Sign of the Times
- Posted: June 5, 2012
- Category: Curl & Coil Chronicles / going natural / hair / inspiration / life choices / natural hair
The beautiful ladies at curlBox posted a wonderful piece on their Facebook this weekend and I just had to pass it on to my readers as well. It’s a beautifully well done New York Times Op-doc done by Zina Saro-Wiwa that includes a 5min video. Even the comments section is inspiring. Natural or not, take a moment to check this short article and video out.
Overall, it’s about the surge of African American women who have decided to embrace and wear their natural hair. It’s funny that whenever you see someone with natural hair, you always assume they “went natural.” Many women have always been natural and honestly I’m curious to see how these women feel about this natural movement. Anyway, the article shed light on this shift to natural hair as not just a personal statement, but also a political statement; which at first I was quick to dismiss. We all know the media pushes a conceived notion of beautiful hair on us, and by accepting our natural hair as it grows from our head, is not only an outward defiance of the societal norm but also an internal shift toward public self acceptance. Zina does a much better job explaining it as a political statement than I do, so check out her piece here lol. I loved it.
Tdixonspeaks
Will have to check her article tomorrow AM. I went on a date recently and the guy comments “your fro is cool, this whole natural trend, I like it.”
My response: this trend has been 6 years running.
Him: oh it’s permanent? Even better.
Wasnt sure what to do with that exchange. But I waver between hair being political or personal. Way less political now.
Ms.Vixin
Lol at him thinking something like your hair’s texture wouldn’t be permanent. You don’t hear of women with a relaxer getting asked if their hair choice is permanent. For me, I never dreamed of my hair being a political statement, solely based on the fact that I’m not well politically versed. Therefore I steer clear of politics. I make my decisions based on how I feel and what I think is best for me. The article definitely gave me a different way of looking at things. It was rather refreshing. Thanks for reading and commenting