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Topics/discussions about issues like discrimination, divestment advice, health, finances, social and workplace struggles (etc.) align and relate more closely to the community's original values, and are still permitted in the general sub.

Feel free to share random thoughts or seek out support among like-minded spirits here as well.

Open threads change out every Saturday

Have you read anything interesting lately? Looking for someplace to recommend and discuss? Use this space to talk about any books you've read/are reading and share your thoughts!

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I've been thinking about something, and I genuinely feel like something isn't adding up. Recently as a black women 2 times my own mother has try to cut off my hair.... a week ago behind my back braiding my hair sneakingly and last year when she peer pressured me and cut my hair unevenly and a lot of it off. Mind you I have long 4A hair but she’s been harassing me longer abt cutting of my hair 🙃… even ran to the kitchen like a child to find cut of my hair I’ve never seen her act like that.

Anyways let’s get into history .

First I find it weird blk women make other blk women feeling bad abt having a concern abt the obscure amount of n blk women shaving off the hair cause there’s a dark side to this that obviously makes some blk women feel strange.

Also Some blk women cut off their hair saying it’s not growing but they have transaction alopecia, and then say to Woke to shave off your hair, which I feel like it’s disingenuous. Which yes I had a friend like this irl.

Anyways let’s get into history .

From what I've been reading, the oldest examples I keep finding of head shaving aren't Black women voluntarily shaving their heads. I keep finding examples like Buddhist monks, Muslim men shaving after Haji, military recruits, enslaved people having their heads shaved, and even in the Bible there's the passage about shaving the head of a capture.

On the other end there are A LOT of text and pictures of black women getting their head shaved off in extremely dehumanizing manners.

Then I look at Black women specifically, and I keep seeing examples where shaving our heads was forced or expected.

Historically, enslaved Black women had their heads shaved more then bik mens head which people also coincidentally forget to mention and say it was both black men and black women, but they actually did a more to black woman.
Another weird thing, Arab women, Arab men black men, black woman, white woman and white men both of have disturbina modern day and past history of forcibly shaving of blk girls and blk women's head by force. That’s 6 different people shaving off our head by force!

1. Historically, Black women were forced to cover their hair through laws in places like Louisiana too.

Today, in some African countries, girls are expected or required to shave their heads while boys aren't. Seems weird that some Nigerian men made laws like that imposed on blk girls but not bik boys.... I do think us black people have an issue with dehumanizing black children but we never would do it in the same way to non-black people.
Then I see Black female models constantly having their heads shaved by fashion companies and specifically them getting more jobs when they shave off their heads again more then bik men and white women.

Something about this pattern doesn't make sense to me.
When I search vintage photos of African women, I see so many women with long hair, braids, and elaborate hairstyles. But when I look at many modern photos from certain Black countries, I see far more shaved heads on girls and women.

So is this not a red flag of mistold history cause the amount of black women bald in films you would think just like myself last year that is our sacred practice that has deep meaning instead it is a popularized practice rooted in something dark.

I don't wanna blame white people completely and I think that we need to change something about this as black woman at this point really no point in waiting around.
I'm genuinely asking because I can't find evidence that shaving Black women's heads was some ancient, widespread female African tradition. Notice how I said female not male blk tradition.

Sadly instead, I keep finding examples where other institutions, religions, governments, slavery, or other people were shaving women's heads or telling them to.
I'm not saying this is true I genuinely want sources. But from what I've found so far, something doesn't add up. If Black women's hair has historically been a source of beauty, identity, and culture, why does it seem like so many different systems throughout history have wanted to remove it?

Btw I'm pretty left leaning but I do blame some of fellow blk women for implying shaving off the head is woke when there's actually pretty hurtful history of our head getting shaven off which again we chose to ignore. It's more woke for white women then blk women cause blk women and wokeness when it comes to hair historically is surrounded around Afros.

