In 1786 the Tignon Laws were passed forbidding women of African descent in America to be seen in public with their natural hair. In an era of racial turmoil, White women were jealous of the elaborate hair-do’s of Black women and used their voice to demand Black women’s head be covered so not to attract any White men. Many white males were gravitating toward Black women for companionship and in search for mistresses. The White women grew openly angry and pushed for the enforcement of the Tignon Laws.
It should be noted that even women born of mixed heritage were forced to wear a Tignon. Any woman with Black blood whether it reflected her complexion or not was outlawed from wearing her hair in public. This law affected ALL women of color whether slave or free. This law would also distinguish who was truly of upper & lower class. It was a way to ensure that White women were regarded as cream of the crop & placed at the highest prong of the social ladder.
So many women of color publicly wear head covering for fashion, religion or simply to protect or conceal their hair with no knowledge of the history pertaining to the ‘head scarf’. Perhaps if some of them knew, their outlook on the subject would alter whether they support or reject the idea of the ban placed on them years ago. Knowledge is power!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tignon
http://forum.blackhairmedia.com/tignon-laws-of-1786_topic381626.html
There are some attention-grabbing closing dates on this article however I don’t know if I see all of them heart to heart. There may be some validity however I’ll take maintain opinion until I look into it further. Good article , thanks and we wish extra! Added to FeedBurner as nicely
Glad I noticed this on google .
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