Article: Much Ado About Straightening: Old Black Salons Face New Rivals.
I’m the first person to admit that I don’t know a thing about women’s hair. My mom and sister are at the Dominican salon on Nagle Avenue regularly.
There have been moments where I’ve heard them complain about certain Dominican hairstylists, but I’ve never seen them switch to a White or African American one. Whenever they even thought of that, they would receive a recommendation from a friend on a local, miracle working Dominican hairdresser who is either at a salon or works out of her apartment.
As far as I know, mi madre and hermana have stuck to their own when it comes to their pelo.
I learned a bit about African American women’s hair and anyone of African descent when I saw Chris Rock’s movie “Good Hair.” But that moreso had to do with the hair products industry. The article written by the Wall Street Journal (surprising they wrote this huh?) speaks about the beauty salons across the country, and the competition Black owned salons are facing from Dominican ones moving into their areas.
I went to various Black websites and saw the comments section on this topic. This was a topic that received a lot of feedback. As we all know, one thing you don’t mess with or talk about (Don Imus) is a Black woman’s hair. But, I was also disappointed by some of the comments I read towards Dominicans.
#1 I have no idea who does hair better. Some Black women prefer Dominican women. Some Black women prefer Black women. Some say one fries their hair and some say the other makes their hair longer. These are all different opinions from different people.
#2 There’s a lot of “hating and bitterness” coming from Black salon owners. I mean a lot of hating.
One quote said: “We have Asians coming in with the beauty supplies and Dominicans coming in and taking over our industry.”
On the Asian beauty supply side, I won’t comment, but as far as Dominicans, these are immigrants who come here and bring their professional skills to make a better life for themselves. These are people who save their money to open their own salons to eventually own their own homes. Instead of crying like big babies, why don’t you come up with different strategies to keep your customers from switching over to a Dominican salon.
Another thing, it isn’t “your” industry. Just like a Dominican person can come in and do hair at a cheaper price at an acceptable level, a white person can come in and do the same thing.
#3 Why is it when someone infringes on “so-called” Black territory, it’s always an issue and an uproar? But when Blacks break into another area and succeed it’s so great? I know the answer to this, but I’m not trying to get too deep, because this is more of an internal issue that has to do with this country’s history and treatment of the Black population.
#4 Business is business and it’s about competition. One of the overwhelming themes in the comments was the time spent and money spent at a Black salon in contrast to a Dominican one. Some Black women found that the prices were more affordable and they got out of a Dominican salon quicker. I’m not saying this is the case in all Dominican/Black salons, but it gives you an idea why some are switching.
It’s pretty simple – if another barber is doing my hair just as well or has as good a reputation and is charging me $10 less, guess what? I’m going with them in these tough, economic times.
#5 This article is written in a way that is totally anti-Dominican. Who writes like this? I saw one quote from a Dominican which was a sentence long. There were no other quotes from any Dominicans. Come on Corey.
#6 On another note, yes Dominicans are mostly of African descent. Damn near 70-80 percent of the Dominican population has some sort of African ancestry in them. But when I read comments, it was like Black folk want us to just identify as Black.
“Man you aren’t Latino, you’re Black.”
Another dumb comment:
“When you walk down the streets of Washington Heights and see the people you will not think Latin if you want to give Latin people a look. When I think Latin, I think Penelope Cruz or white people from Latin America. Many of them don’t even look mulatto which they are quick to claim.”
First off genius, Penelope Cruz is Spaniard which means she is white. Those white people from Latin America? They are Latino too; they’re just Latino’s of European descent. Open your eyes. Get out more man. Read a book.
Look, we’re Latino, but some of us have African ancestry. Do many of us deny it? Unfortunately, yes. But there is a small few that actually embraces and accepts it and are trying their best to help enlighten other Dominicans.
What some Black folk have to stop doing is branding their Black stamp on everybody. I’m a dark skin guy. I’m darker than a lot of Black folk. But, I identify as a Latino male. On the census, I check Latino. I understand that I didn’t get my skin color from laying on the beach with no sun-tan lotion. I understand this is from my African roots. I know there are many Dominicans who are racist. I know there are many with a superiority complex in relation to Blacks. I know there are many Dominican hairstylists who do Black hair, but don’t acknowledge that they have African ancestry. I know all of that. For God sakes, I know people like that in my family.
But understand me on this – it is essential that any man who is dark skin and is Latino to identify himself (in my opinion) as a Latino. Why? Because there are too many people in this country and even in Spanish speaking countries who look at a guy of my skin color and dismiss us as non-Latino. Latino’s don’t just look like the average indigenous Mexican in America. Latino’s don’t just look like Manu Ginobili. There are many Latino’s who look like Wesley Snipes; that look like Djimon Honsou. There’s an enormous amount of Latino’s that look like that.
So, in order for people of all races to understand that Latino’s don’t just come in light colors, we as dark skin Latino’s have to identify ourselves as that. If not, we will continue to run into people who question us being Latino – White people, Black people, and sadly even our own.
Instead of fighting and complaining against each other, let’s find ways to work together. We’re all one in the same. There’s no need for this type of nonsense.
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5 responses right now ↓
1 Murat // May 14, 2010 at 6:12 pm
Nice article Claudio. Very true that many people don’t realize Latino is not a race. The case in point…there were so many people confused by the census this year separating race from ethnicity. I also mark Black Latino on these forms when possible.
I remember being angry & very dissapointed at being denied entry in the DR to a nightclub because we were too dark until our lighter cousins pulled some strings.
Race and ethnicity are complex and the combinations endless just see Alberto Fujimori the Asian Latino former president of Peru!
2 carla // May 17, 2010 at 7:49 pm
Well done, Claudio. Very well done.
