I'm a happily nappy African American mom of two biracial children. Glad to see you here. Come on in, have a seat, and I’ll fix you a tall glass of iced tea. Let’s talk about this thing called a nappy kitchen.Sasha and Malia Obama’s Nappy Hair
It’s official: Barack Obama is the President-elect of the United States of America, but what about his daughters’ nappy hair?
As we come to the realization that this is not a dream, trickery, or tomfoolery the question is: How do you think the First Daughters will affect the self-image of your Biracial or Black daughter? Do you think your cutie will identify with Sasha and Malia Obama?
It is my understanding that the Obama Girls’ hair is not relaxed, but pressed at times. Do you feel that they would set a better example for your daughter if they wore their hair ONLY in its napptural state?
Would you like to see the Obama Cuties 100% Nappy 100% of the time? Should the Presidential Puppy-elect go nappy, too?
– Nappy Kitchen
November 6th, 2008 at 1:11 am
First, that’s so awesome that your son got a letter back from Obama. Frame it for sure!
Second, I kid you not: when Obama’s daughters walked out on the stage last night… I thought about you.
I thought, “Why do Obama’s girls straighten their hair? Why? Why?” I wondered what your take would be…
Yes, I would LOVE to see their hair natural. Then, I could really say to my daughter, “See, the President’s girls have hair JUST like yours!”
I know it’s just a matter of time before she asks me, “Mommy, why is their hair so straight? I want that!”
Great questions. I’m curious about how readers will answer.
November 6th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
@single mom seeking: Yes! You totally pegged my concern: ‘What will our daughters think?’
My goodness. You KNOW that if the public will buy (in droves) whatever breed the Presidential Puppy-elect will be, they will imitate the Little Cuties’ HAIR. Remember when 101 Dalmations, Air Bud, and Spuds McKenzie came out? Everyone HAD to have one.;)
I am so humbled that you thought of me. Seriously. This issue is so important to our little ones, isn’t it?
We are getting the frame for the Obama letter this weekend. Yah!
Readers: single mom seeking has spoken.
What do the rest of you guys think about the Obama Babies’ hair?
November 9th, 2008 at 1:59 am
On special occasions, my sister and I got our hair pressed. The rest of the time, we looked like Sasha and Malia when their hair is natural. I think the interchange of pressed and nappy creates a broader appeal. Some black girls have pressed, braided, curly, nappy or straight hair. Their mother seems intelligent enough to know what to do with their hair, so I respect and support whatever she decides. Fact is, for the first time ever, there will be beautiful black children in the front rooms of the white house and little black children around the world will be able to relate and admire them - straight and/or nappy!
November 13th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Thank you for stopping by titi!
Titi has had her say, what do the rest of you guys think?
November 24th, 2008 at 1:06 am
It is true that everyone should respect Michelle’s peragative to press/straighten her daughters hair….
That being said, there is so much negative stigmata regarding black women’s hair and its relation to self-esteem and self-image…
Prior to the 60’s it was a “norm” to see black men straighten their hair in order to make it appear more “white” the more “white” it looked the better, now that ideology appears “weird” or out of the “norm”……
However still in the 20th century I find 90% of african american women have straight hair…. Also if you look at 99% of the african american actresses, singers, etc. they might switch it up from time to time, however 99.9% of the time, and always at the oscars they have straighten hair….
This seems more like conformity than creativity….
I do believe that if the social norm was “do what you like cause anyway its beautiful” we would see more diversity in hair styles.
True there is always so much beautiful diversity, however it is stifiled by this out dated paradigm they push on our girls…
Turn on disney, how many black girls are on for our girls to look up too…. Also out of that small demographic, most of them have straight hair….. *** The other day I was looking for a black barbie doll with currly hair for my niece, and guess what it doesn’t exhist…
Think of the psycological ramifications of that; a young girl walks into the store, sees 50million white barbies, and finally finds one or two black barbie all white straight “white-looking” hair, and anglo-saxton features… The doll is a summation of what society tells her she needs to be inorder to be perceived as beautiful!
