It may seem altogether harmless but Awra Briguela eventually found himself apologizing for posting photos of himself with cornrow braids.
“I don’t need a weapon. I am one,” he captioned the photos.
While most people appreciated the look, there were those who were quick to accuse the young actor of alleged “cultural appropriation,” deeming his action “disrespectful.”
One netizen with the username @kentonsoup wrote: “I was rooting for you… but your hair. Don’t make that a fashion, it’s disrespectful.”
A netizen then explained the impact of hairstyles in Black culture.
“Let’s start with cornrows. If you didn’t know already, cornrows are small, tight braids laid on the scalp. these braids originated in Africa and were used by enslaved African Americans as maps and escape routes from their slave owners."
While several netizens came to his defense, Awra was wise to acknowledge the criticism, immediately apologizing for the same.
He wrote: “Hi guys I just wanted to apologize for my recent post. I wasn’t fully aware that cornrow hairstyles has a long history of discrimination. I sincerely apologize for this mistake and I hope we all learn from this. Thanks to everyone who reached out and educated me!”
In another tweet, he added: “I’m not always right and that’s okay, I’m still learning, growing, and improving.”