St. Andrew High School for Girls (SAHS), one of Jamaica’s most prestigious secondary schools, announced on Instagram that styled edges were no longer allowed on campus.
The announcement read, “Please be advised that the wearing of ‘edges’ is now officially banned on campus. Remember, curtains belong in the house, not on foreheads! Let’s keep our looks neat and school-ready. We appreciate your cooperation in upholding our standards of excellence as we continue honoring the legacy and inspiring the future!”
The Presbyterian and Wesleyan Methodist churches established SAHS in 1925, according to the Chicago Defender. The school has long been noted for its academic excellence and discipline, with alumni who have gone on to become leaders in law, medicine, politics, and business. The motto of SAHS, “Life More Abundant,” references the school’s goal of catering to the needs of students holistically.
READ ALSO: Black CEO makes history with her Jamaican black castor oil for hair treatment
Nonetheless, a number of social media users remarked that the school’s objective is in conflict with the new restriction on edges.
“So now edges aren’t classy?? Chilli would like to have a word!!!!,” one social media user wrote.
“How does edges stop the girls from looking neat and ready for school?” another person questioned.
According to Baby Tress, while Josephine Baker was the first entertainer on record styling her edges in the 1920s, 1930s movie star Rita Hayworth famously plucked her natural baby hair and pulled her hairline back to pass as a white woman. The sleek, decorative gelled-down baby hairdo was also embraced by Chola culture, which sprang from West Coast Mexican-American street culture, decades later. Just as intricate baby hair gained popularity in Black hair history, it also gained popularity in Latina and Afro-Latina hair cultures.
Meanwhile, other netizens pointed out that, while the Black skin color may appear to be identical, cultures may differ.
“A lot of yall are unfamiliar with how strict high school and the school dress codes are in the Caribbean and it shows this is very regular,” one Instagram user commented.
“Please remember and understand that Jamaica is an island with its own norms. At that school, academics is their focus. It’s one of the best high schools in the island for a reason. I can respect that the U.S. is different and allows children to express themselves at school through fashion, but our culture requires children to focus on learning and sports, nothing else,” another person remarked.
READ ALSO: No Rasta allowed: Jamaican high court defends dreadlock ban in schools
This, however, isn’t the first time the country has taken a stance on hair. In 2020, in what was described as a surprise ruling, a high court in Jamaica defended a school’s right to deny access to a child whose dreadlocks were deemed a contravention of school rules.
The Kensington Primary School in Portimore had said a then five-year-old could not attend the school with her hairstyle. So the parents of the ward, Sherine and Dale Virgo, took the matter to court.
The case was taken before the court after the Virgo family was asked to cut their daughter’s dreadlocks “for ‘hygiene’ reasons,” in 2018. But after the ruling, mother Sherine said she was not going to cut her daughter’s dreadlocks.
On his part, Dale, the child’s father, criticized the ruling, saying:
“A child was refused because of her Black hair, you know? It’s so weird that right now in the current climate of the world, in 2020, we are having protests, and Black people are fed up. This is an opportunity the Jamaican government and the legal system had to right these wrongs and lead the world and make a change,” he continued. “But they have decided to keep the same system.”
Although pressure group Jamaicans for Justice said that the girl’s freedoms and access to education were denied by the school’s regulations, Jamaica’s Education Minister Karl Samuda at the time declined to comment on the issue.