Also this paradigm is reinterated everytime she plays with the doll, turns on the T.V., or glances at a black model on a magazine.
I’ve had countless amounts of friends “perm” their 9year olds hair in order for it to be “fix”….
We must remove the chains that bind once and for all, and the only way to do that is by concentrating and building a good foundation!
It starts at the Root, lets “go green” in another way and truely accept and appreciate our god given beautiful, currly, wavy, natural hair!
*** P.S- hair is not the only way in which women are taught they are unacceptable in their natural state; and it is all women, we are all targeted in different ways and by different means, sometimes overt and somtimes very subvert!
Love & Blessings Everyone,
Leah :-)
December 12th, 2008 at 7:03 am
I think that the person who combs the hair should make the decision …until the children are old enough to wash, condition, style and maintain their own hair.
December 22nd, 2008 at 12:05 am
The Obama girls remind me so much of myself and my sisters while growing up. The beautiful thing about our hair is that it is very versatile and can handle many different styles if it is healthy. That is the beautiful part of our hair. My mother had our hair in cornrows, plaits, afro puffs, and press and curls. Hmmm, the same as the Obama girls. I’m 39 and guess what? I have the still same options as I did as a child. Truth be told, do our counterparts have the same options? I embrace my natural hair and will change up on you in a minute! Next week, I might rock my afro. But we are so busy trying to be super duper straight, we are compromising the health of our hair. So what if the Obama girls straighten their hair, wear curls, wear ponytails, wear cornrows, wear twists or wear it straight. Why do they have to wear it straight or natural to suit anyone else? That’s what I love about them. Perhaps, mothers should instill in their own daughters the beauty of their skin color and their beauty of their hair. Why do we always have to look to others to do that for our children and their self-image? They don’t have to set an example for you or anyone else so that you can feel good about yourself. Just as comedianne, Mo’Nique’s daddy told her she was the most beautiful little girl in the world everyday, we should be doing the same for our kids. Those are Michelle’s babies and she along with her husband and mother are obviously doing a brilliant job. But what is most beautiful about them is their strength, intelligence and love for each other. Hair doesn’t make them and it’s evident.
December 28th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
It would be good if the Obama children could be left alone to be little girls. It is their parents’ responsibility and right to decide what is best for them, and, in my opinion, they’ve been doing a fine job so far. When I was a child (I am white), my mother curled my hair so that I would hopefully look like Shirley Temple (I didn’t). It was a harmless activity, which made me feel special. Malia and Sasha are beautiful, cherished, well-parented, well-behaved children. I hope that we can respect their right to privacy to the point that they and their parents can select a family pet and hairstyles, without undue advice, criticism, and harrassment from the media and general public.
January 19th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
sometimes sasha obama pushes her older sister away from pres-elect obama, do they tell her not to show rivalry in public.
January 19th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Wow, what a great discussion!
I’m gonna link to you tomorrow, on Jan. 20… stay tuned! Thank you.
January 20th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
I personally don’t care how Michelle Obama does her girls hair. It’s their perogative! I have my hair relaxed. One of my daughters is relaxed and the other has a texturizer. It was my decision and no on else’s. It doesn’t make me any less black than someone who decides to go natural. I made the desision in 12th grade to relax my hair. Once my daughters began playing sports is when I chose to put chemicals on my daughters - it fits our busy lifestyles. I’ve never disliked anyones hair if they had braids, dreds, an afro, etc. I love the fact that black women have almost endless possibilities with hair styles!
January 20th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
I wholeheartedly agree with Ellen and SavedBlackSister and many others who have posted here. Their parents have done a fine job with their girls before they became political stars and I trust them to continue doing the same. I look at it this way in a world where there is so much chaos if someone wants to wear their hair natural one day and pressed the next because that is what makes them feel good then nobody should really have the right to say anything. These are young girls who haven’t chosen to be the first black family and therefore every little black girls role models. Plus I have two biracial daughters and we had a discussion about the girls and how pretty their hair looked today so I guess more than anything this could be a good time to have a conversation with your little ones about doing what makes them happy and not also worrying about what other people are going to say that is what makes girls into strong young women.
ps Michelle is probably a product of her environment and if she is passing that same thing down well then they are off to a good start!
