Algebra isn’t the only complex lesson teens are getting in school. They’re also getting educated on the ins and outs of how damaging cultural appropriation can be.
On October 20, Chenise Benson, a white 13 year old, was sent home from the George Pindar School for allegedly breaking the school’s dress code policy with waist-length, Beyoncé-Inspired box braids, which have been incorrectly labeled dreadlocks by SWNS, the UK-based news site that originally reported the story.
“I’ve read the policy regarding haircuts – and I can’t see what rule she has broken,” recalls Dennis Benson, Chelsea’s very out of touch father, who also added, “It cost £140 and will stay in her hair for a year so it won’t be coming out.”
Clearly, this ill-advised man needs a refresher on best practices for extensions because wearing them for more than two months can cause severe damage, regardless of texture.
The school’s website reads: “Please note we do not allow extreme, unnatural hairstyles or colouring. Any hair accessories should be of a practical nature and should not be decorative.”
Chenise’s father also emphasized his frustration with the fact that her black classmates have worn similar hairstyles to school without being subjected to disciplinary actions.
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The tolerance for natural or “black” hairstyles in schools has been a reoccurring issue around the globe, including South Africa, where a group of schoolgirls made international headlines for staging a protest against unjust hair policies.”
Benson isn’t the first student to be suspended for rocking a protective style, but she may be the first white one.
“I’m not racist in any shape or form,” Benson adds, “but this is like racism against their own.”
We think this tweet pretty much sums up our thoughts:
Idk what's more funny, the fact this white family thinks cultural appropriation is ok or that they're confidently calling braids dreadlocks https://t.co/kFUD434Jfw
