Skinny-Kenny writes:
I’m sure you all have had some side eye inducing moments in regard to your hair. Maybe someone said something outlandish like “girl gon’ some where with that fro”, as they brushed aside their permed hair, maybe you were playing Basketball and Don Imus called you “a nappy headed hoe”. Or perhaps someone did a 180, and just stopped talking to you when you went natural. So if you got a good one, whether it’s funny, or enraging, feel free to share it.
One of my own.
I was at a very nice restaurant for my mother’s birthday. I got up to go to the bathroom and an older white woman stopped me and told me how much she loved my hair. She told me how much I looked like “little Richard”, and asked if I was a singer. The conversation was going well and I was about to go about my way. And then she said, “Ohh and we are ready to order now, I’ll have the lamb and she’ll have the salmon.” *SIDE EYE* You are going to have some STFU… go some where with that mess. My hair doesn’t make me a server for you.
Dish on your *side eye* moments!
My side eye moment was a few months ago when my former boss told me how unprofessional my fro was.
I was working and we were having small talk. He then tells me he remembered when he had a afro, (mind you it looks like hair is hiding from his scalp as if it were the repo-man), he use to keep his neat and combed "though". That was the first side eye. He continues by telling me how his daughter has gone natural and she wore her hair like i wore mine. Wait here comes the second side eye. My boss says he felt his daughters new look was unprofessional and offensive… (so I'm thinking, but didn't you just tell me we wore our hair the same)? after that conversation he suggested I push my headband further back on my head so my fro wouldn't be so "overwhelming". I side eyed him something hard!!!
I had a new job within 2 months.
Wow, the comments on here are taking me back a little (I can relate to most). Well, my side eye moment is when a white co-worker thinks I have a curly perm. One day we were talking about hair, she kept saying you have a curly perm. I corrected her and a few weeks later the same wrong comment (you have a curly perm). What is a curly perm?? This must be for white gals (LMAO). One day I told her I just did a wash n go this morning…she gave me the side eye look…..like no way your hair is that curly. Some people do not get it with Naturals. I am glad a lot of black women are natural these days like me. I am proud to say I've been natural for over 10 years. My hair loves me for it, my scalp loves me even better and my ends are in happy land. I love my hair!! Oh, I went straight (Dominican Salon) last month (Sept.) to check for length, let me tell you the side eye looks I was getting. One person asked, "Is that your hair?" People just don't get it. Being natural is being versatile.
Wow, the comments on here are taking me back a little (I can relate to most). Well, my side eye moment is when a white co-worker thinks I have a curly perm. One day we were talking about hair, she kept saying you have a curly perm. I corrected her and a few weeks later the same wrong comment (you have a curly perm). What is a curly perm?? This must be for white gals (LMAO). One day I told her I just did a wash n go this morning…she gave me the side eye look…..like no way your hair is that curly. Some people do not get it with Naturals. I am glad a lot of black women are natural these days like me. I am proud to say I've been natural for over 10 years. My hair loves me for it, my scalp loves me even better and my ends are in happy land. I love my hair!! Oh, I went straight (Dominican Salon) last month (Sept.) to check for length, let me tell you the side eye looks I was getting. One person asked, "Is that your hair?" People just don't get it. Being natural is being versatile.
My side eye moment is that there are a couple of older white women I work with and they think it's hilarious to say "Otay"!!! to me and reference Buckwheat from the Little Rascals!! I don't find it humorous at all and I'm trying real hard not to get HR involved in this whole thing!! That ish is not funny!
I went to visit my best friend and her family in Cincinnati over the weekend, some of them knew what natural hair was, but most did not. I got some funny looks and her mother asked me what people thought about it. Then she proceeds to say "They think you goin' back to Africa huh?"
Whoa what? Why does it always come back to that? If a Naturalista wants to weat her hair in a curly fro, why do we have to be on some grand mission to get back to our roots and go to the motherland. It's very irritating!
