--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can understand how someone might read…" description: "\"I can understand how someone might read wearing a blonde wig as a desire to be white, but I suspect that the same shaming smirk can happen if you wear ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90a/melissa-harris-perry-10452_afros_i-can-understand-how-someone-might-read_1128311.png" --- # I can understand how someone might read wearing a blonde… ![“I can understand how someone might read wearing a blonde wig as a desire to be white, but I suspect that the same shaming smirk can happen if you wear a big afro or any number of other hairstyles.” quote by Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90a/melissa-harris-perry-10452_afros_i-can-understand-how-someone-might-read_1128311.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90a/melissa-harris-perry-10452_afros_i-can-understand-how-someone-might-read_1128311.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90a/melissa-harris-perry-10452_afros_i-can-understand-how-someone-might-read_1128311.png) > “I can understand how someone might read wearing a blonde wig as a desire to be white, but I suspect that the same shaming smirk can happen if you wear a big afro or any number of other hairstyles.” [Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hair‑based judgments reflect broader racial biases; any hairstyle can be unfairly stereotyped. **In simple terms:** Hair stereotypes reveal deeper racism. Key Takeaway Challenge assumptions about appearance. Themes race identity stereotypes Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical social. When to use this quote - workplace - school - media representation - social media Key Concepts bias social perception intersectionality Questions to Reflect On - How does hair intersect with cultural identity? - What steps can reduce appearance‑based bias? A Different Perspective Some may argue personal style choices are irrelevant to race. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afros/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Blonde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blonde/) [Blonde Wig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blonde-wig-1752629/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hair/) [Hairstyles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hairstyles/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Shaming Smirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shaming-smirk-3087528/) [Smirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smirk/) [Smirk Happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smirk-happen-3087530/) [Suspects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspects/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [Wig Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wig-desire-3087529/) [Wigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wigs/) ## Related quotes > [I do think that we have to be careful not to assume that getting a perm or wearing a blonde wig is a desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/i-do-think-that-we-have-to-be-careful-not-to-assume-that-getting-a/) [Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/) > [When you come in wearing a blonde wig, people want to hold the door open for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-d-arcy/when-you-come-in-wearing-a-blonde-wig-people-want-to-hold-the-door/) [Emma D'Arcy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-d-arcy/) > [If I'm feeling like a Barbie girl, I'm gonna throw that blonde wig on. It's just the mood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blac-chyna/if-i-m-feeling-like-a-barbie-girl-i-m-gonna-throw-that-blonde-wig-on/) [Blac Chyna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blac-chyna/) > [At home, my daughter Azura has got this long blonde wig that she loves, and she's obsessed with Rapunzel, but you need to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alesha-dixon/at-home-my-daughter-azura-has-got-this-long-blonde-wig-that-she-loves/) [Alesha Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alesha-dixon/) > [I'd like to have thicker hair. I was in 'What The Butler Saw' and at the beginning the character has got long, blonde hair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-page/i-d-like-to-have-thicker-hair-i-was-in-what-the-butler-saw-and-at-the/) [Joanna Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-page/) > [Weirdly enough, in my 14 years of modeling, I've only worn a blonde wig three times. I have no idea why I've never been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-rocha/weirdly-enough-in-my-14-years-of-modeling-i-ve-only-worn-a-blonde-wig/) [Coco Rocha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-rocha/) > [Even his hair was bigger—a massive globe of blue-black frizz so thick that his lobster-claw horns appeared to be drowning as they tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/even-his-hair-was-bigger-a-massive-globe-of-blue-black-frizz-so-thick/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [I had the afro when I was in high school. I had the flattop during a short period in the early '90s. And I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-meadows/i-had-the-afro-when-i-was-in-high-school-i-had-the-flattop-during-a/) [Tim Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-meadows/) > [The hearts of Afro-American women are too warm and too large for race hatred. Long suffering has so chastened them that they are developing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-barrier-williams/the-hearts-of-afro-american-women-are-too-warm-and-too-large-for-race/) [Fannie Barrier Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-barrier-williams/) > [The miscegenation laws of the South only operate against the legitimate union of the races; they leave the white man free to seduce all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-miscegenation-laws-of-the-south-only-operate-against-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I say Afro-American aesthetic, I'm not just talking about the United States, I'm talking about the Americas. People in the Latin countries read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/when-i-say-afro-american-aesthetic-i-m-not-just-talking-about-the/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [The