Non-Black Women Have Jacked Twist Outs and are Calling it “The Rope Trick”

Beauty and DIY vlogger AlexandrasGirlyTalk’s “rope trick” tutorial was featured on Bustle.com yesterday. The only problem is that her “rope trick” is literally the same thing as a twist out – a style achieved by creating two-strand twists in small, medium, or large sections depending on the desired curl size. The twists are then unraveled after they completely dry, creating curls that last for days. In the video, Alexandra washes her hair, applies product and proceeds to two-strand twist her hair in small sections. She even flat twists the front (of course she doesn’t call it that.)

Some think the re-naming isn’t a big deal. Sort of like hair tie vs. pony tail holder. Others argue that black women with natural hair started the twist out trend and her “rope trick” idea isn’t original and should be called by its real name…a TWIST OUT. This reminds me of that time Marc Jacobs tried to convince the world that the twisted mini-buns his models sported weren’t bantu knots.

The first time I ever heard of a twist out was 9 years ago when I was researching natural hair salons. Since then, I’ve seen a boat load of natural ladies like TheChicNatural and Naptural85 demonstrate the twist out on their YouTube channels.

It is mind-blowing that Alexandra, who states that she is half Colombian and half white, is unaware of the origin of this style. A search for “twist out” on YouTube brings up 220,000 results, virtually ALL featuring black women. Alexandra’s video has and has been viewed 600,000 times and re-posted by excited women who believe it to be a new and innovative technique.

If you watch a twist out tutorial by a natural YouTuber and adapt the technique for your own curls, that’s awesome! Glad it’s working for you. Shout out the natural hair community, or whoever you got the idea from, and keep it moving. And at the very least call the style what it is – a twist out.

Ladies, what are your thoughts?