Okay, so I am guessing Rhianna was one of the first girls with this shaved sides style. Ya'll KNOW what I'm talking about. Drive through any inner city neighborhood and you will see a black woman with the sides shaved and the top in almost a typhoon type style, and most of the times the top is dyed some color.

Now, here's my thing. I actually thought this look was kinda hot in a freaky kind of way when I saw a few hot black girls rocking this look. But now it has become SO common in the black community that it is unattractive.

In other words, when I see a black girl with this style my first instinct is "hot girl alert!" but then a second later I am turned off because I realize that she is just biting off everyone else who has that super trendy style.

So, it is actually UNATTRACTIVE to me, when a couple years ago it would have been hot in a punk rock kind of way.

Do ya'll know what I mean?

What is the deal with this and what makes a girl decide this will be a good idea?

G'day Bernie - nice avvie!!!

Anyway, I think this goes for nearly any trend.

Those mc hammer harem pants don't really look good, but EVERYONE was wearing them.

This hair doesn't look good, but it was the most popular hairdo EVER after the Rachel

I was all set to get me a pair of military style boots a few months ago, but now I see them EVERYWHERE

so there is a trend to avoid

anything EVERYONE is doing is something worth avoiding

it's not cool if you are just one of a herd!

don't get me started on goddamned mobile phones!!!!

berniejobs said:

Okay, so I am guessing Rhianna was one of the first girls with this shaved sides style. Ya'll KNOW what I'm talking about. Drive through any inner city neighborhood and you will see a black woman with the sides shaved and the top in almost a typhoon type style, and most of the times the top is dyed some color.

Now, here's my thing. I actually thought this look was kinda hot in a freaky kind of way when I saw a few hot black girls rocking this look. But now it has become SO common in the black community that it is unattractive.

In other words, when I see a black girl with this style my first instinct is "hot girl alert!" but then a second later I am turned off because I realize that she is just biting off everyone else who has that super trendy style.

So, it is actually UNATTRACTIVE to me, when a couple years ago it would have been hot in a punk rock kind of way.

Do ya'll know what I mean?

What is the deal with this and what makes a girl decide this will be a good idea?

I don't understand why this has to be stated as a race related question when it's simply a matter of trend. It makes the question sound silly.

In any event, trends come, trends go. Those of us who are a bit older already went through this hairstyle and variations of it in the early 1980's. Many of us were also no stranger to vivid hair colors back then, either. I believe anything in the purplish-plum colored family was particularly favored. Everyone and their mother was running around with burgundy hair, variations of mohawed lop-sided haircuts, or both. Rihanna is hardly original considering she's basically just re-doing what the us old folks were wearing 25 years ago. Fashion is cyclical. If you don't like the current wave of hair trends,d on't fret. It'll be gone soon enough with some other ridiculousness to take its place.

berniejobs said:

Okay, so I am guessing Rhianna was one of the first girls with this shaved sides style. Ya'll KNOW what I'm talking about. Drive through any inner city neighborhood and you will see a black woman with the sides shaved and the top in almost a typhoon type style, and most of the times the top is dyed some color.

Now, here's my thing. I actually thought this look was kinda hot in a freaky kind of way when I saw a few hot black girls rocking this look. But now it has become SO common in the black community that it is unattractive.

In other words, when I see a black girl with this style my first instinct is "hot girl alert!" but then a second later I am turned off because I realize that she is just biting off everyone else who has that super trendy style.

So, it is actually UNATTRACTIVE to me, when a couple years ago it would have been hot in a punk rock kind of way.

Do ya'll know what I mean?

What is the deal with this and what makes a girl decide this will be a good idea?

1) This isn't a black thing. It's not even all that new. Sounds like you've just seen black females (a few famous, most not) doing it recently. A number of my friends of various races in high school did the same thing, decades ago. It's pretty universal for young women to dress like their idols. It's darn near a rite of passage, I'd contend.

2) It's not an inner-city thing. Black and inner-city aren't any more interchangeable than white and rural are.

3) "Acceptance in the black community" sounds like hairstyles are voted upon at a monthly meeting of blacks. We're as varied as white people. In fact, some of us are white people. So, tread carefully.

4) Just kidding.

5) Sorta.

I only clicked on this thread because I wanted to know what the title was about.

Why state: "Drive through any inner city neighborhood"? Do you think we all live in the inner city, or do you think suburban Blacks don't wear this style?

I agree with Ottensen: I did it in college ('86), but I was trying to be like Sheila E.

As for the prevalence: girls/women see things in magazines or videos, and they want to copy them. Like ZK said: That "Rachel" style, or farther back "The Farrah". White and Black women were trying to pull THAT off in the 70s/80s.

In fact, there was a period when White girls (and boys) were shaving their heads on the sides, but leaving their hair long. When they pulled it back, you'd see the shaven part.