final test of Afro-American studies will be the extent to which they rid the minds of whites and blacks alike of false learning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-saunders-redding/the-final-test-of-afro-american-studies-will-be-the-extent-to-which/) [Jay Saunders Redding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-saunders-redding/) > [Malcolm X broke with the N.O.I. in March 1964, and in that last 11 chaotic months, he spent most of the time outside of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manning-marable/malcolm-x-broke-with-the-n-o-i-in-march-1964-and-in-that-last-11/) [Manning Marable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manning-marable/) > [I always thought he gave me that name because I have a kind of outgoing or sunny disposition. And in those days I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/i-always-thought-he-gave-me-that-name-because-i-have-a-kind-of/) [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) > [Adam Clayton Powell's entire political career has to be looked at in the entire context of the American history and the history of, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/adam-clayton-powell-s-entire-political-career-has-to-be-looked-at-in/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) ## More by Melissa Harris-Perry > [I learned that you can't write a book in the margins of your life. I'd forgotten how much uninterrupted time it takes to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/i-learned-that-you-can-t-write-a-book-in-the-margins-of-your-life-i-d/) [Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/) > [ The debate was a chance for senator \[Bernie\] Sanders to have a game-changing moment to recapture the news cycle and build momentum going into… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/the-debate-was-a-chance-for-senator-bernie-sanders-to-have-a-game/) [Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/) > [Having a white parent undoubtedly makes for a different childhood experience than having two black parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/having-a-white-parent-undoubtedly-makes-for-a-different-childhood/) [Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/) > [Drink lots of water, and nap. I've made some really big messes along the way, whether on the academic side or on the media…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/drink-lots-of-water-and-nap-i-ve-made-some-really-big-messes-along/) [Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/) > [Terrifying mass shooting and high-profile officer-involved incidents have dominated the national conversation on gun violence in recent years. But most deaths by gun are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/terrifying-mass-shooting-and-high-profile-officer-involved-incidents/) [Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/) > [Stereotypes work to help divide women from recognizing their common interests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/stereotypes-work-to-help-divide-women-from-recognizing-their-common/) [Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/) > [I would agree if the race were today, most likely, our nominee would be Donald Trump, but it isn't today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/i-would-agree-if-the-race-were-today-most-likely-our-nominee-would-be/) [Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/) > [The Republicans don't need black folks to vote Republican, they just need them to not vote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/the-republicans-don-t-need-black-folks-to-vote-republican-they-just/) [Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/) > [I had a friend say to me the other day, I hate when I see Jonathan Metzl on your show because I know it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/i-had-a-friend-say-to-me-the-other-day-i-hate-when-i-see-jonathan/) [Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/) > [I am a supporter of much of the Arab Spring, as a matter of indigenous self-determination. So, I see the United States' role in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/i-am-a-supporter-of-much-of-the-arab-spring-as-a-matter-of-indigenous/) [Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/) > [ The leading non-establishment Republican candidate for president, Donald Trump, is just sailing past \[establishment Republican candidates\] in the polls. He is still surging. He… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/the-leading-non-establishment-republican-candidate-for-president/) [Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/) > [I think the idea that you're somehow rejecting whiteness if you don't identify yourself as biracial is odd because everybody engages in whiteness. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/i-think-the-idea-that-you-re-somehow-rejecting-whiteness-if-you-don-t/) [Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/) > [Popular films are so powerful and compelling that it's often easier to accept their versions of history than the much more complicated true stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/popular-films-are-so-powerful-and-compelling-that-it-s-often-easier/) [Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/) > [Donald Trump has changed the rule and so have the stations and the media coverage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/donald-trump-has-changed-the-rule-and-so-have-the-stations-and-the/) [Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/) > [As we watch Republican candidates like Scott Walker and Rick Perry and Bobby Jindal and George Pataki, and even Jeb Bush and Chris Christie,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/as-we-watch-republican-candidates-like-scott-walker-and-rick-perry/) [Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/) [Explore all 65 Melissa Harris-Perry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/) ## More Afros quotes > [Adam Clayton Powell's entire political career has to be looked at in the entire context of the American history and the history of, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/adam-clayton-powell-s-entire-political-career-has-to-be-looked-at-in/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I always thought he gave me that name because I have a kind of outgoing or sunny disposition. And in those days I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/i-always-thought-he-gave-me-that-name-because-i-have-a-kind-of/) [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) > [Malcolm X broke with the N.O.I. in March 1964, and in that last 11 chaotic months, he spent most of the time outside of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manning-marable/malcolm-x-broke-with-the-n-o-i-in-march-1964-and-in-that-last-11/) [Manning Marable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manning-marable/) > [The final test of Afro-American studies will be the extent to which they rid the minds of whites and blacks alike of false learning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-saunders-redding/the-final-test-of-afro-american-studies-will-be-the-extent-to-which/) [Jay Saunders Redding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-saunders-redding/) > [When I say Afro-American aesthetic, I'm not just talking about the United States, I'm talking about the Americas. People in the Latin countries read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/when-i-say-afro-american-aesthetic-i-m-not-just-talking-about-the/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [The miscegenation laws of the South only operate against the legitimate union of the races; they leave the white man free to seduce all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-miscegenation-laws-of-the-south-only-operate-against-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The hearts of Afro-American women are too warm and too large for race hatred. Long suffering has so chastened them that they are developing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-barrier-williams/the-hearts-of-afro-american-women-are-too-warm-and-too-large-for-race/) [Fannie Barrier Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-barrier-williams/) > [I had the afro when I was in high school. I had the flattop during a short period in the early '90s. And I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-meadows/i-had-the-afro-when-i-was-in-high-school-i-had-the-flattop-during-a/) [Tim Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-meadows/) > [Even his hair was bigger—a massive globe of blue-black frizz so thick that his lobster-claw horns appeared to be drowning as they tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/even-his-hair-was-bigger-a-massive-globe-of-blue-black-frizz-so-thick/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Music really influenced me when I was growing up. I did go through a Jimi Hendrix phase. My hair was naturally quite afro, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mccrory/music-really-influenced-me-when-i-was-growing-up-i-did-go-through-a/) [Helen McCrory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mccrory/) > [The Afro-American is not a bestial race. If this work can contribute in any way towards proving this, and at the same time arouse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-afro-american-is-not-a-bestial-race-if-this-work-can-contribute/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [Afro-Caribbean influences are in me as a creative being the same way Spanish influences were in Picasso's work. I think the notion of labels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-fagan/afro-caribbean-influences-are-in-me-as-a-creative-being-the-same-way/) [Garth Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-fagan/) > [The common goal of 22 million Afro-Americans is respect as human beings, the God-given right to be a human being. Our common goal is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/the-common-goal-of-22-million-afro-americans-is-respect-as-human/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [In Italy, I had an Afro, and a lot of the kids came up and felt my hair. It really was funny. I wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugar-ray-leonard/in-italy-i-had-an-afro-and-a-lot-of-the-kids-came-up-and-felt-my-hair/) [Sugar Ray Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugar-ray-leonard/) > [The separating of a section of America for Afro- Americans is similar to expecting a heaven in the sky somewhere after you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/the-separating-of-a-section-of-america-for-afro-americans-is-similar/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) [Browse all 77 Afros quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afros/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can understand how someone might read wearing a blonde wig as a desire to be white, but I suspect that the same shaming smirk can happen if you wear a big afro or any number of other hairstyles.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Melissa Harris-Perry" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/i-can-understand-how-someone-might-read-wearing-a-blonde-wig-as-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Afros" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/i-can-understand-how-someone-might-read-wearing-a-blonde-wig-as-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90a/melissa-harris-perry-10452_afros_i-can-understand-how-someone-might-read_1128311.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90a/melissa-harris-perry-10452_afros_i-can-understand-how-someone-might-read_1128311.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90a/melissa-harris-perry-10452_afros_i-can-understand-how-someone-might-read_1128311.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I can understand how someone might read wearing a blonde wig as a desire to be white, but I suspect that the…” — Melissa Harris-Perry", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Melissa Harris-Perry", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I can understand how someone might...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/i-can-understand-how-someone-might-read-wearing-a-blonde-wig-as-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/i-can-understand-how-someone-might-read-wearing-a-blonde-wig-as-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```