Source: TruTv on YouTube.com
There are naturals everywhere we turn, on blogs, in commercials and on YouTube, but there is no shortage of jokes about natural hair. From kids lobbing insults about natural hair on the playground, to grown adults, some people feel compelled to get it in whenever the topic is kinky, coarse natural hair.On a completely basic level, it begs the question, "why?"
Nappy Hair on Reality TV
That's exactly what I asked myself while watching the Weiners Circle reality show on Tru TV recently. Now, I will admit that the show was my guilty pleasure -- non-PC ratchedness every week around an infamous Chicago hot dog stand-- (hey, don't judge me).
I don't like to throw around the world "ghetto" but there's no other word for it -- a cast of all-black characters who serve mostly drunk white patrons near Wrigley Field. Ghetto is the only word I can think of when describing a restaurant in which employees call patrons "bitches " on the regular.
If those patrons are OK with employees calling them "bitches" and challenging them to stupid contests like giving a free hot dog to male customers who stripped or had shaved testicles, that's on them. Who am I to say no?
But it makes for hilarious reality TV. Part of why I liked the show is for the foolishness factor. They clown on the patrons and they make fun of themselves. There's plenty of yelling, cursing, laughing and even impromptu dance sessions, rap battles and "hood" drama.
This is not high-brow television; no educational lessons or value here, and yes, very stereotypical. There's no shortage of tomfoolery and schooling white folks on "Black" culture -- having white folks translate Black slang, asking Asian girls what Black folks like, white folks acting like Black folks, etc. As I said, very stereotypical. And while I could blog all day about this topic alone, I'm going to stick to just hair.
As I asked in an earlier post, though, are they laughing at us or with us?
Kinky Hair As The Punchline
And while the show was funny as hell for it's ratchetness, the jokes stopped for me when Weiners Circle employees Erika and Poochie called a lady wearing short twists "nappy" and a man whose natural hair they shaved off at the restaurant "nappy." For the record, his hair was a bit unkempt.
The show had been funny as heck -- up until that moment. And then it felt like someone had kicked me in the gut. I couldn't believe it. I counted at least three mentions of "nappy" hair -- one of which Erika let slip, then quickly changed her wording.
Nappy is one of those weird words in the natural hair community. Nappy is like the N word -- some folks want to redefine its meaning, others embrace it and put in on T-shirts and earrings, while others don't use it at all. Nappy has a lot of baggage -- and I'll admit that I've used nappy in many different contexts in my life.
The Joke is on Straight Hair
I love comedy. And I don't have a problem with some shows or comedians that make fun of everybody -- like Family Guy, Simpson's and even comedians like Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle.
But why is our ish on display for the whole world to see? It gives white folks a peek into our hair issues and gives them a license to use the word, too. I'm waiting on the day when straight hair is clowned on -- why is your hair straight? You need to do something with that straight hair! Your hair is so.... straight!
Oh, I forgot, that won't ever happen. See how weird it sounds? I want folks ragging on nappy hair to feel the same way. No one likes to have their hair made fun of. I just want natural hair to stop being the focus of jokes.
FYI: Weiners Circle is one of the oldest reality shows, getting its start on radio in the 90s and a stint on reality TV about five years ago.
As a side note, I found a clip on Most Shocking TV on TruTV (found while searching for an online episode of Weiners Circle) that shows a scene of two black women fighting at a club. One of the women tears one woman's wig off -- revealing mostly bald hair, ravaged by what looks like alopecia. Humiliating, and I could feel this woman's pain.
How do you feel when people use the word nappy or make fun of natural hair on reality TV or in real life? Do you think we make natural hair the center of jokes?
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