As history would have it, our ancestors have been wearing head coverings for the longest time and for a variety of reasons. The headwrap worn by most women of African descent represents more than just a piece of fabric folded around the head. It is seen as a symbol of empowerment by the enslaved and their descendants who have regarded the headwrap as a helmet of courage symbolic of the homeland – be that ancient Africa or home in the Diaspora. Although mainly African in style and now worn by millions of women all over the world, the headwrap is a uniform evoking a unified identity and sense of community amongst women.
The “African” style headwrap is worn differently in contemporary black culture compared to other backgrounds. For example, an European or American white woman will usually tie her head using a scarf by folding two opposite points of the fabric until it forms a triangular shape. She would then cover her hair, placing the longest side of the scarf against her forehead and tying two ends tightly at the nape of her neck. This Euro American style flattens the hair and holds it down to flow back and downward towards the neck in a sleek manner.
In contrast, the African headscarf is usually rectangular in shape and often tied from the nape of the neck to the front knotting atop the forehead pulling the hair upwards and exposing the woman’s full facial features.Fast forward to today’s contemporary culture and you will find many women – both of African and non-African descent wearing headwraps. It is stylish and on-trend. What was once just a head covering is now a bold fashion statement with its roots in making women feel confident about themselves.
Although there are many neck scarves in most retail stores that could double as a headwrap, they are not always as versatile. Sometimes, this is because they are not the right length or texture to achieve the proper fold. You can buy headwraps online from The Wrap Life.
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What do you love the most about headwraps?
