Why Do Black People In America Look So Different To West Africans .

Do African-Americans look different from people from sub Sahara Africa?

There are some differences but not by a mile. You have to understand that africa is a very diverse continent with all types of facial features, and hair textures. There are certain types of ppl that live there that can easily be confused as as an native black American.However, as far as skin color, CERTAIN hair textures, and nose features, I do notice certain differences.Whenever I compare African Americans to our African counterparts, I always choose to compare them to northern west Africans, because that is where we come from.I have learned that African Americans have some features that aren’t so common to features in those parts of Africa. For instance, most African Americans I know tend to have multiple hair textures in their head. I am 3rd generation mixed with Asian so I have 5 different hair textures, ranging from kinky, loosely curled, coily, to straight. While most sub Saharan Africans don’t have these different hair patterns. (Which is still beautiful!) I notice that their hair tends to shrink under water, and it is hard for many of them to do a wash n’ go without extra help like finger coiling.There are also things that stick out to me…For instance, try to figure out which ones are African American and which ones are not.If you guessed that the 2nd and last photos were that of African Americans, you were correct.I have noticed that there are certain nose features and skin colors that many African Americans simply don’t have. EFor instance photos like this would be a dead give away.At the end of the day we are all black, so there is no need to go into detail of our genetic make up.But please don’t believe that all this mixing is because of slavery. Most African Americans are mixed within 5 generations, which is after slavery. This had to do with blue vein clubs, and paper bag test, which encouraged young adults to swirl in hopes of making a better life for their family.

Why do black Americans look different from Africans?

Africa is the most diverse continent so there is a great variance of features and distinct looks in the continent. So, like Michael Mc Laughlin so perfectly stated in his post, “Africans look different from Africans”. Put differently, even Africans will not fit the stereotypical image of what an African is supposed to look like.Now, while African-Americans will not resemble every group in Africa (after all Africa does have 54 countries and hundreds, if not thousands, of indigenous ethnic groups), they do resemble African groups they are descended from. Due to the nature of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, slaves were taken mainly from the West coast of Africa. Some were also taken from Central and Southern coasts of Africa. As such, they resemble many groups from coastal West Africa.Below are photos of West African people. In Western clothing, they would easily look like an average African-American:There are also some lookalikes of West African and African-American backgrounds. Some examples of similarities:Efik woman (Nigeria/Cameroon)African-American actress Khandi AlexanderGovernor Godswill Akpabio, Nigerian politician of Anang ethnicityDamon Dash, African-American music producerWodaabe manSnoop DoggSenegalese footballer Souleymane DiawaraP DiddyFula womanComedian Wanda SykesFor the most part, African-Americans and West Africans look similar. Nigerians and African-Americans in particular look very much alike, which makes sense in light of the fact that a great number of slaves taken to America were West African and Nigerian.There may be a slight difference at times due to the level of white ancestry most African-Americans possess. Even when there is not a white or biracial grandparent, African-Americans have, on average, 17%-14% European ancestry. There is some variance in skin tones in West African ethnic groups but they generally have very deep skin tones. African-Americans in comparison may have slightly lighter skin tones, on average, due to this racial admixture. That is not to say that there are light-skinned indigenous African ethnic groups but they usually live in other parts of Africa or were not prominent in the ethnic groups that were taken to America.

Race and Ethnicity: Why do African Americans look different from Sub Saharan Africans?

DNA testing is showing that most African Americans are part European ancestry. On average African Americans are 73.2 percent African DNA. They are 24 percent European DNA, while .8 % of their DNA came from Native Americans.  We knew this already from history, genealogy and documents and family stories. African Americans are a uniquely American ethnic group. As a culture that did so much to make America what it is and as a people they are Americans and formed here as an ethnic group.  In terms of self identification, if Americans are by their DNA 28% African or more, then people tend to see themselves (and be seen) as African American. That means they can be up to 72% European and still be seen and see themselves as African American.  This is do to racial politics and history not genetic ancestor.  President Obama is a small example.  He is 50% African and 50% European ancestry.  He was raised by a white mother and white grandparents in Hawaii. He identifies as African American and most Americans view him as such.  But he is genetically half and half. Interestingly there is variation between states too.  African Americans from South Carolina are much higher percent African. About 80-85% African ancestry or more in SC. This is probably because they were the main slave ports where people were forcibly brought to the US. There was once also a large freed slave community there as well. As the other answer says there was a large amount of rape.  There were also mistresses and prostitution  for the whole period and intermarriage until it was outlawed.  For White Americans in SC, 13% of them are at least 1% or more African. White? Black? A Murky Distinction Grows Still Murkier

Why is West African hair different from African Americans hair?

I do hair, and all the Africans that I met have really tight coiled hair, 4C. I had a lady from Cameron wanted a perm and the perm wouldn’t take. There is noting called 4D hair but if there was her hair was 4D. Most but not all African-Americans tend to have looser coils, but we are all family so its cool. Nigerians tend to have real THICK 4c hair, its nice because it doesn’t break with heat or from a perm. It can grow long.The dude above is right about the hair textures. Because we are mixed our hair is mixed with European and Native-American hair. I never did a West African’s hair that wasn’t a 4C. Non 4C West Africans might exist but I never met one.Nigerian Girl with long 4C hair getting her hair moisturized.Nigerian woman long blown out 4C hair.Two African-American kids with 3B hair

Do a lot of Black Americans look like indigenous West Africans?

Yes because unmixed phenotype diversity in Africa is diverse not factoring migrations of people from European and Asian ancestries.Globally, people have very limited view of a native, unmixed African phenotypes in the first place. The supermodel Iman spoke of this in an interview with an African interviewer in which Iman said she is viewed as less African than other Africans even though she is an unmixed African woman.The problem is when earlier Western Europeans saw Africans with narrow features, the assumed these Africans were 1. Genetically closer to them (which is not true they are genetically as African as any other Africans), and 2. Are the result of mixture/descent from Europeans (another falsity since admixture among the majority of indigenous African ethnic groups is less than admixture in African-American-Brazillian-Caribbean-Candian-Latino people who have more European, Native American, and Asian admixture than Africans but are considered black.).Narrow features, full features, large eyes, small eyes, coarse hair, woolly hair, wavy hair, straight hair, yellowish brown skin tone, brown skin down, dark skin tone.... are all indigenous African features not the result of admixture.These are indigenous Africans:The San/KhoisanThe Nama of NamibiaMursi of EthiopiaKrobo of GhanaOromo of EthiopiaFulani - NigeriaBerber of TunisiaBedik of SenegalBamileke of CameroonAmhara of EthiopiaAfar of Somalia Afar womenBatwa of UgandaToubou woman - LibyaZaghawa (Beri) women - SudanNuba man - SudanTaureg - MaliHausa men - NigeriaRwandan woman