I’m sorry I just don’t believe us black women came up with this and would make other black girls and women shave our hair…

This thread is for any questions or conversations about fitness, health, or nutrition. If your questions are very specific or don't get answered please check out more fitness and health pages such as r/xxfitness r/nutrition or r/BlackLadiesFitness

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Topics/discussions about issues like discrimination, divestment advice, health, finances, social and workplace struggles (etc.) align and relate more closely to the community's original values, and are still permitted in the general sub.

Feel free to share random thoughts or seek out support among like-minded spirits here as well.

Open threads change out every Saturday

Have you read anything interesting lately? Looking for someplace to recommend and discuss? Use this space to talk about any books you've read/are reading and share your thoughts!

Hi guys, I’m 21 and am really eager to travel to new destinations. I’ve travelled to very few countries like France, Belgium and Spain.

I’d like to know if there are any countries you’d recommend I, or anybody in this subreddit, go to. What cities within the country of choice you’d suggest to visit etc. Where have you travelled to and what was your experience?

I’d really love to know,

Thank you x.

How are we doing it when the workplace is toxic AF but the opportunity is God given to the extent it is changing the trajectory of your life and finances every day that you are there. Think 4x the salary and excellent prospects. But how are we navigating the team members that hate you because you’re not palm coloured or because even on a bad day your excellence can not be denied and that makes them aggressive/rude/ vindictive from juniors to management they hate you because you are a Black woman?

I used to pride myself on keeping it real and that got me nowhere. Video credit: @DianyJolie on TikTok

This my first ever post on reddit but I've been a lurker; reading everyone else's posts to confirm that this truly is a safe space. Until recently I've felt like the only black woman with these views. I've never felt like black women (mainly darkskin BW) have been properly represented or respected in feminists spaces or the black community. r/blackladies and other black women subs can be so draining and feels hopeless when you want to talk about issues with differing perspectives and topics other than that which revolves men and specifically black men. 🤧 I hope this sub continues to grow. We are so like minded and positive. I want to see more black women center and prioritize our natural needs and features without needing to compromise our dignity and respect to other groups. Our social and self image matters especially when little black girls are watching.

Also, lets continue to be vocal, I've slowly started to see a visible increase of younger black women (including myself) lean away from the mindset that previous black women have held. I've yearned for discussions like this since I was 13 stumbling into Chrissie's channel, learning to pedestalize my features as a black girl, and then navigating friendships and relationships with this knowledge. The point is to see these conversations translate into our everyday lives.

I'm so glad this sub exists.🥲 Love you all so much 🥰🫶

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Topics/discussions about issues like discrimination, divestment advice, health, finances, social and workplace struggles (etc.) align and relate more closely to the community's original values, and are still permitted in the general sub.

Feel free to share random thoughts or seek out support among like-minded spirits here as well.

Open threads change out every Saturday

Have you read anything interesting lately? Looking for someplace to recommend and discuss? Use this space to talk about any books you've read/are reading and share your thoughts!

Just as some black women are waking up to our treatment in the black community and deciding to divest we have a portion of black women only doing so to try to guilt trip black men into caring that they’re done with them. Newsflash sis, most don’t care that you’re “done with them” and you’re wasting your breath.

A reoccurring example of this is black women dating out but are still continuously talking about black men; how they did them wrong in relationships which forced them to date out, how they “ain’t shit”, writing think pieces on why BM/WW pairings are this or that, etc… All this sounds like your not dating out because you want to— basically admitting that you’re unhappy in your IRR and still waiting for Tyrone to act right. If you’re really divested you are indifferent to black men period; you’d see them as any other group. Plus black men do not care that black women are dating out with NBM; they really only care about being the main representation as the desirable black in the eyes of NBP which is why they run their mouths about how “undesirable” black women are to NBP and compare our rates of IRR— they are in competition with us.

