Woman who looks good in a sleeping cap AND isn’t an accurate representative of the women I see outside in sleeping caps
I don’t know if this is a new trend or if I just started noticing it, but all I know is that everywhere I go, there are women – Black women – walking around with sleeping caps on their heads. These women can be found at Walmart, at the gas station, at the pharmacy, driving on the road, at the mall, and every damn where in between. What is going on???
You see, the thing about the sleeping cap is that it is actually meant for sleeping. What that means is that you put it on your head when you are about to sleep, and then, when you wake up, you take it off. You may wear it around the house, or leave it on your head when you walk outside to throw the trash in the dumpster, but please, let it not pass that dumpster. It’s like every single time I go to the store, I spot at least three women proudly walking around with colorful sleeping caps. And just to be clear, it doesn’t matter how colorful it is, it’s still a sleeping cap.
The picture above is nothing compared to the women I have been seeing outside with their sleeping caps. In this picture, the woman is very made up (not how any of us look when we’re going to bed or when we have just woken up), so this picture was clearly taken for marketing purposes. The women I see, however, have no make up on, and for the most part, are not dressed in any particularly nice way … which makes sense anyway. Who would dress up nicely and crown it with a sleeping cap?
I know and understand that sometimes, the time just isn’t there to style your hair and all that stuff. Or maybe you have rollers in your head that you’re not quite ready to take off. Or maybe your hair is still wrapped. It’s all good. There are scarves for that. And no, I am not talking about the satin scarves that are also meant for sleeping. I’m talking about regular good ol’ scarves.
So you’re thinking, what if I don’t want the regular scarf to touch my hair so it doesn’t break my hair? Well, first of all, don’t be dramatic. Using a regular scarf one day of your life for a few minutes or hours will not finish the hair on your head. But just in case you only have three strands of hair and you really, really want to preserve them, then you can leave the sleeping cap on your head and still cover it up with a regular scarf.
If it seems like I am overly touchy about this sleeping cap issue, it’s because I am. I just don’t understand why women do this. I used to think it was a Nigerian thing because every time I saw a woman outside with a sleeping cap on her head, she was Nigerian. But then, the good Lord opened my eyes up to the truth. It’s Black women of all nationalities. Nigerians. Africans. Americans. Everyone.
Please, stop eeeet! It is people like you that make men say they don’t want their women wearing sleeping caps to bed. And we all know what that will do to our hair. So please, next time you consider going out with a sleeping cap on your head, think about your fellow women. What will this do to them? Also, the next time you think about going out with a sleeping cap on your head, I want you to take a long, hard look at yourself in the mirror, and ask yourself this question: do I look stupid? If the answer is anything other than a resounding YES, please wash your eyes with hot water and cold soap. And then, repeat until you get a resounding yes and consequently not go out with a sleeping cap on your head.
Yours In Service,
Vera Ezimora for World Peace
P.S. This post also applies to those of you that have been going out with your pajamas and bedroom slippers. Stop eeeet!
I blame the sleeping cap outside revolution on the evolution of hair journeys (see grammar!) I know ladies who have a shower cap in their bags just in case they get caught out in the rain with no umbrella that’s understandable but it is still a very big no no IMO how about just having a really small umbrella in your bag instead for rainy days, I know I do; two things you will always find in my everyday bag are a pashmina and a small tote like umbrella no matter the weather. Those sleeping cap women are most likely deep conditioning or pre pooing or something underneath those caps but I agree it just looks tacky going out with one of those things on your head. You can still wear the sleeping cap and tie a scarf over it or wear a hat.
Hahaha at the evolution of hair. See wahala. This is the reason why people like Igwe do not like natural hair. I’ve had deep conditioner on my hair before and gone out (with the cap thingy, don’t remember the name now). But I covered it with a scarf, so you couldn’t even see it. This is crazy. Not cute at all!
I feel sorry that they hate their hair so much that unless they have a wig on they always wear a shower cap. African women’s natural curly hair is gorgeous so why do they destroy it. There’s plenty of “world star” videos of them brawling with each other and when the wig/shower cap is pulled off they have bald spots all over their head cause of the amount of damage they have done to it. I actually pity them….
Well, Mark, unfortunately, it’s a problem we (Black women) face due to colonization and slavery. Things are a lot better these days as people are now more “woke,” but there’s definitely a lot of room for improvement.
Loved it. Can’t do with sleeping caps though but net. Have worn a net to early am gym, laundry & grocery…but it can’t & shouldn’t go past that!
See, even those nets sef get as e be. I don’t own a net, but if I did, it wouldn’t be on for everyone to see. I know it’s hard cause we want to maintain our hair the best we can, but err … no.
Please show me a pic of a “regular scarf” biko.
i own those satin-ish decoratie scarfs, buy you (Almighty vera) says those are for sleeping too.
I also own pretty scarfs (mufflers)… and i aint about to tie my pwetty $30 scarf to a gas station.
So, to all my counterparts ( yes, all of us that wear sleeping caps out)…. We ask thee for a SOLUTION.
p.s – stop talking about me on this blog. ah!
See guilty conscience. Lol. Fufu, those satin scarves are sleeping scarves to me oh. You don’t have to tie a $30 scarf but just not the ones meant for sleeping.
It must be a Maryland thing…he he he…
Nne, it just might be oo
It’s rollers in this Lagos. Everywhere you go, you see them with colorful rollers in their hair. It’s soooooo annoying ehn… I wonder what the sense in it is..
Someone must have started the trend, and everyone else just jumped on it. As usual.
MsDawari you just hit the nail on the head very well. 15 years ago, we were complaining about the women that carried big cylindrical rollers everywhere on their head. Then, it evolved to hair nets, especially these Rastafarian looking ones. Now its rubber human hair rollers…ON THEIR WEAVES! As if its not bad enough that you have rollers in your hair at the Supermarket, you want to have them in your weaves too? Seriously? Whats the point of having a weave on then?
Oma, I guess they want their weaves curled — which I understand. But the rollers and hair nets are supposed to be indoors. I don’t think you’re supposed to be walking around with a head full of rollers. And if you’re doing it on weaves and walking around with it, I hope your tracks aren’t showing. *shrug*
Are you stupid asshole or what? Ohhh Black women, we shouldn’t walk around with a sleep cap because we bother the god of the world (the woman that wrote this article). What happens? people can’t wear whatever the fuc they want just because it bothes you?! xDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD LOOOOLL Made me laugh.
No, Alicia, Black women shouldn’t stop dressing the way they want because it makes me uncomfortable. They should just wear sleeping caps for what they be worn for: sleeping. Not going out shopping.
The sleeping cat phenomenon is at Epic Proportions in Tampa where I live. I wish to God that this would stop. I love my sistas, however how can they be taken seriously if they continue to wear things on their head that plays into the old lazy black stereotype. These sleeping caps aren’t even cute. I wish to God I could put out a broadcast to all sistas to let this one go. I love my black women, but I hate this sleeping cap trend. I was going to write about it on my blog, but my blog is more about culture and religion, and I’m not sure if I can find a way to make it work there.
I meant sleeping cap. I just caught that typo.