3 admin // May 17, 2010 at 11:32 pm
Thanks for the comments
4 A Sphere of Dating | Article directories Korea | Colombian Online Dating | Colombian Women,Colombian Dating, Colombia Girls // May 29, 2010 at 9:09 am
[...] My thoughts on the Wall Street Journal article on Dominican Hair … [...]
5 KT // Jun 6, 2010 at 12:09 am
Hairsalons>
Gosh someone wrote an article on this? the other day I visited my old neighborhood in the Bronx (north Bronx off white plains road 233rd street area) I remember this area was full of African and Jamaican hair salons. No more. Every salon was a Dominican salon. With big bold ads “Get Dominican hair” “Dominican hair experts” “Dominican hair stylist” plastered in the windows. I was shocked actually. Pictures of medium brown women with long flowing hair were shown in the windows. This is a contrast to the African salons that dominated the area in the late 90s early 2000s who specialized in weaves and hair braiding. That area of the bronx is predominately West Indian (jamaican, trinidadian and other west indian nationalities) I thought to myself wow, Dominicans are branching out and embracing black hair.
Hair care:
As shown in the movie “Good Hair” gone are days were afro-centric looks were acceptable. The standard for hair today is bone straight. And unfortunately women of all hair texture aim for this bone straight look. So not surprising that the African hair salons and other black salons are being replaced by salons promising super straight hair. I’ve had black female friends say they love the Dominican salons because they know how to get the hair super straight. I’ve heard other black women say they don’t like the Dominican salons because they use too much heat and it ends up damaging their hair.
Black Beauty>
I read an article the other day that said Zoe Saldana is the new “black” face of hollywood. The article said that Zoe has all the features Hollywood looks for in a leading black actress: long hair, medium brown skin, slender physique, and fine features. This standard of beauty is not exclusive to Hollywood. It exist even within the African American community–take a look at the artist the black community promotes–Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Tamia, Halle Berry, Tyra Banks, Drake. The list goes go and go and many of these with the exception of the men fall into the light to medium skin, long hair aesthetic. And while no one has said it publicly yet, many Dominicans fit the “acceptable” black look that marketers find appealing to the general American public–the not too dark, hair with enough curls to tease or straighten, “fine” features–features of both worlds–black and white. So in essence brown and dark skin Dominicans have become the “new” black aesthetic. This is evident in the rising number of dark and brown skin dominicans who are being cast for black roles in film and fashion. This “new” black aesthetic is also evident with the many Dominican salons in predominately black neighborhoods. the salons–are offering to redo black women hair, the Dominican way–what i’m calling the new mainstream black aesthetic, which when u take a closer look is not really new, it’s the mulatto aesthetic that has always existed. The only thing is with a rising Dominican population that aesthetic is becoming more prevalent in minority communities. (on the east coast)
Being latino>
I had a dark skin Puerto Rican friend who was frustrated that latinos always mistake him for Dominican and white people always think he is black. He hates being called Dominican, and hates being called black. I asked him well why aren’t you black? He said “because I speak Spanish, I dance Salsa, I eat rice and beans, all those things make me latino and not black” I said, you know, i get where you are coming from but you also make no sense. Because what you are saying is only correct in the context of black americans. I said if i’m from Kenya, and I speak Kenyan, and I listen to Kenyan music, eat Kenyan food, and dance tranditiona Kenyan dance, does that make me not black? I said there are black ppl all over the world, who are different culturally in terms of the food they eat, the music they listen to and the language they speak. So i said you could very well be black and still eat rice and beans, dance salsa and speak spanish. His comments made me realize that to to him (and possibly many latinos) black americans have no culture.
labeling as black:
I do agree that black ppl tend to brand everyone with a broad brush and label them black. After all I think many African Americans are mixed themselves and do not get the privilege of classifying themselves as “other” unless either mom or dad is of another race. This is obviously a result of America’s racial history. But the truth is latinos do the same. Most non Caribbean latinos refer to Dominicans as blacks. latinos, but black. I’m not sure if that classification is said in the presence of Dominicans but i’ve heard other South American Latinos and Central American latinos refer to Dominicans as blacks–one broad brush for all Dominicans. This is especially true in Latin countries with a predominately white or mestizo population–Argentina, Columbia, Costa Rica, Mexico etc and while in the context of the US one could get frustrated being called black, what happens in International travel? In France or Spain what happens when a Dominican is referred to as black or North African? in the middle east depending on the skin tone one could be mistaken for north african. What happens then? Is being called black only negative in American society? but ok elsewhere? I think we are a society and a world that label people based on the way they look. and many Dominicans are well adept at classifying ppl by looks, one only needs to look at the myriad of skin classifications: trigueno, moreno, mullato, negro,cinnamon etc So i guess the question is- is Dominican ethnic and racial identity only unique to the dominican republic or is it recognized throughout latin america?
black resentment
those post on the blog you were reading express a sort of resentment that is not new in the black american community. I draw a comparison with the resentment you often hear when another light skin black women is featured on the cover of a magazine or labeled as a sex symbol. The resentment I think is that yet again the mullato look is front and center, and blacks without it, feel left out. I could be wrong. I think resentment is also attributed to the fact that many dominicans refuse to refer to themselves as black or acknowledge that they have black ancestry, even if they look black. I think black americans interpret this as a resentment of blackness.
Whatever the case I think that latinos of african ancestry should embrace it and should speak out to educate the American community (black, white and latino) about the diversity of the latino community. I think the two communities should build closer ties as well.
I read an interesting article the other day about race relations in the US, and surprisingly the article said that black and white Americans are realizing that with the influx of the latino community, blacks and white have more in common. That they both share an “American culture” that many latino immigrants are slow to assimilate into. Not sure what these views mean for the future of the country.
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