Cornrows are a traditional, unisex, West African style of hair grooming where the hair is tightly braided very close to the scalp, using an underhand, upward motion to produce a continuous, raised row. This technique is somewhat similar to that used to produce a French braid, which is braided using a overhand, or inward, motion, resulting in a flat braid. Cornrows can be formed, as the name implies, in simple, straight lines; or, in complicated geometric or curvilinear designs. Often favored for their easy maintenance, cornrows can be left in for weeks at a time simply by carefully washing the hair using a stocking cap or hair net and then regularly oiling the scalp and hair. Cornrowed hairstyles are often adorned with beads or cowrie shells, in the West African tradition.
Common in West Africa, cornrows survived for centuries as a style of hair preparation in the U.S. among African slaves and their progeny primarily in the American South. In 1963, when most African American women were loathe to be seen in public with unstraightened hair, actor Cicely Tyson drew immediate notice when she sported cornrows on the popular network television series "East Side, West Side." The style gained wide popularity in the U.S. in the 1960s and 1970s as part of the Black Pride Movement , when the trend was away from straightening hair to wearing "natural" hairstyles. Afros, strands of hair twisted into tight coils or wound with twine, and the wearing of geles (colorful, often elaborately wrapped head cloths) became other commonplace, African styles adopted by African American women.
Cornrows also enjoyed some popularity among whites after blonde actor Bo Derek wore beaded cornrows in the popular Blake Edwards movie "10," and became widely popular once again with the spread of hip-hop culture in the 1990s.
Over the years, cornrows have been the subject of several disputes in the American workplace. Some employers, usually white, have deemed them unsuitable for the office and have banned them. African American employees and civil rights groups have countered that such attitudes evidence racial and cultural bias. Cornrows are perfectly appropriate in professional settings, they contend, citing their acceptability in venues such as the United Nations. Some such disputes have resulted in litigation.
