“What’s Your Sign?” : Cornrow Braids Countless women in mainstream American culture search to find ways to look their very best from the head down, beginning with their hairstyles they chose to wear. In fact, a popular hairstyle coming up in publicity now is a form of braids, know to many as “cornrows”. Numerous women who are doing YouTube tutorials on this style and modeling it in ostentatious magazines do not even know the history and mentality surrounding the creation of this complex hairstyle. Rather they are wearing it as an impetuous way to stay in trend. Cornrow braids are not only another hairstyle to wear in America’s evolving beauty system, they are also an added layer of cultural meaning that shows African history and cultural expression. During the 1970’s, braids close to the scalp, or cornrow braids, were used as a way to show black power …show more content…
The name, “Cornrow” even indicates agriculture, planting, and labor. In Trinidad, they are called “cane rows” because of the slaves planting sugar cane (The Thin Line, 2014). These braids are part of cultural and artistic vocabulary and are now used by many caucasian women as a way to look pretentiously beautiful.
In the present day, braids are worn in American culture by young white women as a way to look hip, edgy, and runway esteemed. Braiding has gone digital and cornrows are worn by people who no longer know the cultural significance of braids and wear them as a form of cultural appropriation. Braids that were made to control kinky, curly hair are being tutorialized by women who have hair that was envious to the creators of the hairstyle. The modern day hair culture is starting to change the cultural meaning of braids. Perhaps this is a way for people to come to love the cornrow braids that were, years ago, used to fight oppression. Perhaps the newfound love of