Black people are the originators of cool. We know this. But somewhere along the lines an Anglo-Saxon always comes along trying to steal something we started and claim it as there’s. Here are 10 trends white people think they started, but know good and well they didn’t.
Twerking
When Miley Cyrus decided to ditch her home-cooked country scene and dash onto the pop scene, she became even more popular. Then she started twerking and everyone (mostly non-black people) looked to her as if she invented the dance move. Wrong! In all honestly she doesn’t even do it justice.
Source: Twitter
Braids Part II: Kendall Jenner
All hail another rising Kardashian queen. Oh and did you see she’s come up with a new hairstyle? I think they’re called braids….. Or was it Bo Derek that invented them? Eye roll.
Braids Part I: Bo Derek
The original theft in the braid shop. Back in 1980 Bo Derek rocked a set of braids while clad in a nearly see-through swimsuit and thus began the trend known as “Bo Derek Braids.”She has since been referred to as a “hair icon.”
Image Source: WENN.com
Elvis Presley and Rock and Roll
Before Elvis there was Chuck Berry, Bo Riddley, Lil Richard and, I don’t know, countless others. Presley himself was quoted as saying, “A lot of people seem to think I started this business. But rock ’n’ roll was here a long time before I came along. Nobody can sing that kind of music like colored people. Let’s face it: I can’t sing like Fats Domino can. I know that.”
The Harlem Shake
Many renditions of this popular dance resurfaced last year but the “real Harlem Shake” was first introduced 30 years ago by Albert Boyce a dancer in Harlem. Most of the dances now being labeled as the Harlem Shake are just fodder for foolishness. Take that Youtube!
WENN
R&B Music
Don’t we just love when white boys sing soft ballads to us and called them R&B? No, not really. We especially don’t like the ones that steal from real R&B legends and give no credit.
Source: Getty
Macklemore and Hip Hop
Kendrick Lamar received a text from Mackelmore that read: “You got robbed. I wanted you to win.” This text came after Mackelmore won nearly every hip-hop award at this year’s Grammys. I was hoping Kendrick Lamar’s response would be along the lines of: “Yea I know.”
Big Butts
The world became obsessed with big booties when Kim K stepped on the scene. But long before Kim K shaped her butt and walked on the scene, there were villages of women with butts that no doctor or friend in a hotel room could invent. #Motherland
Source: Etsy
Gold Nameplates
In the 1980s gold name plates became popular in the black communities. If you had a gold nameplate you were recognized. When Carrie Bradshaw wore one in the popular series Sex and the City, the popularity of the brand was transferred to her as the trendsetter.
Skin Tone
A lot of white people, and even some celebrities, have used black-face as a mockery. But the all-around truth is that tanning (and tinted moisturizers) has been more popular over the years and that’s due to its ability to transform a pale layer of skin into a golden surface of gorgeousness. I just want us all to take a moment and acknowledge that black skin in all its varieties is beautiful. #FortheWin
