LET’S TALK ABOUT HAIR. I’ll start by saying that I am so grateful for the outpour of love and support you all have shown me on my recent posts. With our black community still very much in the fight for justice, genuinely supporting each other is especially important. Like many of you, I’ve been trying to process that we are really living in a revolution. Over these past 2 months of protests against racism & systemic oppression, I’ve been trying to think of ways to cope with what’s going on and how I can contribute to our ultimate victory for many reasons. One being so that my people remain uplifted and inspired, as well as remember their necessary existence and significance. This fight for justice is not only about what we physically do, but also about educating ourselves even further about our culture and using our God-given gifts and talents to stay positive through it all. Today, I’ve decided to talk about my natural hair and how I learned to embrace it so that my fellow natural ladies and men can learn to love their crown too!
For those of you who don’t know, I’ve been natural all of my life. My mom never allowed me to get my hair pressed, permed, or blow-dried. I’ve never gotten braids, extensions, or weave either. No matter how much I begged her (which was A LOT), to let me straighten it at least once, she never budged! Growing up, I’ve had many insecurities about my hair. It stemmed from seeing how black women were portrayed in society on TV shows & movies with their hair straightened, as well as being called names like “doo-doo braids” by other black people. With my hair being thick, brown, and styled in twists, I assume that’s what inspired the person to come up with the name. At the time, I laughed it off, but deep down this resulted in me feeling as if I was ugly and inadequate for a long time. Even though I faced criticism concerning my hair, my family and friends told me they loved my hair and that I should never cut or manipulate it with heat. Many times, I recall when even strangers tapped me just to tell me they love my hair and were so in awe of it. Unfortunately, no matter how much people assured me that I was beautiful and that I should embrace my hair, my insecurities still got the best of me and it took me far too long to finally see my beauty.
One of my breaking points during my quest to gain confidence in my hair was in 2016. One of my favorite artists Solange, had just released an amazing comeback album called “A Seat At The Table”. She always amplified the true, beautiful essence of black culture through her music in unique ways, so I knew this project would be no exception. One of my favorite songs from the album is “Don’t Touch My Hair”. Even after the hype of the album died down on social media, I listened to that song everyday. I not only loved the rich melody and sound, but the message of it. I relate to this song in so many ways, especially because people (both black and white) always asked to touch my hair or touched it without my consent. Sometimes, they would do it in innocent admiration, and others in condescending disbelief that my hair is naturally mine. I love and respect how the song really confronts the subtle devalue of black women and even men. It is an inspiring anthem for us to cherish our hair and overall identity as black people. This moment in time was a true turning point and helped me to start loving ME.
Overall, I want all of my curly hair sistas and brothas to recognize the beauty in our gorgeous, black hair. Learn to love its versatility, tight coils, and luscious curls! Not to mention, there are so many hairstyles we can do. From twists and braids, to bantu knots and afros, the looks are endless. If you are struggling like I did, remember that you don’t have to straighten your hair to be pretty. Don’t let insecurity & self-doubt take over because you are beautiful all by yourself and you do not under any circumstances have to manipulate or alter your appearance to be deemed as such. After all, God makes no mistakes and created us all in His image. I pray that all of us would see ourselves through God’s eyes so that we can realize we are fearfully and wonderfully made. In order to truly succeed at anything in life, including this fight for justice, it is important to know who we are. Our hair is not just for fashion, but part of our heritage and a statement of pride. I hope this post really helps to elevate your confidence in your hair and finally love who you look at in the mirror everyday. Stay strong and beautiful!
“But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.”
-1 Corinthians 11:15
Look Details:
Crown: GOD
Dress: SetinitBoutique
Hair Beads: Sally Beauty and Michaels’
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Stay tuned for more posts! Much love and peace.
-Nay.