Mainstream media often relies on black culture for fashion and beauty inspiration. Hairstyles that have been a part of Africa and black America for hundreds of years become "new trends" each season.
So if you've ever found yourself tweeting anything like "OMG! Bo Derek braids are BACK!" this quick, enlightening guide on the black hairstyles white media got all the way wrong is for you.
Say hello to cornrows!
Yep, cornrows. Not "boxer braids" — a fun new hairdo Kim K. "made popular."
You're probably confused, like, "But two years ago they said these were cornrows."
So let me break it down: Whether the hair is braided in TWO braids or a THOUSAND braids, the style is still called cornrows.
Charity, a natural hairstylist at Bohemian Soul salon in Brooklyn, confirmed with BuzzFeed that the art of cornrowing is simply braiding (or sometimes twisting) the hair down in a pattern, regardless of the number of braids. The stylist begins with a part, to serve as the guide for each braid, Charity said. Then you grab three sections of hair at the start of the part and simply braid down the row, intertwining additional hair as you work your way down. It's that technique that qualifies them as cornrows, not the number of braids or where they are positioned.