting the same braiding patterns
Cornrow patterns documented in Tassili n'Ajjer rock art, dated to 3500 BC.

Part 3 — The Bo Derek Effect

Sixteen years after Tyson was punished for her natural hair, white actress Bo Derek wore cornrows in the 1979 film 10. Mainstream America did not call it her hairstyle. They called it her invention. Salons in Beverly Hills began offering "Bo Derek braids" for hundreds of dollars. The same style that marked a Black woman as unprofessional was now fashionable — because a white woman was wearing it. [8]Rooks, Noliwe M. Hair Raising: Beauty, Culture, and African American Women. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1996.

And then it stopped being one woman's moment. It became the entire fashion industry's playbook. [3]Marc Jacobs Spring 2017 Collection controversy. Coverage by Refinery29, The Guardian, and Allure, 2016.[8]Rooks, Noliwe M. Hair Raising: Beauty, Culture, and African American Women. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1996.

"They called it her invention."

Part 4 — The Industry's Playbook

Marc Jacobs sent white models down the runway in Bantu knots and called them "mini buns." Valentino built a whole Africa-inspired collection around white models in cornrows. Marc Jacobs did it again — dreadlocks this time — on a runway of almost entirely white models, crediting punk and rave culture and never once naming where the style actually came from. Then Kim Kardashian wore cornrows and the internet started calling them "KKW Signature Braids" and "boxer braids." Renamed. Rebranded. The culture behind them — erased. [3]Marc Jacobs Spring 2017 Collection controversy. Coverage by Refinery29, The Guardian, and Allure, 2016.[8]Rooks, Noliwe M. Hair Raising: Beauty, Culture, and African American Women. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1996.

"Renamed. Rebranded. The culture behind them — erased."

A model wearing Bantu knots on a high-fashion runway in front of a projected archival photo of Bantu women wearing the same style
Bantu knots on the runway, generations after they originated with the Bantu peoples of sub-Saharan Africa.

Part 5 — The Double Standard

Here is the double standard in real time. On the runway, on a celebrity, the same braids are high fashion. Edgy. Groundbreaking. A Black student wears the exact same hairstyle to school and gets sent home. A Black professional wears the same style to work and is handed a termination letter. Same hair. Punished on one head. Profited from on another — season after season, brand after brand. [4]Tharps, Lori L. and Ayana D. Byrd. Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001.[5]The CROWN Act. National documentation of state-level hair discrimination legislation. Available at thecrownact.com.

"Same hair. Punished on one head. Profited from on another."

Part 6 — This Is the Pattern

The braid was never theirs to take. It was always ours first. From the Tassili rock art at 3500 BC to Cicely Tyson in 1963 to the runways of Paris and New York — the hair has always been ours. What changed is who got to profit from it. What never changed is who got punished for wearing it. [1–8]See sources 1 through 8 below for full citations on cornrow history, hair discrimination, and the fashion industry's appropriation pattern.

"The braid was never theirs to take. It was always ours first."

Critical Thinking Discussion Questions

  1. In 1963, Cicely Tyson was criticized by Black women for wearing her natural hair on television. [7]Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences records. Cicely Tyson Academy Award nomination, 1973, for Sounder (1972). What does this reveal about how systems of oppression can cause members of a marginalized group to police each other — and why does that dynamic benefit the dominant system?
  2. Mainstream American media credited Bo Derek with starting a braiding "trend" in 1979 — despite Black women having worn the same style for thousands of years and being penalized for it. [8]Rooks, Noliwe M. Hair Raising: Beauty, Culture, and African American Women. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1996. What does this reveal about whose cultural contributions are considered valid — and who gets to decide?
  3. Marc Jacobs labeled Bantu knots "mini buns" and credited locs to punk culture. [3]Marc Jacobs Spring 2017 Collection controversy. Coverage by Refinery29, The Guardian, and Allure, 2016. What is lost when a hairstyle is renamed and separated from its cultural origin — and who benefits from that separation?
  4. The CROWN Act was passed in several states to legally protect Black people from hair discrimination. [5]The CROWN Act. National documentation of state-level hair discrimination legislation. Available at thecrownact.com. Why do you think it took legislation to protect something as personal as how someone wears their natural hair — and what does the need for that law reveal about the society that required it?
  5. The same braids that got a Black student sent home from school are described as "edgy" and "fashion-forward" on a white celebrity's head. [4]Tharps, Lori L. and Ayana D. Byrd. Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001.[5]The CROWN Act. National documentation of state-level hair discrimination legislation. Available at thecrownact.com. What does this double standard reveal about how race functions in determining what is considered professional, beautiful, or acceptable?
A timeline illustration showing cornrows moving from ancient African rock art through history to a modern fashion runway
From Tassili rock art to the runways of Paris and New York — the braid, across time.