Ummmm where to begin in ny side eye moments
(1) a white ship mate of move was asking questions about my hair (as she usually dies bc a black woman wearing her natural hair is just so OUTRAGEOUS) when I said I can't wait until I can wear my hair in a bun and her reply was: "when will that be in ten yrs" and she started to laugh. I guess my facial expression let on that I wasn't amused bc she hurried out the food, I'm still fighting back the urge to curse her out in berthing.
(2) walking down the hall way two women much higher ranking then me (&both African American)walk by one says hi and starts to say how much she loves my hair and turns to the other and says "isn't her hair beautiful to which the other replies "yeah its CUTE, but guuuuurl you know I could NEVER wear my hair like that because someone would say something to me if I wore my hair like that". ;-/ 0.o oh yeah what would they say? My hair is in regs & no one has said anything to me. Maybe they would complemented you from the usual of one single dooky braid that is about 3 inches long and sticks up above your head. But that's quality leadership for you!
What is a LIT ponytail?
LMAO @ natural fien. "Girl boom!" With the "LIT" ponytail. Hahaha!
"I am a cancer survivor and a side eye moment was after BC#2..can you believe this woman said "omg are you sick again?" Major side eye! WTF!! people just don't think!"
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
My side eye moment was when a little elderly white man asked me how long it took me to get my hair into all of those teeny tiny curls. I told him 9months of gestation, because I was BORN THIS WAY. He didn't appear to listen to my answer because he kept up with the questions and started telling me about another black woman he knows who says it took hours to do her hair in "all these fancy hairstyles". I happen to know the woman he was speaking of and she does wear an elaborate series of weave hairstyles.
He proceeded to press me for details and his wife gave him the side eye, rib jab, eye roll and "I'm gonna cut your arse" if you don't STFU look.
@Skinny-Kenny: I think that woman would have assumed you were a server regardless of how your hair looked, particularly if there weren't many other black people in that very nice restaurant. In those situations I find most whites are used to assuming that the "colored folk" must be the help…
@Sweetdrk1: I actually know people who've been in your position and to me that seems like a legitimate question, especially if chemo (and not "I'm ready for a new do") was the reason you lost/chopped your hair the first time.
I've had too many side-eye moments to count but one that's coming to mind is the one time a black TSA guy called me Whoopi Goldberg while I was going through the security line. It must have been a fierce side-eye I gave him because he apologized right away, lol. He couldn't have known that I'd met Whoopi personally and I could say with authority that the ONLY things we had in common is that we're dark-skinned black women with locs. That was what generated the side-eye…
I am a cancer survivor and a side eye moment was after BC#2..can you believe this woman said "omg are you sick again?" Major side eye! WTF!! people just don't think!
LOL @ Angus and Skinny-Kenny. Too funny. Why is it that people with damaged, relaxed hair always have somethin' to say?! –Dallas
People are so stupid and ignorant. I haven't actually had anyone say anything but I do feel like my patients look at me a little different when I have all of my natural hair out vs wearing wigs that constantly breaks my hair. UMMM…IDK, I hope its not me feeling self conscious. Oh well, I guess I will see soon enough as I am wearing it out natural to prevent the breakage on the top and retain my length…
My side-eye moment was this summer at work… i was wearing my hair natural, but i got highlights and got it straightened and ppl didnt think it was my real hair and they were acting like they didnt notice it was me -___- but then this one girl was like i like this sooooo much better, please keep it like this.. i looked like o___O who's hair is it??.. just askin and told her no lol
Side-eye moment for me was just the other day when a co-worker asked me if I had an s-curl in because "there's no way I could get my natural hair like that." Girl…really though? I laughed at her ignorance as well as her receding hairline. Gave her the side-eye and kept it moving.
@Anon 10:12 maybe he brought her up in reference to her song "I am not my hair"
My side eye moment happened this week actually. I went to get my oil changed and I was making small talk with the guy working there. I had my twist out pulled back into a puff and he mentioned that he liked my hair. He then proceeded to ask me if I like India Arie (see where I'm going with this). Though I'm sure he meant no harm by it and I do like the song but just because I'm rockin' natural hair I remind your of India Arie really?! And no I don't resemble her.