January 20th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Yes, the parents should do what they think best…and as far as we can see, and that ain’t so close or clear, their parents have seemed to have done a good job at raising their children so far. And as has been said earlier, the hair donning the heads of these particular children should not be the deciding cues for parents anywhere beyond their own clarity and self-love and cultural understandings and observance. That being said, it would be great to see these children with hair that bespeaks it’s nature…..if it’s nappy, let it go there. African people do have the choice and ability to hairically morph often and expressively, sometimes with dire consequences to our physical and spiritual being. We should be critiquing the source of our desires to change our natures, physically, politically or otherwise.
I wondered about this issue, small or large as it may be, as I watched, for critical and academic purposes, the Dizney (spelled this way out of my open disrespect for the company and its ethics) “Kid’s Inaugural” as the cameras whirled and twirled around these two innocents, now thrust into the popular limelight….or crimelight, as it were. I wondered what THEY make of themselves right now and what their images and peaceful, almost torpid, presences (at least at that event) would mean to other little girls and boys around USAmerica and the world…let alone to us grown-ups.
January 20th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
QUIT CALLING OBAMA KIDS NAPPY HEADED
January 20th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Thank you for your blog. I love the by-line! It’s exactly what I was looking for when I searched for the information about the Obama ladies’ hair, particularly the little ones. My motivation? I’ve wondered for years why black people almost universally seem to change the natural characteristics of their God-given hair.
Background: I’m white and live in the Pacific Northwest. My eldest son married a lovely black girl. During September 2001, during and after the terrorist attack of September 11, I stayed with a black family in Memphis TN. I was the first white woman ever invited into their home and the neighbors DID NOT like it, so I’m glad my son and daughter-in-law don’t live in the south. It seemed that it was a more difficult environment for mixed race relationships. Perhaps I’m wrong.
My mother, born in the Seattle area in 1927, always called her children’s attention to the beauty of mixed race kids. She permed my hair from a very young age because she hated it being so straight and fine. I inflicted the “poodle” perms on my hair in the late 70’s. After my mom passed on, I finally figured out that God had made my hair straight and it was good enough! I realized it’s harder to trust God when you think He really “blew it” when He created you. I’d like to see a world where we truly saw the beauty in everyone. Doesn’t it seem that making nappy hair straight is a rejection of one’s natural beauty? Perhaps Michelle, Oprah and others could help reverse this trend which also seems to require a lot of harsh chemicals.
Obama’s inauguration speech is playing in the background and he just said “…the God given promise that all are equal.” The gentleman who prayed the final prayer of that part of the festivities spoke of the brown, yellow, white and red among us. He said something like “Let the brown stick around and let the yellow mellow” which is an unfortunate association with a jingle that was popularly used to encourage water conservation, i.e., you don’t have to flush every little “tinkle.” I THINK that’s why Obama smiled. This added “a little humor” to what actually were kinda divisive remarks about whites getting it right. It has been proven that plenty of people of all races have it right so I think we should move beyond such comments, particularly today! I pray each of us take Obama’s challenge seriously and work toward unity and acceptance of diversity.
Your thoughts?
