Powderpuff football at my high school is a tradition rooted in sexist attitudes, but the girls have made the tradition their own. However, it is time to stop a part of the tradition that is pure cultural appropriation. It’s time to stop braiding hair in cornrows for the powderpuff football game. This practice is not only cultural appropriation, but it enforces more stereotypes about “angry black women”.

I will start by defining cultural appropriation, which is “the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society” according to Google. Even though there is a blurry line between cultural appropriation and cultural exchange, if the behaviour in question leads to ‘normalized’ racist generalizations stemming from the activity, it can be categorized firmly as cultural appropriation. According to Amadla Stenberg’s 2015 viral video “Don’t cash crop my cornrows”, cultural appropriation occurs when “...the appropriator is not aware of the deep significance of the culture that they are partaking in.” When braiding hair for powder puff football, no one acknowledges the struggles of black women or their unique culture. 

Another problem with white girls getting their hair braided in cornrows for powderpuff football is the reinforcement of racist stereotypes. At my high school, senior girls typically get their hair done in cornrows to prepare for a football game where they will have to be angry, tough, and brutal. The girls start to associate being angry, tough, and brutal with the braided hairstyle, which many Black women use to keep their hair neat and tangle-free, with style. This reinforces the stereotype of the“angry black woman”. 

With the increased popularity of the Black Lives Matter movement last year (so glad I can say that 2020 is over) people have become more aware of systemic racism in the United States, and especially in law-enforcement. Therefore, with our newfound knowledge, we should try to help ease systemic racism in our local communities. There are too many other examples of cultural appropriation and systemic racism to name here in this blog, but I wanted to share a case of cultural appropriation in my school community to help others recognize it in their communities.