texturism means prejudice based on the texture of a person's hair, typically when it is Afro-textured. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 100 out of 100.
Why “texturism” is a great word
TEXTURISM — [Noun] A prejudice or discrimination based on the texture of a person's hair, particularly targeting Afro-textured or tightly coiled hair. From texture (referring to hair texture) + the suffix -ism (denoting a system, principle, or ideological prejudice). Unlike colorism (which stratifies based on skin tone) or the broader system of racism, texturism isolates the curl pattern and feel of hair as a primary site of judgment. It is the corporate grooming policy banning twists and locs, the uninvited hand recoiling from a natural afro, and the internalized shame that reaches for the chemical relaxer—a quiet violence that teaches the body to be ashamed of its own architecture, proving oppression refines its categories with heartbreaking specificity.
Etymology
From texture + -ism.
noun
- Prejudice based on the texture of a person's hair, typically when it is Afro-textured.“Unintentionally, I had supported texturism as a girl, choosing to never wear my hair curly until my last year of high school, […]”