January 21st, 2009 at 5:14 am
My sister (12, UK) watched the ceremony yesterday and the only thing she saw amongst all the goings on was the Obama girls hair and was in total aaaaawwww of it. My mum (50) on the other hand was not amused! I myself (29) saw no problem with the girls hair. I’ve read all the comments on this message board and understand the need to be natural etc. But I think that a point is being missed and that is of simply being happy. Comments have been made that its natural to have afro hair so thats how it should stay. No one has mentioned the wearing of Make-up, hair extenxions/wigs/weaves, excess us of the gym to change body image and cosmetic surgery. These issues see no boundaries of race or age. I hope that a time will come when black women will relax the rules and concentrate on being truely happy with themselves regardless of others thoughts, opinions and ideals. The opinion of having relaxed hair as being a slap in the face of our heritage seem very superficial and our energies may be best spent elsewhere. If that means relaxing your hair then so be it, if it means sorting a fro then so be that too. It seems the girls are saying I’m versitile and comfortable in my own skin and that fab to me! x
January 21st, 2009 at 1:10 pm
There’s nothing wrong with getting a relaxer. It’s when you think of it as “better” or preferable that you’re doing your self a disservice. Don’t excuse your child’s relaxer by saying it’s easier to comb, a texturiser would suffice. There are black women all over the world who cannot remember what a whole head of their own, natural hair looks like. Sad!! I am relieved to know that the Obama girls’ hair is only pressed, but am bothered by the idea that special occasions demand straight hair. How I would have loved and been so proud to have seen their hair perhaps twisted and pinned in upsweeps as their “special-day” hairstyle!! Why do we say we love our selves when so many of of us seem to hate our hair? Why don’t we buy 12″ nappy weave too? Why is 3mm of new-growth cause for concern? Black women, PLEASE START LOVING YOUR HAIR!!!!!!
January 21st, 2009 at 7:55 pm
My 9 YO daughter was Michelle Obama for Halloween this year - she was wearing twists! It wasn’t about the hair - it was about being a beautifully confident person!
Best lesson to learn from these girls in the WH is that confidence is the key — and if Michelle and her girls don’t have confidence I don’t know what you call all that!
January 21st, 2009 at 10:42 pm
this has got to be the most stupid topic ever. being able to go from nappy to staright and back to nappy again is what makes our hair beautiful. chemical processing the hair is not a good idea not because it denies your blackness but because its posion lol. if the obamas had another daughter and her hair came out straight because she has (dare i say it ) white genes will she be less black. for those who say their child will one day ask in horror why the girls hair was straight ,just tell that child . their momma had the money and time to sit and let some one starighten it. having nappy hair doesn’t make you black it lets other know there is black in you. my skin is tar but my hair is bone straight due to (dare i say it) my indian mother.. and it gets the look (nappy) when i have the time and money to have ot done
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:25 am
I came across this blog because I am working on a similar post for my own blog. One question: how do we know the girls don’t have a relaxer? On the campaign trail, I definitely saw Malia with fuzzy cornrows that looked like natural hair. But at the inaugural? Hmm. Their hair was a bit swingy to be pressed, no? I think they both have relaxers now. Readers: Do we know for sure that they only get their hair pressed?
January 22nd, 2009 at 1:49 pm
I have also seen photos of Obama’s girls with “more natural black girl hair” and we will see that again I’m sure! I feel that the Obamas “softened” the girl’s hair as not to throw their blackness in the faces of those who did not vote for Barak possibly because of race. No white person can really understand their caution on this.
If whites can dye, shave, pierce and put ink under the skin, why not give blacks girls and women the same lattitude?
January 24th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
The girls should feel free to wear their hair any way that they want. That said, once they put in a relaxer, it’s permanent, and it makes it difficult to wear other styles like twists or cornrows. So ideally they should press it straight if they want to.
What bothers me though, is this idea, not only in the US but in the Afro-Caribbean, that straight hair is more appropriate for special occasions. It’s classier, it’s more refined, more elegant, more…. European. That’s what it suggests, does it not?
So that means, conflictingly, to wear a non-straightened “African” style is more casual, more street appropriate, lower class, more…..African???
The mere suggestion of this nonsense makes me so angry. And a lot of people think that it’s an exaggeration since nobody has actually come out and voiced this in bold language. But the truth is that, symbolism, as we’ve seen since November 4th, is acutely powerful. Something as simple as a hairstyle, or the race of the president, communicates more to people, especially young children, than we may realize.
January 29th, 2009 at 1:30 am
This is an interesting post.
I actually studied at an elementary school overseas where we were not allowed to relax our hair. They made us cut it off if we dared to relax it.