My side eye moment occurred when I was with an older, female in-law and her niece, just chillin. Niece asked, 'what's going on with your hair?' to which I replied that my hair was just being 'natural and beautiful.' Niece and the in-law began snickering. Mind you, the in-law had the Diana Ross 1960s wig sitting HIGH on her head and her edges was mad about it (they were balled up in digust) *girl boom* and the niece had her hair slicked back in a thin, LIT ponytail *girl boom times two.* I had to give em the side eye! A couple of months later, I saw them and they 'loved' my natural hair; guess it took them a while to get what I knew from the jump- my natural hair is the ish bish (:
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My most memorable side eye moment was during my pre-healthy years. ALL i wore were braids. One day, some girls and I were talking and they started talking about my hair, since that day I finally worn it out. They were twins and the okay one said, "I like your hair, I liked it the other way, too." The other one said, "I didn't they used to look kinda nappy." TOTAL side eye moment with me struggling to hold back my comments about their straggly hair and big old dooky braids. Puh. leez. Never looked at her the same again.
In 13 years of natural, I only recall one side eye moment.
Four years ago, I had a very short TWA. Two of my then 9 year old son's friends told their moms that another classmate named Taylor said I was bald. Both moms told me and we had a good laugh. My son had never said a word about it so I asked him and he said he didn't actually hear her say it but the other kids told him. He said we always taught him not to let silly words bother him so he just let it go and forgot about it. (He was/is such a good kid.)
Me on the other hand…
I loved my hair, got tons of compliments, and had no insecurity about it whatsoever. But I found myself giving little Miss Taylor a little side eye action whenever I saw her at carpool…LOL.
Weeks later, my son and his friends told me that Taylor had actually mixed me up with another mom with a TWA and the bald comment was not meant for me. Still, for some reason, I could never fully shake the urge to side eye that child…LOL.
hhahaha @ your side eye moment. I guess mine was when I was while I was at my old college job and one of my relaxed co-workers called my large afro nappy, asked if it was hard to comb, and then talked about how easy it was to comb through her straightened hair…all 3 scraggly, damaged inches of it LOL. SMH, side-eye, GTFOHWTBS!
Thanks for keeping us posted with some male perspective/experience…. too funny- I think she NEEDED some STFU!!! LOL
HAHAHAH! "Don Imus called you "a nappy headed hoe"" –Can't get much worse than that! Love this post.
this has to be the funniest post ever ! lmbo at beauti
and foxyr- def. my side eye moment was when i stepped out of my building and the "dropouts" were sitting saw me coming out and one yelled out "LOOK AT THIS ONE, DHE CUT OFF ALL HER HAIR ! " def gave him the side eye … -___________- i still to this day wont understand why someones hair affects other people.
My side eye moment was when a fellow student stated that I was probably more blacker than him, while looking at my hair. I was like…"WTF, I'm supposed to be blacker than you because I wear my hair natural?" SMDH!!! Some folks are so damn ignorant! LOL!
LMAO! @beauti
My Side eye moment was when I wore my hair in a HUGE braid out. A chick walked up to me and said "ooo did you get that hair from ____ BSS I was going to get that same hair but I didn't think it would look right on me it's too afroish" when I told her it was my natural hair and not a weave she looked embarrassed said "oh" turned around and walked away. o-O STFU & GTFOH SMH
Oh My Goodness… I'm laughing so hard!!!!
My side eye was when I first big chopped and a white Doctor who complimented me on all the darn wigs I transitioned with decided she wanted to give her two cents on my new do, Her statement was, "I don't know If I should scrub the floor with your hair, it reminds me of a brillo pad"
Ummm for real, that was more than a STFU, that was a meet me outside @ 4pm in the parking lot comment….
SMH…..
I had to look up STFU with my slow arse
"You are going to have some STFU." I love it!
LOL wow that is the funniest thing I've ever heard!
My side eye moment was I seen a an old co-worker who hadn't seen my natural hair grown to it's glory. She goes what is that a wig! But it looks nice. Thats a straight STFU moment.
LOL best side eye moment I've heard in a while.