Everybody Hates Nang

jascurka:

I actually love the concept of chubby Marinette! Adrien in my head wil forever be shorter than Nino too so ( ´ ▿ ` )

sweet-potatah-pie:

What a question! This could get SO deep, but I’ll try to stay on track, haha! 😅

So, Tiana exists in a very interesting era for Black women’s hair (but honestly, what era isn’t interesting!). In the decades just before the 1920s, Madam CJ Walker became a millionaire by catering to Black women’s beauty. Then with the rise of jazz and film, Black musicians and performers became visible in a real way for the first time in the United States and Europe. And there was still the oppressive presence of the white gaze and the physical protection of hair assimilation.

With all that in mind, I assume Tiana’s hair texture is straightened and then curled based on the styles she wears in the movie. This process could have been achieved through a lye and potato based chemical treatment, but I like to think Tiana would have gone with the route of using a hot comb: a metal comb, heated over an open flame until hot, and pulled through the hair to remove the natural curl pattern.

I think Tiana, even as busy as she is, patrons a local Black hair care salon. The 1920s was a boom time of women’s salons popping up everywhere, and the ones catering to Black women’s beauty (as well as being places for community, safety, and civil rights planning) were still relatively new. Plus, these salons were usually owned/operated by Black women. As a Black woman business owner herself, I absolutely think Tiana supported other Black women business owners in this way.

So for her routine, I think probably once a month, Tiana goes to a salon for a professional wash, straighten, and curl. I think she probably does touch-ups at home with her own hot comb, curling iron, and pressing oil, and then I think she likely greases her scalp for moisture and shine. She probably also plaits her hair before bed and wears a silk or satin bonnet to sleep in, before styling it the next day. I really like that Tiana has longer hair in the 1920s when shorter bobs were the trend, because it shows not only that she doesn’t feel the need to follow trends, but I think it also says something about her dedication and how she values putting time into herself (because maintaining hair can be very time consuming for us!).

That said, I doubt she does much of her hair care routine alone. More likely than not, her mother Eudora, her friend Georgia, and her professional stylist are the ones who help her most with her hair (and she probably helps her mom and her friend Georgia in return).

I think Naveen probably helps remind Tiana not to fall asleep without her bonnet, but otherwise, I’m not so sure how qualified he is in this arena. LOL. There’s a lot of work and ritual involved! I’m sure Tiana has recommended a local barbershop to Naveen, though. Although his ethnicity is not confirmed, I assume his hair is naturally straight/wavy and that he wouldn’t need a conk, but he would still probably have his hair styled as if he had had one. He probably enjoys a professional shave regularly as well.

And I hope someone manicures that man’s eyebrows for him, too. 😂