Is "nappy" a derogatory word?

Question

My mom told me that our hair is no nappy it's curly. And she said nappy is a word that was crated to put black folks down about themselves.

Answer 1

Yes you don't hear white people calling their hair stringy and nitty. Black people put themselves down too much, no wonder things are difficult.

Answer 2

When I was growing, "nappy" was never a derogatory word. And it was never used to describe people of different races (or their characteristics).
It was only a word for "nasty" or "gross". (For example: That food was nappy).

Maybe it just depends on the culture where you live.

edit: Before today, I've never heard it used to describe hair. But if some people take it as an insult, I'm probably better off not using the word at all. Thanks for making me aware.

Answer 3

Nappy is not a derogatory word! It describes tightly curled hair. It doesn't imply any of the negative connotations or stereotypes that some other words may.

Answer 4

I don't feel it is derogatory. Did you ever hear of the childrens book called "Nappy Hair" about a little girl embracing who she is? It was featured on Oprah and was also banned I think.

Answer 5

I personally feel the word" Nappy" is very offensive because it started in the days when blacks were called terrible names to make them feel less than.So No my kids can't use it and Yes I hate when I hear others using it.#ignorance is bliss.

Answer 6

It has been used in the past as an insult..."nappy haired" to refer to someone who is or was suspected of being black, but it can be used in ways that are not offensibe see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afro_textured_hair

Answer 7

That all depends on who is using the word and how they mean it - and who is saying it. Some people use the word innocently just to describe a particular type of hair. Others though, use it in a nasty, cruel way and mean horrible things by it.

No matter what type of hair you have, embrace it as uniquely your own.

Answer 8

i think it's not nice. I wouldn't use it and I don't allow my kids to because it sounds mean to me. If you are describing hair, you would say curly or even frizzy, but not nappy.

Answer 9

it's possible, i guess. not unknown for people to take a characteristic and use it in a derogatory way. and, unless i look in a dictionary, i would have no idea what nappy is or looks like.

Answer 10

I don't know, but I never thought of it that way. Actually, when I hear "nappy", I think of diapers, because that's what Brits call them.

Answer 11

nappy just means, your grain is in need of a perm. take no offense. us it as you'd like. don't let people make a term to down you, use it in a positive way instead.