Posts Tagged ‘hair’
Adele: Bantu Knots fail to distract editors from singer’s stomach and breasts
Jerry Sadowitz once told a rude joke about Princess Diana, lampooning the obsession with women’s looks and fashion choices: “Breaking News – Princess Diana has put her hair in a bun and her **** in a toaster.” The singer Adele has put her hair in Bantu knots and her body in a bikini. “Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London GBJM,” said Adele as she brought a bit of carnival to her garden in Beverly Hills.
First the hair, which has upset a few people on Twitter. Billboard says, “The singer’s hair was intricately twisted in a style similar to Bantu knots, adorned with bright yellow feathers behind her head.” Sky tells readers that there were Bantu Knots, “a traditional African hairstyle in which the hair is twisted into a series of small coiled buns.” Just the thing to join in the celebration of Afro-Caribbean culture in the UK. Unless you have the blinkers on:
That tweet from the “CEO of Ernest Media Empire” was out of kilter with most people, whose views can be summed up best by Ciku Muiruri:
And in the UK, Adele’s bikini and hair a political matter:
The Times now steps in: “Cultural appropriation describes borrowing styles or items which are significant in a culture that is not theirs.” Did Adele seek permission to put her hair in Bantu Knots and wear a Jamaican flag bikini? And if she did, which body did she submit her outfit to for official approval? Says Naomi Campbell: “She looks hot. As a Jamaican girl myself, my girl has grown up in black culture. People forget she’s from Tottenham.” What if Adele was from rural Hampshire? Would that not give her a pass?
Matthew Phillip, executive director of the carnival, tells The Observer: “Yes, we say black lives matter, but it’s about promoting unity and inclusion. That’s why it was set up in the first place, to bring different communities together from different backgrounds.”
But bigger news than Adele’s hair is her weight:
What price Adele used her hair to distract attention from the media obsession with her weight? Look out for the Mail article, “Why Bantu Knots are slimming.”
Posted: 1st, September 2020 | In: Celebrities, Key Posts, News | Comment
Molecule mixture triggers hair growth and cures hearing loss
Good news its that technology is on course to cure hearing loss caused by the dying off of cochlear hair cells. C&EN tells us that a healthy ear contains about 15,000 hair cells in the cochlea. As you age, they die:
Scientists from Harvard, MIT, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, and Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary have discovered a mixture of molecules that can dramatically reverse hair cell loss in the cochleas of mice.
Why is it those elitist mice always get new technology first – what about us humans? And, of course, if you can regrew cochlea hair, look out for lots of ageing rockers and footballers tilting the tops of their heads towards you when you talk.
Posted: 1st, March 2017 | In: Technology | Comment
The All Hair Hockey Team 2015 are ready to be appraised
The All Hair Hockey Team 2015 are ready to be appraised:
Daily Mail scoop: Kate Middleton’s grey hair proves she’s not a lizard
Kate Middleton news now. And the Daily Mail leads with the story of Kate’s roots. No, not her humble ‘doors-to-manual’ air hostess mum, tattooed unclear and Jewish grandpa, rather her hair roots, which are greying.
Kate Middleton is 33. And she’s got a spot of grey, or tipex in her thatch.
Overlooking the chance for 50 Shades of Grey pun – the Mail’s David Wilkes tells the full story on Page 7:
He tells us that young royal are “not immune to the ageing process”.
This is no shock to Mail readers who were told lat years that women start to grey at…33.
So. There you have it. Kate Middleton is human. The rest of them might be lizards, but not our Kate…
Posted: 19th, February 2015 | In: Reviews, Royal Family | Comment
‘I Am Beyonce’s Hair’: Dave Hill And Brian Eno’s Fringe On A Life In Showbiz
HEADY days for Slade fans, for whom the band only ever seems to ride high on the popular culture news Chopper when it’s Christmas. Beyonce Knowles has successfully bid for Dave Hill’s hair, and, moreover, taken to wearing it over her own luxurious chestnut locks.
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Posted: 18th, October 2014 | In: Celebrities | Comment
The Top 10 Greatest Afros of Yesteryear
IN the 1970s, the glorious afro emerged into mainstream culture as an affirmation of Black African heritage and a rejection of Eurocentric standards of beauty. The popularity of this “natural” hair style among blacks is often traced back to activists Angela Davis and Stokely Carmichael. After their radical hair statement hit televisions screens across the US, it didn’t take long for it to become widely accepted. “Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud,” sang James Brown, who had also adopted the look.
And “the look” actually had many variations. We tend to think of the generic globe afro, but the styles in the 70s came in a dazzling variety…
Make no mistake, the afro is still alive and well; however, it by no means is at the level of popularity it enjoyed in the 1970s. So, in tribute to the Golden Age of the Afro, here are the top ten in no particular order.
Oscar Gamble
Gamble was a decent baseball player, but nothing close to Hall of Fame level. However, he is perhaps better remembered than most of the names lining the halls of Cooperstown. This unique notoriety is due to a couple Gamble legacies.