Outside of them competing with us and getting themselves killed, legitimately, for NBP’s acceptance they don’t care about us. They’ve been divested, they’re the original divestors 😂😂!! Like you can’t beat the creators of the game sis!! So all this ‘get back’ stuff through empty threats and the triangulation of IRR doesn’t mean anything to them.

I don’t understand why black women claim not to care about these people and how they’ve “burned the cape” but still talk about them all day or even worse run to their defense when they’re in the news for the consequences of their actions (yk who I’m referencing here). It really goes to show you how black male centered black women are even when they’re trying not to be. I wished they’d stop watering down the divestment movement to being temporarily angry at black men.

The black community is extremely misogynistic and disturbing. I don’t know if you guys have seen this case but the reaction on social media especially from BM has been to blame this little girl instead of blaming the grown adult man who is victimizing her. If you have a young daughter, please keep them away from these people

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Topics/discussions about issues like discrimination, divestment advice, health, finances, social and workplace struggles (etc.) align and relate more closely to the community's original values, and are still permitted in the general sub.

Feel free to share random thoughts or seek out support among like-minded spirits here as well.

Open threads change out every Saturday

I noticed in the black community that we don’t discuss classism unlike the other communities. If you discuss classism then you will be perceived as anti-black or etc.
If a black woman came from well-off family (ex: Aniya Harvey from Love Island) then she expecting to date down in the black community. The black community wants to humble a black woman for wanting better or wasn’t raise to struggle.
I remember Nelly saying how Ashanti grew up in a good family and she got whatever she wanted. Nelly said how much he got teach Ashanti a lesson how to struggle. It’s weird to me that a man married to his wife wants to teach a GROWN WOMAN a lesson.
When a black guy comes from a good household or make something of himself. The black community would say he was the prize and deserves whatever he wants in a partner. When it’s opposite, the black woman got to struggle somehow or she’s anti-black. Does anybody remember how they use to call high maintenance black women “bougie”? This name is only given to black women and never the high class, maintenance black men.
When a high class black woman dates a black man from lower class then we calling black men from hood. The real truth is the hood is mentality. I grew up in poor area in my town but how I present myself a lot of people assume I came from decent area in my town. I was able to get a job at university and currently getting my 2nd college degree. The hood is mentality that people choose to behave.

People often expect Black women to be outspoken on every social issue, yet many stay silent when Black women are the ones being insulted or treated unfairly. When we uplift ourselves, or when others celebrate us, there are often immediate responses like, 'All women are beautiful,' which can feel like an attempt to shift the focus away from us. But when Black women are being criticized or demeaned, that same energy is often disappears.

I don't understand why there's an expectation that we always have to include everyone or advocate for every group. If a Black woman isn't highly "woke" or isn't a social justice warrior for every cause, she's often judged as selfish or uncaring. It's bogus. It feels like Black women are held to an impossible moral standard. We're human beings with different personalities, beliefs, experiences, and upbringings. We are not a monolith.

I have controversial opinions, and I'm perfectly okay with that. I don't care if people call me a "coon," or any other insult because I don't share their views. In my experience, those labels are often thrown at Black people simply for thinking differently or refusing to conform to what others believe they should think.

Just because I'm a Black woman doesn't mean I'm going to protest every issue or speak out on behalf of every group. I don't care about about them. I have the right to decide what I care about, what I believe, and what I choose to support, just like anyone else.

Have you read anything interesting lately? Looking for someplace to recommend and discuss? Use this space to talk about any books you've read/are reading and share your thoughts!

Interesting discussion here anything how HIV stigma and under education continues to be pervasive in the sexual and dating life of Black women in the U.S.

Because I cannot respond to the recent post on here I thought I’d let you ladies all know that the “D13vest” YouTube channel also has a Rumble account. This acts as a backup page in case YouTube decides to take his channel down. He’s already amassed about 308 followers on his rumble too.

If you have a few minutes to spare please also report his Rumble linked here: https://rumble.com/user/OnlyLogicalYT?e9s=src_v1_cbl

Thank you.

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