“Sectioning off Black hair care products perpetuates a racial stereotype that Black hair doesnt fit in.”
I have a mixture of 3c and 4a textured hair.
The easy navigation was beneficial as a new natural.
Stocksy
But as I progressed in my natural hair journey, my appreciation quickly turned into confusion and frustration.
But when I went to the storeany drugstore or general store for that matterthe ethnic section didnt sell it.
I felt like an outsideranda traitor shopping in this section that was typically marketed to a white audience.
Stocksy
It made me feel like, because I am Black, I cant shop the main aisles.
It reinforces the dictatorship in beauty that European features are desirable and expected.
The ethnic hair section is a lingering symbol of segregation, strengthening the old doctrine of separate but equal.
The truth is, separating Black-hair products from white-hair products is segregation.
By putting ethnic products to the side, the retailer is singling out an entire community.
Planograms, used by most retailers, are maps that explain how to section and organize a store.
Its time for retailers and marketers to end the segregation in the beauty aisle.
Instead of separating products by ethnicity, it should be separated by hair punch in.
Retailers that segregated Black-hair products are not catering to our communitythey are rejecting us.
