Angelina Jolie Hair Backlash for Daughter Zahara’s Braid Extensions

The internet is abuzz over Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s six year old daughter Zahara since the she was spotted with braid extensions in her hair.

There is much discussion on Jolie (notice how it’s never Brad that takes the hit) ranging from her motivations, her lack of knowledge about black hair, not allowing her daughter to come into her own identity,  her young age for getting extensions, blah, blah, blah.

I am no defender of Brangelina but speaking from my own experience of spending my youth in pigtails because my Japanese mother had no idea what to do with my hair and having my African – American grandmother pulling my poor head into braids during the summers, plus my daughter’s sad little head of poorly braided hair, I am going to cut Angelina some slack.

I don’t care if you are black, white, whatever, I have heard more moms complain about having to deal with their child’s hair from one white mom complaints about how her kids scream bloody murder when she combs their hair to a black mom who made the mistake of straightening her 9 year old daughter’s hair because her hair was so unruly.

You could make the argument that Brad and Angelina don’t do Zahara’s hair and can afford the cadre of stylists  to do the child’s hair but I can bet that it’s all about ease.

And I know exactly how they feel, my daughter whose hair is a constant source of distraction for both of us is a pain in the ass to deal with on a daily/weekly basis. My poor daughter’s hair is literally in two pigtails or 2 puff balls because it’s  just plain easy.  And to be quite frank, it has more tangles than  a rat’s nest. I mean who has 30 minutes or more to deal with your child’s hair.

That all said, I am sure Brangelina received plenty of advice, both unsolicited and recommendations from hairdressers about how to manage little Zahara’s hair. I know I get unsolicited advice from moms all the time and of course, the judgmental looks from moms I don’t know when they see my daughter’s hair. Good god, if I get one more recommendation on what product to get the tangles out or I should straighten her hair, I will scream.

So to Brad and Angelina, maybe  getting braid extensions is too much or not, maybe  you will find out it’s not as easy to take care of as you thought,  who knows but it doesn’t matter because no matter what you do, people will judge you and only you can know what’s best for Zahara.

But the one thing most of the critics never seem to say is that like all parents, I know you are probably winging it like the rest of us.