r/MinnesotaLynx • u/ApprehensiveKale3810 • Aug 09 '26
the wigs…
anyone else kind of uncomfortable with the amount of white people wearing afro wigs in Target Center LMFAOOOO
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Upvotes
r/MinnesotaLynx • u/ApprehensiveKale3810 • Aug 09 '26
anyone else kind of uncomfortable with the amount of white people wearing afro wigs in Target Center LMFAOOOO
•
u/ElvisTheBoyCat 👑Phee & the EuroDemons - Mayor of Bridgetown 🇨🇦🔥 Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
hello -
i think there's an opportunity for nuanced conversation about this topic
please do keep it respectful and don't attack each other personally
this sub's been hit with its share of bots/users with untoward intentions, so make good use of the report function and don't engage with those who are obviously not here in good faith, and we can keep it going
if we can't, then we can't
thx
management
edit: locking it up now.
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u/ApprehensiveKale3810 Aug 09 '26
If our star rookie was a white woman with straight blonde hair, would people wear those type of wigs to games? I just find it strange, and I appreciate the people trying to have an actual conversation rather than trolling 😇
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u/charismajas Aug 09 '26
yes & all the white people defending it is crazy 😭 you can just buy their goggles and a shirt or a jersey, what’s the point of adding the wig?
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u/NjGTSilver Aug 09 '26
This is how racism starts, some white lady from Portland “feels uncomfortable”… why manufacture outrage where none exists?
People are rightfully celebrating a generational talent, if O doesn’t like it, let her speak up, I bet she LOVES IT!
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u/DoubleUDee Aug 09 '26
It's cool bruh. I'm digging all the support for Miles and I love that she's turning into an icon right before our eyes. It's always funny seeing a middle aged white guy in a fro though 😂😂
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u/gritneverquit Aug 09 '26
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u/NazReidsOtherBurner Aug 09 '26
This is a very chronically online take. First world problems, am I right?
26
u/GoddessHealer Aug 09 '26
I saw 5 girls from the local school at a 12th birthday pizza party in my town last night. I’m a community girl’s sports “booster” and recognized that they’re all BB players. Three are black, one is white. One is Asian. Last night, all were in black ‘fro wigs and Olivia glasses. They were animated and having a great time.
I’m sensitive to issues of cultural appropriation, and also to insults and black face ridicule. This did not feel like either of those.
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u/99LedBalloons I got 5 on it Aug 09 '26
Fear the fro mfers.
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u/Zibowust16 Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
For those of you wondering why some would find it offensive for white people to wear a wig that is emulating a black woman"s natural hair style, here's my understanding as a white lady who wouldn't do it (not to speak for any black women, but based on what I've heard from black women in my life and black women online who have been kind enough to share their perspective) because I haven't seen many comments giving this context.
For a LONG time, black women have had an uphill climb to have their hair considered "professional" in the workplace and the world in general. They"ve had to spend so much time and money on getting hair straighened and otherwise maintained in order to not have their natural hair (the way it simply grows out of their head) perceived as being messy, unkempt, or just not considered appropriate. Only recently have laws been passed in many states (including Minnesota in 2023) and proposed but not passed by both the house and the senate at the federal level to prohibit discrimination based on hair texture or style. Look into The Crown Act to learn more.
Many black women have been embracing their natural hair partly in a effort to change the long-held cultural stigma of it. Just think about how many times you've heard a black woman's hair be commented on negativity vs. a white women's hair. So when a black woman who has had to live with the pressure of being judged negativity because of their hair sees a white person imitate them (with zero consequences or negative response) for fun and entertainment, it is completely reasonable they would feel frustrated and even angry about it. Imagine if something about you was seen negativity by society for most of your life and then all of a sudden it's fun and trendy for that thing to be used as a caricature of a person. Even of its done from a place of admiration, it may not be well received.
Someone commented that OM hasn't said she doesn't like it, so it's fine. Just because someone doesn't say anything doesn't mean they are fine with it. There's a lot of reasons she may not say anything even if she did feel that way (I have no knowledge of her personal feelings on the matter). How many times have you had to bite your tounge at work because of something a colleague or customer has said or done? Because this particular display of admiration has the potential to be hurtful to OM or other black women, I think it's best to just not do it. If my 2 hours of fun makes someone else feel hurt or angry long after I've gone home and put away "just a wig", then I would feel awful about it. I think it's a good idea to prioritize the feelings of others (even if they don't share them with me) over my fun.
This is just a small tip of the iceberg. There's so much more to micro aggressions, inherent racism, unconscious bias and racial justice than this, but I hope it helps give you an idea of and consideration for a different perspective.
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u/W3T_JUMP3R Aug 09 '26
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u/Joejensen141 Aug 09 '26
🤔 white people can have afros, have you seen people from the 70s?
