Example of 'cornrows.'
Cornrows are a traditional, unisex, West African style of hair grooming where the hair is tightly braided very close to the scalp, using an underhand, upward motion to produce a continuous, raised row. This technique is somewhat similar to that used to produce a French braid, which is braided using a overhand, or inward, motion, resulting in a flat braid. Cornrows can be formed, as the name implies, in simple, straight lines; or, in complicated geometric or curvilinear designs. Often favored for their easy maintenance, cornrows can be left in for weeks at a time simply by carefully washing the hair using a stocking cap or hair net and then regularly oiling the scalp and hair. Cornrowed hairstyles are often adorned with beads or cowrie shells, in the West African tradition.
Common in West Africa, cornrows survived for centuries as a style of hair preparation in the United States among African slaves and their progeny primarily in the American South. In 1963, when most African American women were loathe to be seen in public with unstraightened hair, actor Cicely Tyson drew immediate notice when she sported cornrows on the popular network television series "East Side, West Side." The style gained wide popularity in the U.S. in the late 1960s and 1970s as part of the Black Pride Movement, when the trend was away from straightening hair to wearing naptural hairstyles. Afros, strands of hair twisted into tight coils or wound with twine, and the wearing of geles (colorful, often elaborately wrapped head cloths) became other commonplace, African styles adopted by African American women.
In the wake of the Black Pride Movement, hundreds of beauty shops and salons sprang up across the U.S. delivering services exclusively, or as part of a range of options, to blacks who prefer natural (unstraightened) hairstyles. Many salons specialize in hair wrapping and braiding techniques, executing styles which can be not only exceedingly time-consuming, but expensive. A single, braided style can take 7 hours or more to complete, sometimes necessitating two or more salon visits. The tradeoff in the cost in time and money expended is that a well-executed, braided style can last a month or more without restyling, if properly groomed and cared for— and if executed on the naturally coarse, tightly coiled hair typically possessed by people of indigenous African descent. Such hair holds cornrows better, especially over time; and, compared to the hair of other ethnic groups, generally has more tensile strength and tends to be less oily, which means it requires less frequent washing.
Cornrows also enjoyed some popularity among caucasian after blonde actor Bo Derek wore beaded cornrows in the popular Blake Edwards movie 10, and became widely popular once again with the spread of hip-hop culture in the 1990s.
Over the years, cornrows have been the subject of several disputes in the American workplace. Some employers have deemed them unsuitable for the office and have banned them. African American employees and civil rights groups have countered that such attitudes evidence racial and cultural bias. Cornrows are perfectly appropriate in professional settings, they contend, citing their acceptability in venues such as the United Nations. Some such disputes have resulted in litigation.
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