Is Kinky a Bad Word Now?

One of the numerous blogs I follow, "Thank God I'm Natural," recently posed a question asking readers if they're offended by the word "kinky" in reference to their hair. The question was based on CurlMart's newsletter, intended to catch subscribers' attention. Apparently, they did capture readers' attention as the word "kinky" is perceived as a word with "derogatory historical roots and definitely shouldn’t be used by white people." Note: CurlMart is a white-owned company.

Now, I don't know about you, but kinky or nappy is a pretty good summation of half of my hair. Those words don't make me feel bad about my hair, nor am I offended by them. It's just a fact, some of my hair is kinky or nappy. And frankly, I wish all of it was, but it's not. 

But, I do take offense why its okay for some people, namely brown folks, to refer to our own hair as kinky or nappy but if a non-brown person uses those same words, all of a sudden a capital crime's been committed. For example, is anyone screaming about the much coveted Kinky Curly line and its use of the word kinky? Or, is there any hullabulloo about blog titles which incorporate kinky in their title, such as KisforKinky? NOT. The creators have brown skin! I smell reverse racism!

Shocked I say that? Don't be. Putting it into perspective, this debacle rates right up there with the use of the "n" word which is still prevalent in our vernacular but is deemed unacceptable by anyone else. And frankly, I don't want to have to learn a whole new language just to describe my hair. I share the same sentiments about being called black versus African American. Call me black, please. I'm not an African immigrant who became a nationalized citizen.

I'm just so tired of our petty squabbles...I also read a post on another blog which mentioned that a light-hued sista' with curly hair felt unwelcome when she attended a natural hair event. Seriously?!

Come on people, get the kinks and naps out of your brain! Sporting natural hair is not about being hyper-sensitive and trying to revive the Black Power movement. It's supposed to be about learning how to keep your hair on your head. If you can't see your way through hype and propaganda, or if you think everyone's staring at you and whispering behind your back about your hair, it's time you get off the bandwagon and stop mucking it up for those of who simply want healthy hair.