Do You Ever Wonder If These Derogatory Names Will Go Away?

[araceli2418]

I used to hate, hate, hate the word nappy. Now I've settled into some indifference. I thought about this b/c my 9yr old niece refers to my hair as curly and in conversation I found out the word nappy would never have even occurred to her.

It made me see things in a different light b/c, although, I know our hair is referred to as tightly curled, coiled, whatever, in everyday reality I've always heard nappy. So it was like having an epiphany when she called my hair "curly". Is nappy really necessary?

I know for some people it doesn't bother them but I've never heard it used in an affectionate way.

 

[FluffyRed]

Nappy is perfectly descriptive, imo.

 

[ceebee3]

I love Nappy, never saw it as derogatory and I will continue to use it.

 

[AllAboutMoi]

I think the meaning of nappy has been distorted.

 

[lexiwiththecurls]

I personally dont like the word because it has a bad connotation. Its kind of like "the N word" ...If a black person says it its fine, but if a white person says it , it is to be negative. Not saying that Nappy and The N Word hold the same weight at all but just using it as an example. You know if a white person calls your hair nappy, they dont mean it in a good way. But I could have a problem with it because I grew up thinking it was a negative term and that "nappy" was undesireable. The funny thing is, until I was natural, I found out that some people use it in a positive manner. I came back to VA during a break from school and a friend's mom said "I didn't know your hair could get that nappy!" and my mom was sooo insulted. Now I don't know if she was trying to insult me or not...but I had to explain to my mother later that it doesn't necessarily mean a bad thing.

 

[Hairsofab]

There was another thread on this subject but I don't find nappy to be deragotory.

 

[ryanshope]

Nappy just a letter a way from Happy so I don' t mind it at all...

it is the "ho" that I don't like :-/

 

[jamaraa]

Nappy originally referred to the hair on a sheep (ie the wool) which is what Euro people thought of when they saw Black hair. If you've ever seen or smelled an unshorn sheep, you know it was/is fully derogatory. Hardly any reference to sheep is positive (ie herded like sheep, etc..).

As for when these words will go away, dunno.

 

[Hairsofab]

Nappy originally referred to the hair on a sheep (ie the wool) which is what Euro people thought of when they saw Black hair. If you've ever seen or smelled an unshorn sheep, you know it was/is fully derogatory. Hardly any reference to sheep is positive (ie herded like sheep, etc..).

As for when these words will go away, dunno.

So to describe one's hair as wool is deragotory? In my case it is accurate in many ways. My hair is cottony and wooly. It is not curly and I don't have visible coils so those terms don't describe my hair.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

I think they'll go away when the majority of us embrace our natural texture and wear it proudly. As long as embracing our god-given features is seen as "ugly" or unkept or militant and only in the few, this ignorance and self-hate will continue to permeate our sense of beauty.

As for the word itself, I think I've come to be desensitized as well, however on the whole I tend to stay away from it. Neither of the n-words are okay in my book, let's not worry about changing the meanings of words already mired in hatred and sadness let's just use encouraging words like coils kinks, tightly curly, highly textured instead.

 

[Theresamonet]

Nappy is perfectly descriptive, imo.

Nappy may be descriptive of some peoples hair...but not MY hair. I have coils and frizz, but no napps. People tend to umbrella all people with afro/kinky/coily textured hair with the term nappy. Which I thought was more to do with the STATE and maintenance of hair than it's texture.

ETA: So if someone said that my hair was nappy I would take it to mean that they thought my natural coils had "napped" up and matted. And yes, I would be offended.

 

[vkb247]

I don't have a problem with the word nappy. Some still use it to mean something negative but I find these are usually the "good" hair people who don't appreciate highly textured hair.

ETA: ^^^So what part is the napp?

 

[beans4reezy]

I don't feel its derrogatory, however, hearing the word makes me uneasy. It may not be a bad word, but it's one I like to avoid.

 

[Makenzie]

Nappy originally referred to the hair on a sheep (ie the wool) which is what Euro people thought of when they saw Black hair. If you've ever seen or smelled an unshorn sheep, you know it was/is fully derogatory. Hardly any reference to sheep is positive (ie herded like sheep, etc..).

As for when these words will go away, dunno.

Never knew that. Interesting.

The word nappy never bothered me. I guess I am indifferent to it. I have heard it used negatively but it never bothered me.

 

[Theresamonet]

Nappy originally referred to the hair on a sheep (ie the wool) which is what Euro people thought of when they saw Black hair. If you've ever seen or smelled an unshorn sheep, you know it was/is fully derogatory. Hardly any reference to sheep is positive (ie herded like sheep, etc..).

As for when these words will go away, dunno.

Yeah...so, I'm tired of black people always being compared to an animal. I would like to stay away from these type of comparisons. Nothing about me is ape, monkey, mule, or sheep like.

 

[Bubblingbrownshuga]

My first time hearing the term nappy used positively was on the hairboards. In the 'real world ' nappy is a negative description of one's hair. I don't describe one's hair with this term. I resort to saying tightly coiled instead.

 

[chebaby]

i dont like the word nappy and never will. my kids will not use the word and i cringe when i hear someone say it. its negative.

 

[labelfree]

Nappy originally referred to the hair on a sheep (ie the wool) which is what Euro people thought of when they saw Black hair. If you've ever seen or smelled an unshorn sheep, you know it was/is fully derogatory. Hardly any reference to sheep is positive (ie herded like sheep, etc..).

As for when these words will go away, dunno.

But doesn't the Bible say Jesus had hair like wool? That's what throws me off I'm not very religious but if your God has hair like you why would you hate the term?

 

[it_comes_naturally]

I don't like the word nappy. I don't use the word and I don't want anyone else to use it to describe my hair. Where I'm from, nappy has never been used as a positive term.

 

[aquajoyice]

I wouldn't take the word nappy as a derogatory word if every person that said it didn't have that look on their face when they say it. And we've all seen "that look" like something stinks. "You need to do something with that nappy hair" If it was used the way the word curly was used then I would have no problem with it. But nappy is looked at like a plague that needs to be treated or discarded. Something to get rid of and not something to live with. If your hair grows out of your scalp "nappy" then why is that bad? That is the ultimate question. We can't help what DNA decided so people need to change their views on "nappy" hair then I will change mine. But for now when I use the word nappy it's of acceptance and not something that needs "fixin"

 

[aquajoyice]

But doesn't the Bible say Jesus had hair like wool? That's what throws me off I'm not very religious but if your God has hair like you why would you hate the term?

And this brings about another point I told someone the other day.... Jesus had hair like wool so if he were here today would we consider his hair "bad". Nothing about Jesus can be "bad". LOL So it should be considered a blessing to be giving a gift that Jesus had.... the word nappy wasn't used when describing his hair.

 

[Theresamonet]

ETA: ^^^So what part is the napp?

Hhhmmm...I just always assumed nappy hair refered to matted or something similar to that. But I really don't know...

All I do know is whenever my hair was pretty and done up or well groomed, nobody ever said "girl, your hair is sooo nappy...how can I get my hair napped up like that?" Lol. But when my hair was undone, unkept, in need of tlc people would always say, "girl, your hair is NAPPY!" And that was when I was relaxed!

So to me well groomed/pretty=not nappy, unkept=NAPPY. Just my experience...

 

[araceli2418]

Nappy originally referred to the hair on a sheep (ie the wool) which is what Euro people thought of when they saw Black hair. If you've ever seen or smelled an unshorn sheep, you know it was/is fully derogatory. Hardly any reference to sheep is positive (ie herded like sheep, etc..).

As for when these words will go away, dunno.

Thanks for sharing this. I never knew this. I always wondered where the word came from.

I think they'll go away when the majority of us embrace our natural texture and wear it proudly. As long as embracing our god-given features is seen as "ugly" or unkept or militant and only in the few, this ignorance and self-hate will continue to permeate our sense of beauty.

