Is your hair real

[Kat]

I got it again last night from someone. I just laughed and said "Of course. Who else's would it be?"

But really, seriously-- did any of your parents teach you it was rude to ask someone "are your hair/nails/tan/boobs/whatever fake?" or was it just me? Maybe that's not something that's considered rude and I'm the odd one?

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I got it again last night from someone. I just laughed and said "Of course. Who else's would it be?"

But really, seriously-- did any of your parents teach you it was rude to ask someone "are your hair/nails/tan/boobs/whatever fake?" or was it just me? Maybe that's not something that's considered rude and I'm the odd one?

No my parents never taught me that - when I was growing up, the real thing was all there was. But I would never ask anyone if a body part was real. I have complimented someone on their hair and been told it's extensions, but i certainly never asked about it.

[Dragon]

I got it again last night from someone. I just laughed and said "Of course. Who else's would it be?"

But really, seriously-- did any of your parents teach you it was rude to ask someone "are your hair/nails/tan/boobs/whatever fake?" or was it just me? Maybe that's not something that's considered rude and I'm the odd one?

My parents never taught me that either. I grew up in the bush so mostly only ever saw natural. I’ve never asked anyone if a body part is fake and never would.

[Cg]

I got it again last night from someone. I just laughed and said "Of course. Who else's would it be?"

But really, seriously-- did any of your parents teach you it was rude to ask someone "are your hair/nails/tan/boobs/whatever fake?" or was it just me? Maybe that's not something that's considered rude and I'm the odd one?

I'm old and was raised when courtesy was the rule. My entire society passively taught me not to ask personal questions by never asking personal questions. In our day, it is common (and prurient) to discuss individuals' sex interests. In comparison with this, I find it merely laughable that anyone would care whether our hair is all our own.

[erebus]

The response I more frequently get is "Do you do your hairstyles yourself?" And that's odd to me, too, since I have 1% of the hairstyling abilities of many people on this forum ; ) I do have my hair covered at least partially by a headscarf when I'm in public, so that probably discourages people from noticing unless I've done something "fancy" to my hair.

I don't understand the impulse to pull on hair "to see if it's real," though--unless it's like a schoolyard bully, dip-her-pigtails-in-the-inkwell type of teasing. Most of the people I know who wear wigs regularly get sew-ins or glue-downs. If someone pulled on their wigs, the hair wouldn't come off either, at least not without without ripping the scalp! Hence the term "weave snatch," lol.

I don’t understand it either. So what if someone wears a wig anyway? Are they trying to humiliate them by ripping it off? It’s not that different from pulling someone’s skirt down or things of that nature.

[Lunaena]

A woman once gasped at me, and asked: "Is that a weave? Or is it your real hair?" Perhaps I should not, but I take it as a compliment

[AmeerahKhanNot]

Can't imagine someone randomly tugging on my hair in public, i'd probably think I was being kidnapped since that's a big problem where I live....totally uncool!

[Hairkay]

I got it again last night from someone. I just laughed and said "Of course. Who else's would it be?"

But really, seriously-- did any of your parents teach you it was rude to ask someone "are your hair/nails/tan/boobs/whatever fake?" or was it just me? Maybe that's not something that's considered rude and I'm the odd one?

Yes, it is rude. I don't ask such questions. I will compliment someone's hairstyle no matter if all of their hair is growing from their scalp or they enhance it with extensions. Sometimes when I've told someone I like their hair and they pointed out that it's a weave nevertheless the style was immaculately done. I grew up where most wore their own hair, short,medium or long even though extensions and wigs were known. I only knew one person who wore a wig when I was a young child and witnessed one other person using hair extensions.

[Kat]

No my parents never taught me that - when I was growing up, the real thing was all there was. But I would never ask anyone if a body part was real. I have complimented someone on their hair and been told it's extensions, but i certainly never asked about it.

I mean, it probably comes from the time when my mom was young and it wasn't that socially acceptable to have fake hair/hair color/nails/etc., so I'm sure that's part of what is behind the etiquette of not asking, so now that it's "okay" to do those things, people no longer think it's rude to ask, but still, I'd think it could apply now... I think I had mentioned before, it can't come across as "polite" to say "so, are you being fake?" or seem to be saying "that looks so great, you couldn't possibly have it naturally"!