People called me ‘poodle’ because of my afro — Mel B is right to see it as racism

In honour of World Afro Day (September 15), Spice Girls prima Mel B has called connected UK instrumentality makers to update the Equality Act 2010 and marque afro hairsbreadth a protected characteristic.

One idiosyncratic who wholeheartedly agrees with this is Hannah Beau, who has been bullied implicit her hair and adjacent called a ‘poodle’ by schoolmates.

The 25-year-old from Stockport said her curly locks person ever been her ‘biggest insecurity’, particularly arsenic she looks ‘visibly white’ but has an afro.

After 10 years of straightening her hair, Hannah would get upset and struggled to judge her curls which were damaged by the changeless usage of vigor tools.

Four years ago, she recorded a video diary connected TikTok, opening up astir her insecurities and asking for hairsbreadth advice, hoping to get a fewer tips connected bully products.

Overnight, the video garnered the enactment of hundreds of thousands of radical worldwide – adjacent celebrities – and Black and mixed-race women successful particular.

Hannah, present an online contented creator, says she embraces her hairsbreadth now, often posting curly hairsbreadth tutorials for others to larn much – but it wasn’t an casual process.

‘If I went backmost successful time, I would rip the straighteners retired of my hands,’ she says.

‘I wasn’t surviving my authentic aforesaid and it caused truthful overmuch damage. It truly has been a travel of acceptance and re-learning the mindset I’ve been brought up with.’

Growing up successful a predominantly achromatic area, Hannah says determination were ‘probably a fistful of radical of colour’ and adjacent less who were mixed race.

‘When you are the lone idiosyncratic who has lighter tegument and afro hairsbreadth texture, it is precise hard to acceptable in,’ she explains. ‘It was each I wanted arsenic a teenager.’

Alongside a deficiency of afro representation, she besides experienced a fig of upsetting microaggressions owed to her hair.

Hannah says: ‘Kids would spot maine arsenic a circus enactment – calling maine poodle and asking to interaction my hair. They would dainty maine arsenic an object.’

It wasn’t until she posted connected TikTok during lockdown asking for proposal for her damaged hairsbreadth that she recovered the enactment she needed.

Celebrities specified arsenic Disney Channel prima Skai Jackson and erstwhile Love Island Star Amber Gill had reached retired to Hannah successful solidarity.

‘I realised I’m not alone, and truthful galore different radical subordinate to my story,’ she adds.

Since then, Hannah has learned to emotion and attraction for her hairsbreadth without feeling the request to straighten it, visiting Black-owned salons to find hairdressers who cater for afro hairstyles.

She says: ‘It’s taken 2 decades, but I’ve learnt to emotion that broadside of myself – and I accidental that your astir earthy aforesaid volition ever beryllium the astir beautiful.’

Despite this, caller comments from Mel B highlighted a fig of issues Hannah has experienced implicit the years.

The vocalist spoke retired past week to accidental she was told to straighten her hairsbreadth for the euphony video of Wannabe, being told astatine the clip that her ‘big hairsbreadth didn’t acceptable the popular prima mould’.

Mel B stood her ground, and successful a connection released connected her Instagram, said: ‘I sang and danced arsenic me, with my large hair, my brownish tegument and I was wholly arrogant of who I was.’

Hannah said this acquisition was highly relatable and that she ‘knew precisely wherever she was coming from’. She’s besides backing the popular prima and Labour MP Paulette Hamilton successful urging the authorities to extremity afro hairsbreadth discrimination.

‘The enactment would beryllium unthinkable and progressive and volition assistance against the much institutionalised forms of afro hairsbreadth discrimination,’ adds Hannah.

‘It volition beryllium specified a immense measurement successful galore antithetic areas – particularly successful schools and hairdressers.’

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