Last week we saw what can happen
when two arch rivals meet: old fashioned and new fashion. We lost a great icon in Ms. Aretha Franklin and Ariana Grande was chosen to honour her in song. She gave a wonderful performance and looked radiant in her signature ponytail hairstyle, with one tiny snag: her publicist forgot to tell her that African American Church folk are old fashioned and new fashion has to fall back.
You may have heard stories of certain people, mostly women, in African American churches. They are strong-minded, vocal warriors for god who have no qualms telling you about your current outfit, hairstyle, choice of friends, absentee/negligent parent or predictions of your future, to name a few. So when I read the comments in the Twitterverse about the length of her dress, I felt Ariana’s pain. To be fair, she is petite so she compensates, but this was one of those times when in Rome, you do what the Romans do.
Old fashioned and new fashion have butted heads in hair quite frequently, in fact here are a few examples:
- Men’s braids: though this style has been around for decades, there are still people who think this is unacceptable on males which is precisely why teenagers love them.
- Twists: are still not attractive to some people but is a safe alternative for those who do not want the commitment of dreadlocks.
- Dreadlocks: this is seen as the confirmation you are in the hands of the devil, but millenials have parents who grew up with many barriers and they removed them for their kids.
- Shaved heads on women: This trend has kept a steady pace and now women have embraced designs in their haircuts also.
- long hair on men: there are guys who will defy their relatives and this trend is still around.
There will continue to be issues between old fashioned and new fashion, you just have to try to remember where you will be and dress accordingly.
By Paula Barker, Silkie Locks Hair Design
Buy my e-book: Dreadlocks: A Hairstylist’s Manifest (Silkielocks.com/Amazon.com)
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