One of the many wonderful qualities of black hair is that it’s so versatile: You can wear it naturally curly, pressed straight, or in braids. One of the downsides is having to deal with all the comments the minute you change it.
For Fashion Month, I decided on cornrows because they’re so easy. They wouldn’t take as long as box braids, and they’d let me wake up and go to shows and appointments with no effort. But the response from my peers was so obnoxious, I started taking notes. Below, some of my favorite comments:
• “Whoa, your hair is so cool! It looks like the aliens in Independence Day!”
• “Hey, Nubian queen, want to come back to Africa with me?”
• “I love your Kim Kardashian–inspired braids. Did you take pictures of her to the salon when you went?”
• “I don’t even recognize you! You look so exotic, like you’re from another land.”
• “I feel like you’re going to attract less male attention with braids like that.”
• “They make you look edgy, like you just came from shooting a rap video.”
• “Did you get braids to look more black during Fashion Week?”