Allure is catching some serious flak for a spread in its August issue that began circling the Internet today, reports BuzzFeed. The story displays several '70s-inspired hairstyles, from bowl cuts to long bangs, but the magazine is getting heat for its choice to use a white model to show off the "loose Afro." You (Yes, You) Can Have An Afro is the title of the story that instructs readers with straight hair on how they can achieve the look. While I don't think the story was meant to be insulting, I do think the editors' intentions were misguided. It is meant to highlight the style, sure, but why not use a Black model with straight hair to illustrate it? (There were zero models of color in the story to begin with.) What about using it as a way to speak to readers who wear their hair in a 'fro daily? Since the story focuses on the '70s, a time when Black women wore their hair naturally as a symbol of pride, at least Allure could have mentioned the history behind the style. The magazine has issued a statement surrounding the backlash: "The Afro has a rich cultural and aesthetic history. In this story, we show women using different hairstyles as...individual expressions of style. Using beauty and hair as a form of self-expression is a mirror of what’s happening in our country today. The creativity is limitless — and pretty wonderful." We could wax poetic about the dangers of cultural appropriation (and, trust us, we have), but we'll let the internet speak to this one. See some of the reactions below, and let us know your questions, concerns, and opinions in the comments.
Everybody want their hair styled...but don't nobody wanna be profiled
@Allure_magazine pic.twitter.com/4P22d4UIn6
— Erika Totten (@2LiveUnchained) August 2, 2015
Hey @Allure_magazine since u featured an Afro on a white girl can you tell my employer I can wear this “confident hair style” to work then?
— Abby (@abbyblujay) August 3, 2015
What a missed opportunity by @Allure_magazine to actually talk about afro hair...to girls who actually have it. pic.twitter.com/qO6kOLoUDW
— Eileen ¯_(ツ)_/¯ (@MissWhoeverUR) August 3, 2015
Dear @Allure_magazine,
This is an afro. Don't cash crop my afro like you did my cornrows pic.twitter.com/KvVGTjdLsz
— Amani Furaha (@MeeRaeDoe) August 3, 2015
Someone should have warned you, @Allure_magazine
Black Twitter comin'. Stop the foolishness.
http://t.co/t5mQ5HVR9F pic.twitter.com/OUWXI4zbkf
— Brittany Packnett (@MsPackyetti) August 2, 2015
Nice to see Rachel Dolezal landed on her feet doing hair for @Allure_magazine! In America we can all prosper. https://t.co/dZoDvEqWjo
— Salaciously B. Crumb (@wriglied) August 3, 2015
Hey, @Allure_magazine technically her style is called a Twist Out. #CulturalMisappropriation. #afro pic.twitter.com/RL8olFkWRZ
— Angela (@angieadoptee) August 3, 2015