First, there’s the infamous quote: “They don’t think it be like it is, but it do.” Originally a reference to racism in major league baseball, it has become a successful meme and viral quotation on the internet.
Second, there’s the mighty afro which Yankee’s manager, George Steinbrenner, forced him to crop. It was among the biggest in the sporting world, but it still doesn’t account for why he is so indelibly linked with the hairstyle. Look up any article on the subject and you will undoubtedly see his name brought up. And so, here he is again on Anorak, further cementing his status as symbol and spokesman for the mighty ‘fro.
Tamara Dobson
After kicking ass and taking names in Blaxploitation flicks like Cleopatra Jones (1973) and Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (1975), Dobson (unlike her afro wearing counterpart, Pam Grier) faded into obscurity in the 1980s. But her fro will live on forever.
But wait, there’s another Tamara Dobson afro connection…
Cornell Traeger
In the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century episode “Happy Birthday, Buck” (Season 1, Episode 15), Tamara Dobson played a non-afro wearing “psychic courier” named Raylyn. And while Tamara, herself, didn’t unleash her mighty ‘fro on the show, her co-star in this episode most certainly did. The incognito assassin, Traeger (played by Peter MacLean), sports what may be the most insanely terrible afro to ever grace the small screen.
The Sylvers
There was an embarrassment of riches of Afrotastic musical acts in the Seventies, so it’s hard to choose the best. The Jackson 5 sported a worthy lineup of ‘fros, but the Sylvers kicked it up a notch and earns the prize.
Bob Ross
Bob Ross’ show transcended painting – it was a life affirming stroll through inner peace. It was a land where “mistakes” were actually “happy accidents”. You could do no wrong in this world. Bob’s soft tones lulled your mind into a state of tranquility only achievable elsewhere via an overdose on Benzodiazepines .
And then there was the Ross ‘fro where literally small woodland creatures would make their home. His afro was as much a part of nature as the “happy trees” in his paintings. Indeed, Bob Ross’ hair wasn’t as much a fashion statement as it was a living, breathing ecosystem.
Misty Knight
Luke Cage (AKA Power Man) and Black Lightning were some badass black superheroes, but neither had an exceptional ‘fro. So the honor should go to Misty Knight, a former police officer and kung-fu specialist with a bionic hand given to her by Iron Man. She always played a supporting role in her various comic book appearances. Her most notable moment came when she had an inter-racial relationship with Power-Man.
In later years, her costume got a change, exhibiting a “cleavage window” made famous by Power Girl. But while her costume may have changed, her ‘fro mercifully remained intact.
Angela Davis
You can’t have a list of top afros and not name one of the main individuals responsible for popularizing it. Whether or not you subscribed to her radical views and pro-Communist stance, her ‘fro was all over the airwaves, hurtling the style into the mainstream.
Billy Preston
There may be a number of people who earned the right to be called the “Fifth Beatle”, but only one sports an afro big enough to engulf a small child. As Stuart Mackenzie says in So, I Married an Axe Murder: “That’s a huge noggin. That’s a virtual planetoid… Has its own weather system.”
Leo Sayer
I could have easily chosen Barbara Streisand, who had a grand Jew-fro in the 70s. Conway Twitty, believe it or not, also wore a white-person ‘fro which was nothing to sneeze at. But Leo Sayer wins based on both circumference and flair. His was akin to Richard Simmons’, but without the male pattern baldness setting in.
Cicely Tyson
Sure, this close-cut afro didn’t have the volume, but it was a groundbreaker. Tyson donned the natural style on the TV show East Side/West Side long before it achieved mainstream acceptance. Audiences were appalled and outraged, but it proved to be a huge stepping stone in the emergence of the afro in popular culture. Sure, Cicely has tons of awards and accolades for her acting, but this little accomplishment deserves some kudos as well.
Posted: 16th, May 2014 | In: Celebrities, Flashback, Key Posts | Comment (1)
1955 Hair Tonic Advert: Lucky Tiger Gets the Gals
IN the 1950s, Lucky Tiger would seduce the girls. If you got really lucky, you could mount their heads.
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Posted: 28th, April 2014 | In: Fashion, Flashback, The Consumer | Comment
A guide to Acceptable and Unacceptable facial hair
SAYS artist Mike Mitchell of this guide to facial hair featuring Nick Offerman:
Here is one of the illustrations I did for Nick Offerman’s new book Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man’s Fundamentals for Delicious Living.
So stoked to be sharing this with everyone. Had a lot of fun working with him on it. He’s the best.
All hail the coat made from human chest hair (Chelsea FC launch new fashion range)
HEY fashionistas! Want a unique piece of clothing that will make everyone else green? Okay, they might go green with nausea rather than envy, but that’s the price of fashion right?
Let us introduce to you, a fur coat made completely of male chest hair!
And how much will this set you back? A glorious £2,499! That’s because it is a limited edition number, commissioned by dairy company Arla (in conjunction with the launch of the male-targeted chocolate milk Wing-co) and one can only assume the humans used for the fur were slaughtered in a huge warehouse like screaming piglets.