I remember being so angry with the school administration, but now I actually love the fact that I relaxed my hair only when I started college because I feel that it’s much stronger than it would have been if I had relaxed it earlier on.
I think the Obama girls look lovely with all their hairstyles, and I feel that they should just do what makes them feel comfortable and happy.
I personally love wearing my hair afro style, but it is really difficult to maintain it natural. If my hair were more manageable, I would wear it natural all the time!!!!
January 31st, 2009 at 4:35 am
I think their mom can do their hair however she pleases!! I am natural and have been for most of my life. I use to LOVE to get my hair pressed. I loved it in double strand twists or afro puffs, now I have Locs and i still miss a press once in a while! Now is not the time to scrutinize Sasha or Malia, they are children, and other black little girls get their hair pressed as well. Who says that sasha and Malia are automatically your kids’ first role models. Standards and self esteem first starts with the parents/guardians IN THE HOME! What if Michelle got sick of combing and twisting and braiding on top of all the other work she has to do, or maybe they asked “mom, can we wear our hair pressed for the times we dress up?” I mean didn’t you as a little girl? I sure did, Easter Sundays, birthdays, class assemblies, etc. any chance I got because it did hurt getting my hair combed sometimes, We didn’t get a press because it was more acceptable to the public, it was special and only for special occasions because it costed money as well, my mom sent us to the beauty parlor, so it was a treat! so instead of acting like you guys can’t relate, you need to think back, back in the days when it was YOU or someone you knew!!! Let it go, it’s not that serious! We will never be ‘white enough for whites’ and never “black enough” for ourselves, When will it end!!!!!!!!!????????? Let it start with you! Teach your kids what’s right and reinforce positivity into their lives.
March 24th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
I was just looking for hair tips, I ended up in this website, this is a ridiculous conversation. Who the hell started this comments, Obama girls are gorgeous and they should wear their hair however they wish. African American always want their hair to look good, at all times, so why not Michelle & her girls. This conversation is beyond ridicule. Obama’s girls are able to seat in the bests Hair Salons of America of course their hair is going to look different & better than the average. So other celebrities have wigs, and hair extensions to look good, ain’t nothing wrong with that.
April 21st, 2009 at 9:53 am
WHAT IS WRONG WITH US AMERICAN POSTING A SITE ABOUT
TWO LITTLE GIRLS HAVING NAPPY HAIR SHAME ON YOU OR WHO
CAME UP WITH THIS AND THIS DID NOT COME FROM ANY BLACK
AMERICAN PERSON BECAUSE IN BLACK AMERICA SASHA AND MALIA DO NOT HAVE NAPPY HAIR THE LITTLE GIRL HAS SOFT GOOD HAIR AS BLACKS WOULD SAY IT, THE OLDER ONE EVERY BLACK MOM IN AMERICA WANT THE GIRL HAIR TO GROW LIKE THAT SO WHO EVER CAME UP WITH THIS MESS DO YOUR HOME WORK FIRST THESE GIRLS DO NOT HAVE NAPPY HAIR
May 1st, 2009 at 3:07 pm
I agree that the girls hair is not NAPPY AT ALL and would be considered by most African Americans as having “good hair”. I know if my hair was like the Obama girls my mom may not have relaxed my hair. I have two girls one with a relaxer and one with out. I believe it ’s a matter of how you want your child’s hair to look. Both natural and relaxed hair needs to be maintained to be healthy. And another thing, I don’t care if you relax or press your hair…….. African American hair does not look like white folks hair. NOT BY A LONG SHOT… so in the words of India Ayre ” I am not my HAIR and neither are my girls or the Obama girls.
May 11th, 2009 at 9:35 am
when you look at their day-to-day pictures, the girls always have protective styles such as buns, twists & cornrows. i think it’s only natural for their parents to allow them to wear their hair straight on special occasions. that’s what people do… we change it up when we want to feel pampered. i have friends with extremely straight hair that on special occasions want big curls. it’s just all about pampering and having a different look.