Mass Return of the Curly Haired Caos!!!!!
My mother, a lover of relaxer, made a statement that made me think. "All these Afro's I see on a daily basis remind me of the late 60's and 70's. Stephanie, I have always told you, everything old is new again". Thinking on that for a second, I realized that this is not the first surge of women going natural. Natural hair was a huge thing in the 60's to then die down in the 70's... lets take a look at it for a second.
Black Power! A movement in the 1960's that prompted women of color to embrace their naturalness and start rocking their Afro! To those involved in the movement, their naturally curly hair was a sign of the love that they had for themselves and the end of white oppression. Everywhere you looked you'd find an Afros and cornrows. By the 1970's, this movement began to dissipate and there was the return of the hair straighteners, the white lye, the creamy crack.
Recently, everywhere you turn, you can find a woman of color, embracing her God given curls with pride. Again, you are finding Afros, corn rows, twists, bantu knots, twist-outs and much more everywhere you look from CEO's to house wives. The fact is "Natural is in". Question is, is it in to stay? Is this just a fad, as in the 1960's, or is this more than a political movement, a statement? I've questioned other women who have taken the big step and I have heard everything from " I want to prove black is beautiful" to "Its time for me to love me for me". Truth is, a lot of women are realizing that the reason women of color have more issues with hair loss than any other ethnicity, is because of the creamy crack that we apply every 6-8 weeks. I'm seeing more of us with receding hair lines, bald spots, split ends and hair breakage. Truth is, that women are realizing that this thing that we do to ourselves to fit in to this image we call beautiful is causing more harm than good.
Whatever your reason is, natural hair seems to be here to stay. Only time can tell, but in meet-ups around the world, online groups and blogs such as this one, there are hundreds and thousands of natural supporters that seem to not be going anywhere soon.....
Please leave comments in the comment section below
Labels: "black power", "natural hair", afro, black, hair, Natural
posted by Queen @ 10:27 PM
5 Comments
5 Comments:
Queen!!! I love this article! I had the same question... is natural hair truly here to stay, or is a fad? Time will certainly tell my friend. What I can truly say is that my kinky hair is here to stay! I did not go natural to fit in...I went natural, to stand out, to be different! I think if sister or brother so and so is going natural because everyone else is doing, when the next fad comes along, they will fall off the radar. But for those of us who are rocking the natural for personal happiness and self esteem, we aren't going anywhere!! :)
I agree! Ive come across a couple of people who say that they went natural because they thought so and so's natural was cute. For that reason, as you stated, when the next thing comes along, they will be off the natural path and on to something else. My hope though, is that somehow while they are on the natural journey, they realize the pride that comes with embracing their natural curls, and love it!
Personally, I went natural for me! I really wanted to go in high school but I listened to what everyone else said and how everyone else felt. Finally last year I decided that it was time to break out of the box of what people needed or thought I should be in order to become who God is making me. Yes I get frustrated with my curls, but not enough to go back to the creamy crack! I was lyed to for over 10 years but now, I walk in the truth of who I am. If God wanted me to have straight hair, he would have made my hair that way...
Most of the people that I have met are planning to stay natural for life. That's the case when it comes to me, I just decided that I want to accept my hair for what it is, all of it for what God intended for me to have. Going natural is too much of a process to go through to go back to relaxers. I've worked too hard to go backwards.
I hope natural hair is here to stay. I think all women, of every color, should do more to accept themselves as who they are, rather than try to alter themselves to be what the main stream calls beautiful.
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