So as a Black woman, I have never had a White woman cut or style my hair.

I'm gonna ask again, I used to capitalize White and Black in terms of race, but was told not to, and I keep seeing it done more frequently. Is it a preference? It seems like race/color should be capitalized.

I watched Chris Rock's documentary on hair, and it was awesome in spots, and dripping with male privilege in others in a sort of, "why are women so silly to spend so much money and time on this thing I think is silly because I'm a guy and I am the arbiter of Shit To Be Taken Seriously" kind of way.

But it really hit home that hair is one of the most in-your-face ways of describing privilege when i'm trying to describe it to other white people. When i started to think about racism when I as a teenager, I ran across an article about privilege and the first paragraph concerned hair. Years later it also introduced me to the idea that a lot of feminist history was about white women's problems, and ignored issues facing black women.

Hair, as it turns out, can be a pretty sly way to segue into discussions of racism and feminism.

I think the question was (seriously paraphrasing): Are you reasonably sure that you can open a phonebook, pick a salon, and they will be able to cut your hair?

as a mark of privilege.

I fell down while walking the dogs on Friday (Chet is still walking like a crazy-ass puppy and crossed suddenly in front of me) and seem to have pulled a pec muscle. It hurts like a mofo, I gotta say. J is away for the week, and I am trying to figure out how to walk the two pups while he's gone. I think I am going to have to walk them separately, because I don't think I can handle them at the same time until this gets better. Feh.

Are you reasonably sure that you can open a phonebook, pick a salon, and they will be able to cut your hair?

I'm pretty dang privileged, and my answer is still a resounding NO. Is there a Jewish-hair subclause?

I miss Fanci-full conditioning rinse. They had the best color of pastel cotton candy pink!

I saw some Fanci-full the other day and had a total deja vu moment. Where was I? Oh it was an old costume/theatrical make up place. You know, the kind of place that carried Ben Nye make up and lots of wigs?

Is there a Jewish-hair subclause?

Yes. See the above ref WRT the Jewfro.

Allyson,

I think most style guides do not capitalize, but I always do. I am using White and Black like I would Asian American or African American, so if I capitalize those, then I see no reason to lower case White and Black.

I am not referring to a white car or a black pen, these are cultural, racialized groups that I never refer to as lower-case.

I'm not offended if people use them as lower-case, but I am hoping the capitalization catches on.

if I capitalize those, then I see no reason to lower case White and Black.

See, I like to draw a distinction between nationalities (and ethnicities) and race, so if it refers to a country, I use caps. If it doesn't, I don't. The proper noun thing is just inherited. But I rarely say African or Asian American, and I wish I had a less regional (I swear, I though oriental was losing those connotations, when all that time it was losing/had lost the *humanity* instead) term for Asian, so it doesn't end up being the last one with geography and a capital letter.

So, len, I am your opponent to the bitter bitter end. LOWER CAPS FOR ALL.

I'm pretty dang privileged, and my answer is still a resounding NO. Is there a Jewish-hair subclause?

This is my question.

Gah. I have a lot more to say about this. Whole paragraphs. Can't make words right now, though. Just finished Mockingjay.

Me and my mom (and my dad's arm), 1984 or so. (link removed.) "Good hair" in white privilege checklists annoys me, since it's something that's been such a source of tension and stress and everything within my white family.