As a child I can remember my mother complaining about my hair and how difficult it was to comb, etc..etc. At the age of 9 a chemical relaxer was put in my hair and just about every strain fell out. Black people as a whole are guilty of downing one another. I trace these issues back to the time of slavery, when darker-skinned blacks were treated far worse than the lighter-skinned ones. The division of the black race began there. The more European you look the better you are. As generations passed these sick ideals were planted inside the heads of our children. It makes me sad to hear young women and girls (some as young as six) talking about what good and bad hair is. I thought having hair on your head was a good thing no matter what the texture. Society makes us believe that Europeans hold the standard of beauty and every other non European woman has to assimilate in order to be accepted by society. It is up to us to change that.
I have seen so many woman of color choose to wear their natural hair and I applaud their effort. I understand how difficult the transition can be. Once you have grown accustomed to a particular way of doing things it's hard to change. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Black women in general are more self-conscious about their hair than any other group of women and we will spend top dollar to make sure our hair looks it's best. The standard excuse I hear is "I can't live without a perm" Really? are we that insecure? You will risk your health and well-being just to have straight hair? One thing I will surely agree with is the creative ability Black women have when it comes to hair-styling. If you wan't a straight look, why not wear a weave? 75% of Black women do it anyway. I think it's up to us to change the negative thinking and learn to accept our natural beauty. All of the fault does not lie on women, there are several men (Black) that do not accept and ridicule women that choose to wear their God given beauty. We have to do better.
There is a major problem in corporate America. I had a girlfriend tell me a few years back she didn't want to wear braids at her job (she worked for one of the three major automotive companies) Her hair was falling out and her scalp unhealthy and yet she continued to poison her system with chemicals in fear of what her colleagues would think. I didn't agree with her at the time, but I can certainly understand how that could be an issue. So, what can be done? If you have a natural hair and there is an interview, wear a straight weave and then resume to wearing your natural hair, If there is an issue after that then you have a discrimination suite. Sometimes you have to outsmart your enemy.
http://blackgirllonghair.com/2012/07/5-reasons-natural-hair-should-not-be-viewed-as-unprofessional/?utm_source=crowdignite.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=crowdignite.com
Finally, most recently there has been talk about Ms. Gabby Douglas. Instead of the black community praising her for her accomplishments they spent time focusing on her hair because it was not up to par..for who? Do people realize how much training and sacrifice was made in order for her to reach this level? How ignorant and shallow of the people who made negative comments. This child's mother sacrificed everything she had to make sure that her daughter was a success and you want to sit back and talk about her hair? What a pathetic society we live in. Anyway, a young lady wrote a poem about this situation and I will end it here. I think everyone should listen and take heed. The name of the poem is called "Ponytail"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMmcUSAznCs&feature=share
~M.C~
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