Not sure what your point is....

It's just a trend. Deal with it.

...

I see it mainly on wanna-be rebelious teens, but not specifically black ones

I figured it was just like a modified mohawk, in the same vein as those faux-hawks that were popular a year or two ago

Vendetta1 said:

I don't know a single black woman, let alone one in the hood, that wears that style. Thanks for the stereotyping though.

chocolate1 said:

Vendetta1 said:

I don't know a single black woman, let alone one in the hood, that wears that style. Thanks for the stereotyping though.

what i've seen young black girls do is braid the sides up into the mohawk- and a lot of little black boys are wearing the mohawk too. it's cute on 2-12- but when I see older girls let alone women -its not so cute..... I don't like it on scary spice

chocolate1 said:

I only clicked on this thread because I wanted to know what the title was about.

Why state: "Drive through any inner city neighborhood"? Do you think we all live in the inner city, or do you think suburban Blacks don't wear this style?

I agree with Ottensen: I did it in college ('86), but I was trying to be like Sheila E.

As for the prevalence: girls/women see things in magazines or videos, and they want to copy them. Like ZK said: That "Rachel" style, or farther back "The Farrah". White and Black women were trying to pull THAT off in the 70s/80s.

In fact, there was a period when White girls (and boys) were shaving their heads on the sides, but leaving their hair long. When they pulled it back, you'd see the shaven part.

Not sure what your point is....

Oh my goodness, the memories You took it all the way back to The Farrah style... we were all walking around feathered and flipped within an inch of our lives

Vendetta1 said:

I don't know a single black woman, let alone one in the hood, that wears that style. Thanks for the stereotyping though.

So you liked a trend before it was a trend but now that it's a trend you're turned off by the trend simply because it's a trend?

Did I get that right?

I would assume if a girl decides to wear her hair that way one of the reasons is because she likes it. We tend to do that you know, wear our hair the way WE like. If you guys like it too, great. If not. Oh well. It's our hair.

Actually, Ms. Jack Davey, of the duo group J*Davey, was wearing the sides of her head shaved long before Rihanna.

(Ms. Jack Davey)

It's just a current trend, but not a "black thing", just like in any other community. hairdos and fashion trends often change, and eventually both wear themselves out until something new comes along. Secondly, no particular hairdo is limited or assigned to the black community.

[Edited 10/4/10 9:35am]

I've always wondered why any woman would do this to her hair. I mean...what style can you do after that? You end up having to take the whole thing super short because it looks like crap trying to grow the shaved part out when the rest of it is long. (I've grown out a couple of not-as-extreme asymmetrical haircuts - I know whence of I speak.)

It takes a full year or more to take your hair from an inch long all over to a chin-length bob. That's a lot of time to invest on a whim.

And, please - before anyone jumps down my throat with a "well, it's her hair, she can do what she wants" diatribe - let me just say "duh." I'm not saying anyone can or can't, should or shouldn't. Just musing on why anyone would.

Vendetta1 said:

I don't know a single black woman, let alone one in the hood, that wears that style. Thanks for the stereotyping though.

Those 1/2 shaves were huge in the 80's in the "upper middle class whites" neighborhoods

chocolate1 said:

this thread disappoints. i was hoping it was about whether black women shave the sides off their Bermuda triangle, leaving a nice landing strip.

who doesn't love a good pubes discussion?

Shoewhore said:

So you liked a trend before it was a trend but now that it's a trend you're turned off by the trend simply because it's a trend?

that's exactly how I am

ZombieKitten said:

Shoewhore said:

So you liked a trend before it was a trend but now that it's a trend you're turned off by the trend simply because it's a trend?

that's exactly how I am

I know a lot of people like that, one of my daughters for instance.

For me, I like what I like and if "everyone" else likes it, so what.

ZombieKitten said:

Shoewhore said:

So you liked a trend before it was a trend but now that it's a trend you're turned off by the trend simply because it's a trend?

that's exactly how I am

I'm like that with artists. I suddenly feel like "Am I supposed to be into him/her because everyone else is?" And I start to wonder what the big deal is...

Nothinbutjoy said:

ZombieKitten said:

that's exactly how I am

I know a lot of people like that, one of my daughters for instance.

For me, I like what I like and if "everyone" else likes it, so what.

One day I wanted to get a skivvy (turtleneck) and couldn't buy one anywhere, the next day:

omg I was FURIOUS!!!!!!

chocolate1 said:

ZombieKitten said:

that's exactly how I am

I'm like that with artists. I suddenly feel like "Am I supposed to be into him/her because everyone else is?" And I start to wonder what the big deal is...

I'm very snobby about music too, if I didn't discover it MYSELF somehow, I CAN'T love it the same way than if it was MINESSSSSSSS

ZombieKitten said: