LIFE

What would you do if you were sent home from school just because of your hair?

That's the question 13-year-old Chenise Benson had to ask herself when, according to Yahoo! Beauty, she was sent home from her school in Northern England on Oct. 20 for sporting long white, black and brown braids—something that is against the school's dress code.

But why is this story causing such a stir? Chenise's father, Darren, told English news outlet SWNS that, "I’ve read the policy regarding haircuts—and I can’t see what rule she has broken." Darren is also accusing his daughter's school of "double standards," because Chenise's friend of Jamaican-descent wears dreadlocks to school.

Some on social media don't quite agree with Darren, though, citing Chenise's hair as a form of cultural appropriation (when a member of one culture uses or claims elements of another culture) and are hitting back at news outlets who incorrectly referred to Chenise's hairstyle as dreadlocks.

Just last week, Vanessa Hudgens was called out for the same thing when she Snapchatted photos of herself in similar braids. Regardless of the backlash, Darren has stated that Chenise would be keeping the braids in her hair for a year.

What do you think of Chenise's hair—cool or cultural appropriation? Sound off in the comments below.

Photo credit: Yahoo! Beauty

by GL | 10/31/2016