Why Is Jack Harlow Wearing a Bonnet?

Jack Harlow raised some eyebrows this week after he was spotted wearing a hair bonnet at a Louisville City FC game in Kentucky on June 12, 2023. Bonnet, soccer, and Jack Harlow aren’t words you typically hear in the same sentence so people on social media were quick to share their confusion after photos surfaced of Jack posing with fans wearing reflective shades, a black tee, and a satin bonnet to match.

What Harlow includes in his hair care routine is entirely his business, and there is no harm in protecting your curls outside of the house. The cause for online debate comes from the cultural ties behind something seemingly as simple as a hair covering. In Black communities, bonnets serve a functional purpose. They maintain moisture, prevent frizz and dryness, and protect textured hair from the elements. They are not considered a style statement, and it isn’t uncommon for women to be dragged online for wearing a bonnet in public.

Critics of Black women freely wearing bonnets consider it unpresentable, such as comedian Mo’Nique controversially commenting on a group of Black women wearing bonnets at the airport. “When did we lose our pride in presenting ourselves? When did we slip away from ‘let me make sure I’m presentable when I leave my home?’” she said in a 2021 Instagram video. Criticizing bonnets is rooted in anti-Blackness as they are an unapologetic symbol of Black culture and are integral to Black hair care.

Seeing a white man like Jack Harlow wear an item that doesn’t hold the same significance in his own culture represents a double standard that only seems to be applied to Black women. For example, you don’t hear nearly as much clapback for Black men wearing durags which serve the same purpose. Where Black women get called unkempt for wearing a bonnet in public, Jack Harlow can do the same freely without the same ridicule.