The Natural Hair Issue

I was looking at my images recently, and I just got stuck on this one. I couldn’t take my eyes off my hair! It’s so thick and so lovely. Now I know it sounds strange, giving myself compliments, but perhaps we should all do this more.

I have been natural now for two and a half years, and I love my hair. However, I am aware that not all the people who share my hair texture feel the same way. I am also aware that the typical model of beauty that has been set for girls like me, does not look like girls like me. This is a problem because it leaves me and all the girls who look like me wondering if the world has just decided that we are not beautiful enough.

I have read and meditated on this topic so much that I think I can argue it from just about every angle. Ultimately, as black people, we are the victims. If we had also gone through centuries of being celebrated as the ideal standard of beauty then we would unlikely be in this mess. Instead, centuries of slavery and a history laced with subhuman treatment of various kinds will take its toll on a people. It seems though that one century of actual slavery results in five centuries of mental slavery. This is the real fight that we as a people are facing, and quite frankly we are losing. When something as trivial as hair, should be such a huge issue this far down the line of our freedom.

Our history has not been pretty. We were robbed. I get that. However, I dislike how this allows us to comfortably shift blame and then not have to really deal with the problem which still exists. It seems that in today’s society it is actually more important to figure out who to blame for a problem than it is to try and fix it. The issue with this is that the problem remains, and in the case of our negative self-image, it remains with us. Even if you blame them, you still lose.

I want to see a sense of pride in ourselves wash over us as a people. A pride that is deep and thorough, because we are the kings and queens of old. Now that we are free, we are suddenly responsible for that freedom and people run scared. Responsibility means dealing, it means unpacking all of those issues that you may have spent your entire life trying to bury. Responsibility means asking questions like, ‘Do I like my natural hair?’ ‘If I took out my weave right now, would I still feel beautiful?’ ‘Am I dependant on external factors for my sense of identity?’ ‘Am I really proud of being black?’ and even ‘Given the chance, would I choose a different ethnicity?’

I could go on, but I already know the arguments that were being formed against me as I was asking the questions. The main one goes along the lines of, ‘ No, you ignorant naturalista, I am actually very proud of my hair. I may always keep it relaxed, but that’s because it’s just what I’m used to. When my hair is relaxed, it’s easier to comb. I wear weaves because I enjoy the versatility of the style. I also wear braids…it’s just hair.’

This argument is actually quite solid, fair enough. Many, in fact most, of us did grow up having our hair religiously relaxed every 4-6weeks or whenever your parents could afford it. So why is it big deal if people choose to just continue along this way as they grow up? Or if they take the next logical step and get a weave. Duh. Really, what is the big deal? This is that exciting part of the article whereby I expose my jugular by revealing my personal opinion on the topic. Sigh. So what exactly do I think is wrong with weaves?

Well, nothing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a woman getting a weave. Provided she looks after it and it looks good, it really can be a great way to change up your look and that is not a bad thing. No, I don’t have a problem with actual weave-wearing, that would be focusing on the symptoms. I have a problem with women who chose to wear weaves or any other hairstyle because they feel that their own hair is somewhat inferior. Women who believe that the standard of beauty is set by cascading locks down your back. The mindset is a problem. If I have known you for four years, and have never seen your real hair in four years, you may want to think through a couple of things. How you see yourself is such an important thing that nobody should be allowed to go through life without truly analyzing how they value themselves.

At the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, my goal is to spread love and light. My dream is to see a proud Africa, standing tall. All of the suffering was for nothing if we cannot truthfully be proud of all that we are. I am extremely proud of being African, especially after seeing some of the rest of the world. I am proud of everything that makes me distinctly African, my hair is just one of those things. As a natural haired young woman, I encourage everyone to try going natural, it’s a journey all on its own and it’s really worth your time. For a woman to look in the mirror and honestly say, “I love what I see, I was created perfect and I don’t need to change anything” is a powerful thing. It’s also not an easy thing. Nonetheless, that’s what I want to see happen for every black woman out there. For every woman out there.

This will never be achieved by me whipping out my naturalista righteousness card to somehow guilt trip all my weave loving sisters into divorcing their Brazilian hair. There is nothing that makes me better than any other woman. The hair is not the problem, one day I will get a weave because I felt like it and that should not be an issue. What needs to change is the way we think. No matter what I have on my head, I am perfect. I am not perfect because of what I have on my head. Because I am perfect and I understand that I have always been, I will no longer waste time trying to chase this perfection in an outward sense. I will now redirect my energy inwards, towards not only discovering who and what I am, but also just how great I am.

Wishing you a great journey of self discovery.

Love,

Noni