Hair. You know that thing that grows out of our bodies, more specifically our head? Yeah well that thing is a prevalent topic in the black community. Whether you get a relaxer, wear an Afro, are natural, bald, have locs or anything, there is an opinion to be had. Often times the natural hairstyles receive negative attention and I myself even shared some of those feelings a while back. However, after actually thinking about it, I realized that natural hair speaks volumes and should not be judged so harshly.
Natural hair is celebrated by those who choose to wear it. Whether they do the big chop (cutting it all off and growing from scratch), or transition into natural hair, they generally love it if they can maintain the effort it takes to keep it up. All cultures seem to be fascinated with natural hair. They love the thickness, the way it feels, the way it looks and the way it can be styled so many different ways. Even some black people wear weaves and wigs that emulate natural hair. It’s as if they want the looks and the perks that come with it, but not the actual life that comes with maintenance.
Now what I seemed to notice is that black culture is exactly like black hair. The way cultures seem to be fascinated with only certain aspects of the hair is comparable to cultural appropriation. Sure I would like to enjoy the perks and benefits of your hair, the looks, the many styles, the deep curls, the uniqueness, the thickness, but i would only like to enjoy it until it gets hard to deal with. Seems a lot like what happens with our culture. Also, a lot of black people judge those who choose to be natural, deeming them unattractive and so forth. Amazing how celebrating what is naturally you is judged… Funny how black people who don’t conform to typical gender and cultural norms are judged by their fellow peers as well.
After reflection I realized that we must not judge out brothers and sisters who choose to wear their hair the way it grows. The idea that they should conform to a standard of beauty not shared by our own standards is ludicrous. Like, why is it that when the hair that grows out of our head is getting too rowdy, we have to get a relaxer to make it lie down and please others? Why do police tell us to lie down on the grown and relax whenever they feel we are rowdy, even when often times we do not do wrong? Sometimes it seems society just wants us to not be who we are to appease them. The very essence of who we are literally grows inside of us until it bursts from within. We can celebrate it… celebrate us, or we can shun what is natural to fit into a world clearly not designed for us. Now we should also not judge those who choose to wear weaves, or get relaxers, or any style they want, because also like our culture, our hair can be shaped to satisfy any group’s desires, but at its roots, the essence is still the same.