As for the word itself, I think I've come to be desensitized as well, however on the whole I tend to stay away from it. Neither of the n-words are okay in my book, let's not worry about changing the meanings of words already mired in hatred and sadness let's just use encouraging words like coils kinks, tightly curly, highly textured instead.

Yes. This is why I refer to it as curly.

I don't have a problem with the word nappy. Some still use it to mean something negative but I find these are usually the "good" hair people who don't appreciate highly textured hair.

ETA: ^^^So what part is the napp?

Also, in my experience, the ones that the idea of going natural is as good as the idea of having their bodies ravaged with a deadly disease. I know I'm not the only that has seen "the look".

I don't feel its derrogatory, however, hearing the word makes me uneasy. It may not be a bad word, but it's one I like to avoid.

Yeah, that's pretty much how I am now. It's just uneasy.

Yeah...so, I'm tired of black people always being compared to an animal. I would like to stay away from these type of comparisons. Nothing about me is ape, monkey, mule, or sheep like.

This reminded me of my older sister's 7th grade teacher (from Texas) telling her she originated from the orangutan b/c she had red hair.

 

[jamaraa]

But doesn't the Bible say Jesus had hair like wool? That's what throws me off I'm not very religious but if your God has hair like you why would you hate the term?

Yup it does say this in the Bible, however, this is NOT the origin of the word wrt African textured hair. The point on how it is used in this present context is as an animalistic thing because it is unlike Euro textures. LOL remember this, Jesus to Europeans looked like Michaelangelo envisioned him, not what was written in the texts.

 

[jamaraa]

Yeah...so, I'm tired of black people always being compared to an animal. I would like to stay away from these type of comparisons. Nothing about me is ape, monkey, mule, or sheep like.

Yup, this is exactly it...comparing African traits to those of animals. Nappy in the context in which we're discussing it has about the same meaning as mulatto (ie mule). I would never call a mixed race person a mule nor do I wanna be compared to a sheep.

 

[pisceschica]

I used to hate, hate, hate the word nappy. Now I've settled into some indifference. I thought about this b/c my 9yr old niece refers to my hair as curly and in conversation I found out the word nappy would never have even occurred to her.

It made me see things in a different light b/c, although, I know our hair is referred to as tightly curled, coiled, whatever, in everyday reality I've always heard nappy. So it was like having an epiphany when she called my hair "curly". Is nappy really necessary?

I know for some people it doesn't bother them but I've never heard it used in an affectionate way.

I don't like the word but I don't think it will go away. There are plenty of blacks that still use the word. I cringe especially when they do it in front of blacks.

You can't say that a word is derogatory toward a group of people (especially yours) and then use it so freely. Lead by example but most don't.

 

[Theresamonet]

This reminded me of my older sister's 7th grade teacher (from Texas) telling her she originated from the orangutan b/c she had red hair.

WoW . This type of stuff always makes me think of the time when black people were thought to be sub-human. All of the terms associated with this idea needs to go away imo. And "Nappy" is one of those terms used to compare us to things less than human.

 

[araceli2418]

WoW . This type of stuff always makes me think of the time when black people were thought to be sub-human. All of the terms associated with this idea needs to go away imo. And "Nappy" is one of those terms used to compare us to things less than human.

Yes, girl. And the school only wanted to suspend him. That is, until my stepmother threatened to call every news media imaginable in the country and make a big deal out of it. So they fired him. This was in the 70s but, guess what, he was back in the 90s and taught my younger brother and sister. Ridiculous.

 

[FluffyRed]

i've always associated the word "nap" with textyre, hence "nappy" would just mean textured.

i've never had it used as a slur against me, tho

 

[ceebee3]

i've always associated the word "nap" with textyre, hence "nappy" would just mean textured.

i've never had it used as a slur against me, tho

Neither have I, growing up nappy hair/wooly hair was all the same. How can it be deragatory if it describes exactly what your hair is?

Most people who have a problem with it just don't know the definition of the word nap.