Or maybe this is what happens to all the hair shaved and plucked from Chelsea and Manchester United footballers?
Each fur coat comprises around one million hairs.
A Wing-co spokesperson said:
“We commissioned the Man-Fur Coat as a wake-up call for the nation’s gents. [The coat is] a way to encourage them to readopt the values of assured ‘men’s men’ from yesteryear who would laugh nonchalantly in the face of adversity and be proud of their abundant manliness.”
Or, they could just grow a beard.
Other Parents say best baby hair contest winner wore wig
THE Most Epic Head of Baby Hair photo contest run by Mommy Shorts has run into a row. Those other parents allege the winner is wearing a wig.
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The trade in human hair at the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in India
SELLING hair for profit:
Every day at the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in India, about 10,000 people sit cross-legged on the floor of the tonsuring room and let one of the 500 temple barbers shave off their hair. For many Hindu pilgrims, the shave is an intensely moving experience, as they believe that by sacrificing their hair here they will gain Lord Venkateswara’s protection and be cleansed of material debts.
Once the hair hits the floor, however, it enters the world of business. The strands are collected by attendants, packed into large steel bins, washed, and sorted according to length and quality. Twice a year, the stored hair is auctioned off and exported, mainly to the USA, UK and China, where it is used to make hair extensions and wigs. Long, untreated Indian hair is in high demand; the temple’s longest hair sells for RS20,000 (US$375) a kilogram.
Last year, amid concerns that buyers were forming a cartel, conspiring to keep bids low, the temple stopped its open auctioning process and began to sell online instead, through secret tenders. So far, it’s proving extremely lucrative; in 2011, the temple sold 561 tonnes of hair for RS2 billion ($36.9 million).
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Posted: 18th, February 2013 | In: The Consumer | Comment
This man has a condition called cutis verticis gyrata
THIS man has a condition called cutis verticis gyrata. NBC News says:
In this week’s New England Journal of Medicine, two Brazilian doctors describe this young man’s case and share a picture of its odd appearance. When he was 19, the skin on his scalp started to change. It grew thicker, forming many soft, spongy ridges and narrow ruts.
Even his hair had an unusual configuration. It was normal in the furrows but sparser over the folds as is common for this strange scalp condition. No doubt, visits to the barber shop as well as washing his squishy scalp and combing his hair were peculiar experiences.
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Posted: 18th, October 2012 | In: Strange But True | Comment
Mullet man kicked out of Australian bar
TO Perth, Australia, where Westie David Hoogland has been ordered from the city’s Print Hall bar. He and fiancee Sarah Sorgiovanni must leave. Says David:
“I’m not in a gang, I don’t have tattoos all over me, I’m just an everyday person.”
So. Why did he have to leave? The hair. Hoogland has a mullet on his bonce.
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Posted: 11th, October 2012 | In: Strange But True | Comment
Woman has 1.8kg hair ball removed from her stomach (photo)
TO India, where a 19-year-old woman from Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh has had a 1.8 kilogramme ball of hair removed from her stomach. Dr. Parvinder Singh Lubana Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital said the woman swallowed the hair, which might have wrapped itself around a small stone.
Either that or else she swallowed a whole otter…
Posted: 1st, October 2012 | In: Strange But True | Comment (1)
Salford hairdresser arrested for walking streets with scissors
SALFORD is now safer placed following the arrest of Darren Dixon, 48, who snipped the hair of two women. Dixon, 48, followed two women and cut their hair. As Yahoo reports:
(His first victim noticed Dixon standing uncomfortably close so she) crossed the road and continued to walk and then quickened her pace when she realized Dixon was following her.
As she carried on walking at a fast pace, she felt her hair being touched and “heard a metallic sound hit the floor”, police said.
Turning around, she saw Dixon picking up a pair of scissors and clumps of her hair…
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Posted: 4th, April 2012 | In: Strange But True | Comment
Bald Man Grows Massive Head And Face Of Hair (Video)
MEN really do look better without hair.
In the next video our hero shouts at pigeons in the precinct and defecates himself on the Metropolitan Line between Finchley Road and Wembley Park (you know who you are)…
Spotter: Michelle Collins @ Best Week Ever
Posted: 6th, August 2011 | In: TV & Radio | Comment
Vintage Ads: Go Gay Hair
GO GAY was “The first holding pray with shine right in it“.
Brought to you by the enlightened folks at Helene Curtis Industries, Inc.
Spotter: Grottu
Hair Transplant Surgeon Carves ‘WANKER’ Onto Man’s Head
DARREN Hope was shocked to find the word “wanker” etched into his head. The word has been on his head for 19 years, so the story goes.
He never noticed because the word was covered in that of hair plugs. (Gordon Ramsay, pay attention.)
The thinking is that when he underwent his first procedure aged 21, the surgeon plucked the hairs from the back of Mr Hope’s head (used to cover the bald spot on the crown) pinto the shape “WANKER”.
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Posted: 15th, January 2011 | In: Strange But True | Comment
