You Can Touch My Hair

I just finished watching both part of the “You Can Touch My Hair” short film. I found it really interesting because I’ve heard and seen many people ask black women if they can touch their hair. My friend would get asked that question a lot and I remember her talking about how people just come up to her and ask. She would get tired of it at times because it was her hair. Her hair wasn’t crazy or insanely different. Now, I feel like I get where she was coming from and that just because someone’s hair isn’t like yours, doesn’t mean we should treat them like they’re at the petting zoo. I never knew the actual history behind it and about Sarah Baartman. I thought it was so crazy that she was pretty much used as a display for Europeans that have never seen someone that looked like her. I think it is a very similar situation and black women are completely entitled to feel offended by the question or embrace it. Some people are simply just curious and I agree with one of the women who said it’s okay to be “honestly ignorant” and learn about the culture, hair and history.