Note from BW of Brazil: This type of story angers me because Brazil does so much to undermine the self-esteem of black children. It’s already hard to find black dolls for black children to recognize themselves in, very few black children on television and the society’s widely spread belief in European standards of beauty. How many stories do we need to hear of black children (and adults) not liking their features, wanting to whiten their skin (see here or here) or straighten their hair? The idea of what is considered beautiful and what is not influences children at a very young age and Brazil is a perfect example of this. A little less than three weeks ago we featured a story of a three-year old black girl who asked her mother if she could remove her curly hair and replace it with straight blond locks. We definitely need more “Don’t straighten my hair” campaigns for little black girls!
In today’s story, we have pretty little black girl who in fact LOVES her hair and was loved in social networks because of it. And what happened? Check the story below. My only question would be the following. We know that it is possible that the girl’s stepmother could easily be black or white as we know that not only do many white people subscribe to the idea of white physical superiority, but that living under a system that readily endorses such an aesthetic programs the minds of many black people into accepting this ideology, it is equally possible that a black woman could have done this (see example here). It is quite common in Brazil that black men after divorcing their black wives remarry with white women. We also know of the many stories of white women not knowing what to do with nor liking the kinky curls of their African descendant children. In today’s piece, we don’t even know that the father is in fact black.
The story doesn’t reveal these little details, but I DO wonder….
8-year-old blogger has hair cut and straightened without mother’s permission
The eight-year-old girl can barely sleep because of low self-esteem.
Mother of the 8-year-old girl vented on social networks; Internet users were also outraged by the act
Bella is 8 years old, lives in Minas Gerais, but is known throughout the country as a curly-haired mini digital influencer. The little girl who exuded beauty, empowerment and attitude on her profile, with the help of her mother Fernanda Taysa, had her hair straightened and cut by her stepmother. Fernanda used social networks to explain what happened to her daughter without her permission. The story generated revolt among internet users.
“On Friday she went to her father’s house, with her hair washed and combed so that no one had put any work in combing her hair. Well, yesterday I get a phone call from her dad telling me that his wife cut Bella’s hair without my permission and that was just the pontinhas (ends). Hello? Pontinhas? She cut more than half of her hair and straightened it and when she wets her hair it’ll shrink even more,” complained her mother.
Still according to the report, the situation was minimized by the child’s father who said that her hair would grow back. “It grows, but it’s her right to feel good about her identity, her roots, her history. This cannot be violated by any vanity, unless she wants to and this I have the conviction she didn’t want (this),” she said in the post.
According to Fernanda, Bella returned home depressed. “Well, according to her father when he called and told me that she had cut my daughter’s hair, it was only the tips and she loved her straight hair. In the pictures below shows the difference of the ends and how much she loved her straight hair!”, she wrote posting images of before and after of the girl, who appears sad in the photos.
The mother’s Facebook release has already had more than 250,000 curtidas (likes) and 80,000 compartilhamentos (shares) by Monday. “Envy kills! Such beautiful hair….It was a perversity!” wrote a follower. “You can see the sadness in her face, this thing deserves a suit”, said another web user. Bella already has 113,000 followers on Instagram.
Source: Correio 24 Horas
If that was my child that women would get the skin peeled right off of her face with a hard slap across the face.
That stepmother did it out of sheer jealousy. Her big hair was everything, and she was a lil fashionista to boot. Look at her sad face, she knows that her crowning glory has been removed. This was a deeply evil act intended to dim her light that was shining so bright. It is right up there with educators selectively placing black children in special education simply to ensure they do not achieve.
Interesting how that cutting her hair allows us to focus more on the the fact she is BLACK.
HENCE the outrage of her mother and fans.
The poor girl’s self esteem is tied up in being less/not black.
Her father (as is often the case) CORRECT.
Whatttt…… This is crazy how could someone do such a thing to a little girl who was obvious trying to discover herself throughout her surroundings. Her natural hair should not have been straighten to appeal to other so-called beauty standards.
bullshit. Her father was correct.
black women are triggered over “good hair”. cut it out.
You’re an ASSHOLE and you make no sense. This has nothing to do “good hair”, it’s the fact that both this little girls hair was ruined when clearly nothing was wrong with it. It also killed her self-esteem.
you are the asshole. How can her her be ruined ??? its looks fine cut and can grow back. Ruined her self esteem ?? how and why was her self esteem tied up in her hair to begin with ??? have u given thought to that ?
the father was CORRECT !