No, not that “N” word. The other one. The word “nappy”. Can we talk about the word “nappy” for a minute? Do you cringe when you hear that word as a description of a certain texture of hair or do you embrace it? After watching a natural hair tutorial on YouTube where a woman describes a child’s hair as having a “nappy” texture I read the comments. People were sounding off on the fact that the woman had used the word. Many found it to be highly offensive. Most found it to be derogatory.
In this day and age where more and more people are beginning to embrace their natural roots I find that some people are not very comfortable with that particular word. Did you know that the word “nappy” also means diaper? To the African American, however, other definitions don’t matter. To us, the word nappy only means one thing… Afro textured or woolly type hair. By doing a simple Google search the following definitions came up.
from UrbanDictionary.com
Tightly coiled / curled unaltered hair. Coiled hair in its natural state
from TheFreeDictionary.com
Often Offensive Tightly curled or coiled. Used of hair.
Why do we hate it so much? Is it because it was another one of those words that white slave masters used to describe the textured hair of the African slave? Or is it because “Nappy” hair is often NEVER equated with “GOOD” hair. Some have even suggested that the word be removed from the black lexicon.
Not everyone hates the word, however, some have embraced it. Just check out some of the names selected on Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites by mainly “natural headed” people. It may be spelled Nappi or Nappee or Nappie, but it refers to the same thing. There are some popular websites that have the word, spelled in various ways, included in their name as well. When referring to a child’s natural hair I have heard words like “tightly coiled”, “kinky”, “Type 4”, etc used to describe a certain hair type. It seems as though parents are more receptive to those terms when referring to hair texture than the word “nappy”.
The word is not taboo in my house. We embrace it as a description of a hair texture. I find that the word is often more readily used and accepted by people who embrace their natural hair than ones who don’t. In my house we do not see it as a bad word. I tried to teach my kids that “nappy” hair is also “GOOD” hair. I purchased a book called “Nappy Hair” by an author named Carolivia Herron in an effort to help my then 9 year old son to accept and love his “nappy” or “tightly coiled” hair texture after a barber refused to cut his hair unless I “texturized” it. (This was back in the mid 90’s, well before many of us were starting to embrace our natural roots) My step son once told me that his cousins said that his hair was nappy. My response was “So what?” and that was the end of that.
Maybe accepting the word means accepting the texture of one’s own hair and thereby one’s own self. On the other hand, maybe its time to find a new word to describe hair texture. Whatever the case may be, I hope that we can all begin to use positive and uplifting words to accurately describe the regal splendor that exists not only with thick, tightly coiled, fluffy, afro textured hair, but with ALL hair types because they are all truly beautiful.
BMWK – How do you feel about the word nappy?
Tina Clear Brown says
I agree with Jacqueline Smith Lewis’ post! It was definitely meant to bring shame and discourage us from liking our hair in its natural texture. We were to believe that if it was not straight and free flowing it was not “good hair”. In my opinion, ALL hair in its natural texture is GOOD HEALTHY HAIR. If one chooses to relax their hair, that’s fine; its their choice. However, for those of us who choose not to, we do not have “bad” hair either. That is the stigma that I believe we need to erase from the word “nappy.”