Article of the day: What Messages Are We Sending Girls About Individual Style?
The Internet has been buzzing about 4-year-old Marcella Marino being banned from her school picture over her hairstyle.
Marcella asked her father, who’s a hairstylist, to make her look like a princess for picture day and when she showed up to school with a literal hairbow, which many have likened to a style worn by Lady Gaga, the school wouldn’t allow it. What’s worse is that the popularity of this case has exposed a rather peculiar dress code rule that the Ramsgate Holy Trinity Primary School has: no braids allowed. Marcella’s hair obviously wasn’t braided, which is why her father thought the style he created was okay, but it’s still an unfortunate rule for the school to have, given that that style of hair dress is most typically worn by not only little girls but particularly little black girls. But even more so, it begs the question of what message the school is sending about individuality?
On the other end of the spectrum, we have Willow Smith, a girl who doesn’t have to contend with a school’s opinion of her hair, but rather the general public who has been quite vocal about her drastic hair changes. Ever since Willow was no longer able to whip her hair back and forth, her mental stability and the capability of Will and Jada to properly parent her has been called into question, but Will recently explained why he’s given Willow license over her hair. He told Parademagazine:
