Travis Kelce has addressed backlash after a New York Times The article credits him with popularizing the tapered haircut.
He New York Times wrote that the Kansas City Chiefs tight end was behind a rise in men bleaching, going so far as to call it “the Travis Kelce haircut.” The article reported that Kelce's specific taper fade has been in notable demand across the country, with TikTok barbers recreating the styles on their clients.
Some criticized the newspaper for giving Kelce credit for the style and therefore ignoring the popular style's roots in black culture. Sports journalist Jemele Hill continued publishing x, formerly known as Twitter, that the article provided “zero cultural context” about the rise in popularity and origins of the fade. She wrote: “When your staff lacks cultural competence, that's how you end up with stories like this.”
She went on to say, “My problem is not with Travis Kelce because he did not write this story nor did he ever claim to have invented this particular haircut. My problem is with him NYT for not giving any cultural context and not explaining that fades have been popular for a long time and have a significant connection to black culture.”
The NFL player himself claimed that he was responsible for the fade's popularity and noted that it was especially egregious that the NYT didn't give credit where credit was due during Black History Month.
“It's absolutely ridiculous,” Kelce told a reporter during a Opening night of Super Bowl LVIII Press conference. “And to do it on February 1 to throw myself to the wolves like that, it was a disaster, man. “I don’t want anything to do with that, man.”
“I do have a good fade if you need it though, it's two on top, a nice high to medium fade with a taper in the back,” she continued, revealing what she specifically asks for when she goes to the hairdresser. “But I didn't invent that, I simply asked for it.”
This is not the first time that the medium has been criticized for its lack of “cultural competence,” since Hill had already lashed out them for reporting on Kelce's pop star girlfriend Taylor Swift's “swag surfing,” a dance that has been around since 2009 and popularized by black students.
However, unlike Kelce's article, the article on “swag surfing” recognizes the roots and history of dance in black culture. They cited theNew Yorkers description of the dance, writing that it is considered a “staple at HBCUs” and is part of a long tradition of young black men dancing with pride and sass.