Quiz — They Stole It Part 3 — The Hair

Part A: Select the best answer and check your work instantly. Part B: Write in complete sentences.

Part A — Multiple Choice

1. African rock art evidence of braided hairstyles dates back to:

2. What was the public reaction when Cicely Tyson wore her natural hair on national television in 1963?

3. What role did Cicely Tyson play in the 1972 film Sounder, in which she wore cornrows?

4. What did Marc Jacobs call Bantu knots when he sent white models down the runway wearing them?

5. What name did the internet give cornrows after Kim Kardashian wore them?

6. What does the CROWN Act protect?

7. What pattern does this lesson argue the cases of Bo Derek, Marc Jacobs, Valentino, and Kim Kardashian collectively represent?

Part B — Short Answer

8. Cicely Tyson was criticized in 1963 for wearing her natural hair — and then nominated for an Academy Award in 1972 for a role in which she wore cornrows. Using specific details from the lesson, explain what this contradiction reveals about how Black women's hair has been treated in America.

9. Choose two examples from the lesson where a Black hairstyle was renamed or rebranded by a white celebrity or fashion brand. For each example, identify the original style, what it was renamed, and explain what is lost when a hairstyle is separated from its cultural origin.

10. The lesson argues that the policing and appropriation of Black hair is a systemic pattern — not a series of coincidences. Using at least two specific examples from the lesson, explain what evidence supports calling this a pattern rather than isolated events.

Extension Activity

Trace the Origin: Research one additional case not covered in this lesson where a Black hairstyle was adopted by a white celebrity, fashion brand, or institution and treated as a new trend or invention. Describe: (1) what the original style is and where it comes from, (2) how it was adopted and renamed, (3) what response — if any — came from the Black community. Then write two to three sentences explaining how your case fits — or challenges — the pattern described in this lesson.

Sources & Footnotes

  1. [1] Sagay, Esi. African Hairstyles: Styles of Yesterday and Today. Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers, 1983. Primary documentation of African braiding traditions and their cultural significance.
  2. [2] Tassili n'Ajjer Rock Art. UNESCO World Heritage Site documentation. Evidence of cornrow hairstyles in Saharan rock art dated to 3500 BC.
  3. [3] Marc Jacobs Spring 2017 Collection controversy. Coverage by Refinery29, The Guardian, and Allure, 2016. Documentation of Bantu knot and loc appropriation on the runway.
  4. [4] Tharps, Lori L. and Ayana D. Byrd. Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001. Comprehensive history of Black hair discrimination and cultural context.
  5. [5] The CROWN Act. National documentation of state-level hair discrimination legislation. Available at thecrownact.com.
  6. [6] Thompson, Shirley Elizabeth. Exiles at Home: The Struggle to Become American in Creole New Orleans. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2009. Documentation of the Tignon Law of 1786.
  7. [7] Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences records. Cicely Tyson Academy Award nomination, 1973, for Sounder (1972).
  8. [8] Rooks, Noliwe M. Hair Raising: Beauty, Culture, and African American Women. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1996. Documentation of the Bo Derek cornrow appropriation and mainstream media reception.

Real history. Real evidence.

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