The Tignon Law, also referred to as the Chignon Law, Tignon pronounce [teyôN] is a French word that can mean cloth or handkerchief and is used to reference the headwraps of Creole women, with the intention to oppress their beauty, intelligence, and mobility.There is no record of individual women affected by the law but The law was a legislative act introduced in 1786 by Esteban Rodríguez Miró, the Spanish Governor of Louisiana. This law mandated that Black women wear a tignon, a specific type of headscarf, as part of their attire. Its primary aim was to curb plaçage unions—informal relationships between white men and women of African descent who were creole —and to reinforce associations between freed Black women and those who were enslaved. However, instead of serving as a mark of subjugation, women subjected to this decree creatively transformed the tignon into a powerful symbol of elegance and individuality.
This legislation was influenced by the broader framework of restrictive laws targeting people of color, such as the Code Noir (Black Code). Originally implemented by France in 1685 for its Caribbean colonies, the Code Noir extended its reach to Louisiana in 1724. Similar regulations were later introduced by Spanish authorities, first in 1769 and again in 1778. By 1786, Miró, concerned about what he perceived as excessive luxury displayed by Black women, responded to pressure from white women to impose restrictions on the attire of non-white individuals. His decree, formally titled Bando de Buen Gobierno or “Proclamation of Good Government,” explicitly forbade women of color from adorning their hair with feathers or jewelry. Instead, they were required to wear their hair plainly or cover it with a scarf or handkerchief, regardless of their social status. This applied to negras, mulatas, and quarteronas (women of varying African ancestry). The regulations on the clothing of Black individuals were not unique to Louisiana during this era.