In the past few years, there has been an increased awareness about cultural appropriation. It’s a subject that comes up often in my Facebook newsfeed and on Twitter, but I’ve never understood it. This is especially true when it comes to something like wearing a hair cuff: A white person wears a hair cuff and suddenly they’re accused of cultural appropriation? What gives? If we’re going to be nit-picky about who can wear what then let’s be consistent with our definition of what counts as cultural appropriation—and why.

The answer is no, it isn’t.

Why? Because black people have been wearing hair extensions and braids forever. And white people have been wearing hair cuffs for a long time too. It’s not like you’re wearing something that came out of nowhere or is totally new to the world of fashion–it’s just another way to wear your hair!

White people have been wearing hair cuffs for a long time.

If you’re a white person and you’ve been thinking about wearing hair cuffs, but don’t want to be culturally appropriative, it may help to know that black people have been wearing these accessories for centuries. In fact, there are plenty of famous examples of black people wearing them too.

The following list includes just some of the many times when white people have worn hair cuffs:

• Leonardo da Vinci wore a single braid in his beard
• Queen Elizabeth I had two braids tied together with ribbon at her neckline
• Abraham Lincoln had three braids tied together with ribbon on top of his head

This isn’t a new thing.

If you’ve ever seen a picture of a white person wearing hair cuffs, you may have wondered if they were being racist. But don’t worry, it’s not that simple.

The fact is that hair cuffs have been around for as long as humans have been wearing clothes–and they’re not just something that black people wear. In fact, they’ve been worn by people across all races and genders since the dawn of time (or at least since the invention of clothing).

African Americans have been wearing hair extensions and braids forever.

It’s not just the cuffs. Black people have been wearing hair extensions and braids forever. There are many different hairstyles that African Americans have worn for centuries, from cornrows to dreadlocks to bantu knots.

Black women have worn hair cuffs for centuries as well–and no one has ever accused them of cultural appropriation! It’s time we stop shaming white women for doing what black women do every day: taking care of our bodies by styling our hair in ways that make us feel good about ourselves and look beautiful on the outside (and sometimes even on the inside).

In 2017, Daniela Vega wore her hair in braids to the Oscar’s red carpet, which was a major victory for black representation on the red carpet.

This was the first time a transgender actress won an Oscar and it was also important because it showed that people of color are validating themselves through their own culture.

In 2016, Katy Perry wore her hair in cornrows at the Met Gala, which was also a major moment in black representation on the red carpet.

In 2016, Katy Perry wore her hair in cornrows at the Met Gala. This was a major moment in black representation on the red carpet. Despite being criticized for cultural appropriation, many people did not send her hate mail or tell her she couldn’t wear cornrows because they were black cultural appropriation.

In fact, this is a good example of how most people understand that wearing an article of clothing from another culture doesn’t mean you’re taking ownership over it or trying to profit off of something that belongs to someone else’s identity–it simply means finding inspiration from something beautiful and meaningful to someone else’s community and incorporating it into your own life as part of your personal style.

People didn’t send her hate mail or tell her she couldn’t wear cornrows because they were black cultural appropriation.

People didn’t send her hate mail or tell her she couldn’t wear cornrows because they were black cultural appropriation.

She was allowed to wear cornrows because they weren’t considered “black.”

If white people are allowed to wear braids and cornrows then why should we not be allowed to wear something as simple as a hair cuff?

If you’re a white person who has ever worn braids or cornrows, then it’s time for the hard truth:

You have been appropriating black culture.

By wearing these styles and other cultural elements such as henna tattoos, bindis and kimonos (to name just a few), white people are taking something from another culture without any regard for its origins or meaning. If a white person wears hair cuffs, is it cultural appropriation? Absolutely! And if we can’t wear cornrows then why should they be able to wear something as simple as a hair cuff?

I think the answer to that question is simple. We shouldn’t be allowed to wear hair cuffs because they’re not our cultural heritage. However, if a white person wants to wear one or two braids in their hair then I don’t see why that would be such a big deal.