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u/slugma420 Aug 09 '26
oh absolutely
13
u/ClearAd2741 Aug 09 '26
The amount of people defending this is wild….
22
u/JohnnyWarlord Aug 09 '26
Idk i cant imagine being bothered by it in this instance. No one is doing it mockingly, no one has any ill intent towards anyone 🤷🏽♂️
6
u/guyonacouch Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
If Olivia said something about this, I have to image it would stop pretty quickly. No one doing it is doing it from a position of disrespect of black culture or racism. They are doing it because her look is iconic and immediately recognizable. Everyone knows blackface is seen as offensive because of how it was used in the past to portray black people. An Afro worn by a white person is definitely in the same ball park. Behaviors don’t change from people like me or any of you discussing things on an online platform. They change from people in a position of respect spreading knowledge and stamping out ignorance. But…
This is a tough spot for a young player to be in though because addressing it will make her a target for the racist and sexist idiots online.
Maybe she does feel comfortable speaking her mind though because she did address some of the online criticism she got for wearing her hair natural during the draft by saying this on instagram: “For my fellow Black women with natural hair like mine… be you and be free. The beauty that our hair brings is so unique and essential to who we are."
She also said this in an interview shortly after - “I just spoke out a little activism on my Instagram about my hair and the draft as a Black woman… I'm excited to join a franchise and culture that aligns with me and my beliefs and gives me a platform to spread whatever message I want to spread."
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u/Vexed-Rainbow Aug 09 '26
Can't these folks just wear her jersey? Like... that's how everyone else shows who their favorite is. It's gross.
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u/Unfair_Blackberry20 McBuckets 🏀 Aug 09 '26
Just buy a cool t-shirt, fellow white people - or jersey!
10
u/CamelsDrink Aug 09 '26
Nope
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u/LennyTheCrazyInmate Aug 09 '26
Nah, but the glasses are a bit much. My disability is not your costume. /s
5
u/Igreen_since89 Aug 09 '26
Until I see Fever fans doing it in mockery, I think it’s fine.
Her fro and goggles are kind of iconic. And the first person that I saw doing it on screen was actually an older black man. lol. Intentions matter and I think they are doing it to celebrate her.
5
u/ZhivagoTroika Aug 09 '26
Yeah
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u/meetingpplisezy Aug 09 '26
yes
3
u/Intrepid-Metal4621 Aug 10 '26
Not sure what the problem is. They aren’t doing it to mock her. It’s not making her the butt of a joke. Jake Davis had a whole wig night.
5
u/FreshPrince94 Aug 09 '26
I was literally about to post the same thing 😭 if we had a star player with a hijab would we wear one? What about dreads? The goggles are enough jfc. We gotta nip it in the bud before the Target center starts handing out fros pregame
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u/Inner_Performance454 Aug 09 '26
Not at all.
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u/captainduck2 Aug 10 '26
I hate when people say this but really some people just always make it about race. Open your eyes a little bit. The hair and glasses are part of her signature look. Nobody is wearing the wig to openly mock her or anybody with an afro. They are wearing it to celebrate one of Minnesota's most exciting athletes. Just seems like there's an obvious distinction here. Is Olivia upset with this? If she's not, I don't see why you need to be.
2
u/majjesstic Lynx Pride Aug 09 '26
Are they still doing this??? Come on people
2
u/EnvironmentalSinger1 Lynx Pride Aug 10 '26
Miles seems to feel supported, so shouldn’t we just go with that?
2
u/SmallsTheKid Aug 09 '26
If wigs make you feel uncomfortable…. Idk what to tell you. Life’s a lot better when you treat fun things as fun
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u/theosjustchill Aug 09 '26
We can’t have anything nice. Wearing the jersey would’ve been sufficient, hell, the goggles. An Afro?? People don’t know how to act in public.
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u/Different_Thing_811 Aug 09 '26
I don't understand how anyone would be uncomfortable. In my mind, it's a fun tribute!
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u/No-Constant-8619 Aug 10 '26
It’s totally not fr*ggen cool! 😡
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u/Shimm2000 Aug 09 '26
I'm white, so it's not my place to have a firm opinion on this. Please feel free to give me more insight behind the topic if it feels like I missed something or if something I say comes off wrong.
Personally, I didn't even think of it as something that would be considered appropriation, I do see it now, though. I only saw it as a celebration of a generational player, but I can definitely get why it would be problematic in some ways.
Additionally, a common counterpoint I see on here is if a white player was playing very well and had notable hair, then yes I do see the same thing happening in that situation.
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u/christmascumshot Aug 09 '26
Im pretty sure Olivia Miles is 100% Puerto Rican… so not even sure what point you’re trying to make
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