"Shape-Up" or Ship Out ===>"Your hair that is......." ^_^

   In case you weren't paying attention, I fairly recently cut off all of my permed hair and converted to rockin' my "Natural" hair.  December 29, 2009 actually marked my second month anniversary (did i say that right?) of my BC, "big chop" for those low on an understanding of natural hair lingo.  Anyways, many or maybe none of you at all may have been wondering what was up with the epidemic of Au-Naturale cuties "struttin their stuff like they in the mall shoppin" (Durrough) across our own & other campuses.  Though I cannot speak for the plethora of natural women out there, I will offer a single explanation for this "revolution, whoop! whoop" (Kirk Franklin) that is upon us and that is Health.

   When I say health, I am referring to physical, mental, emotional, and yes even spiritual health of  both men and women.  In the quest for "good" or better hair than the next girl, African American women in particular seek perms and other chemical means of sedating their natural kinks and coils of hair.  I am not implying that women who perm have lower self-esteem, but as far as emotional health is concerned I am saying that such methods are often used to suppress feelings of self-hatred that are often perpetuated by our own race.  Its always the wavy light-skinned chick as a beauty icon or in a commercial instead of a darker woman who may have kinkier hair, but skin is a whole other discussion.

   What I am getting at is the fact that the dramatic switch from relaxed to natural hair is an attempt by many to embrace their natural beauty that is often viewed as inferior by fellow African Americans as well as other races.  Black women are socialized into believeing that we must conform to standards of beauty such as permed hair to be accepted by the general population and suffer much mental anguish when we attempt to divert from the norm.  We are sometimes forced to compromise our happiness with our appearance in the name of pleasing those around us and such practices are preposterous. 

   We should always dare to be different because as the popular quote states, "those that matter don't mind and those that mind don't matter".  The opinions of those around me ceased to really matter to me for the duration of my journey to natural hair, minus the awkward transition stage (when i had relaxed ends and new growth).  Many asked what my parents would think, but truthfully what their opinions may have been did not cross my mind because I was doing this for me and I think we are all at the age, as college students, that a decision about something as trivial as a hairstyle need not be negotiated.

   That being said, I am totally in love with my natural hair and believe that the decision to part with my relaxers is one of the most liberating experiences of my life.  The feeling of a fresh relaxer pales in comparison to how beautiful and empowered I feel since parting with straight hair and embracing my new found individuality.  If there is anyone on the fence about going natural I would advise you to take the plunge because at the end of the day  you are your own worst critic and what others think of you really does not matter unless you allow it to.  You will love yourself for it and people will still find you attractive as long as you exude the confidence that every woman has been blessed with.

P.S. I didn't want the post to be waaaaay too long so if you want more clarity on the natural hair spiel and its effects on the other types of health then shoot me a question and I will clarify in a future post.

Please & Thanks,

             DeeJay