Rat Tail Combs Are The Black Beauty Batgirl Bat Signal According To Jackie Aina
Our accessory kit includes a vital symbol of the culture.
Every Black girl knows the powerful sense of relief that comes from slipping the point of a rat tail comb across an itchy scalp. The point of that narrow piece of plastic is a Godsend. It is even more fulfilling than the pleasant yank of the paddle brush raking our look into place.
Including one in our beloved accessory kit was a no-brainer for us. We always keep one close by so that clean parts and a soothing scratch are never more than a moment’s reach away.
Recently, one of our faves reminded us of the power of the rat tail comb and that it is more than just a versatile beauty tool. It is a strong symbol of the way beauty rituals connect Black women to one another. When we see another Black girl rummaging through her bag and following up her frustration with a smile as she fishes out a rat tail comb, we know exactly what type of time she’s on.
The ultimate beauty OG Jackie Asamoah (née Aina) namechecked the rat tail comb when she called out some people in her comments who thought it was cute to use AAVE to question her finances. The culture might be following Kendrick Lamar’s instructions to rescind barbeque invitations, but there are some who are still a tad too comfortable in the social media streets. Asamoah was NOT going for it at all.
It was a prime moment for her to clock the type of people who call cornrows “boxer braids.”
She popped up in a video with a mauve rat tail comb protruding from the tresses in the back of her perfectly laid platinum wig. “This is not a cookout, babe,” she stated as she used the comb to scratch her hair. It was a familiar image that we could definitely relate to. Who hasn't lounged around their house with a rat tail comb nestled safely into their bundles?
The hilarious video prompted another Black girl to see herself in Asamoah’s actions. TikTok user @liseeeexo commented asking “So we’re all just sitting up with a rat tail comb in our head?”
“Yes, we all are,” Jackie confirmed. She then suggested that we “normalize trolling” by using the iconic visual reference to test the culture vultures who tend to rebrand items like bonnets as trendy before selling them for intense mockups.
“In your next TikTok, show up like this,” she told her massive following. “Start doing stuff that’s so “niche-ly’ specific,” she added with a drag of the comb.
“Because what do you know about that? And what are you doing with it, and what is it for,” she asked, aiming the comb at the camera with a series of playful grimaces.
We know all about it. The next time we’re on the go, we’re slipping it right into our favorite clutch for our scalps, and the culture.