It has been almost a year since I did my big chop. I have learnt so much about my natural hair, and I still continue to learn new things as the days pass. Recently someone asked me what being natural really means to me. I have to admit, that question lingered in my mind for a while, and this is what I came up with.
For a long time, we as black people have allowed ourselves to be dictated to how we should look. We have been bombarded by the media with images of skinny light complexioned black women with long flowing hair and perfect little noses, and have been made to believe that that is how we should look if we want to be viewed as beautiful. It even went as far as black women missing out on job opportunities if they wore their hair natural, and let us not forget the ridicule one endured if they dared to wear their hair in its natural kinky glory. We have been programmed to believe that our natural features are unattractive and unacceptable. That includes our skin colour and our hair.
When a young black woman sees images of women like Beyonce and Halle Berry in magazines and on the TV and are told that these are the most beautiful women in the world, who can blame them for wanting to bleach their skin and relax their hair or wear wigs and weaves? For decades, the beauty industry preyed upon our insecurities and put out products that would alter our natural features, which we went out and bought. It is not a wonder that black people are the leading consumers of hair products.
Growing up in Africa, I saw myriads of men and women bleaching their skin to look lighter in the hopes that they will be more attractive. Of course they ended up looking ridiculous and some even burnt their skin and ended up spotty and looked like leopards.
But I digress, being natural to me means breaking away from the mold.It means I am becoming an individual and I am not conforming to society. It means I am embracing my uniqueness, my beauty, my genetics, my ethnicity, my heritage, my ancestors… I am embracing who I am. Not everyone will appreciate all that, but that’s just too bad.
I refuse to put myself through those painful and unhealthy beauty rituals to change my features just to look “acceptable”. Everytime I see a woman with natural hair I can’t help but smile because that is the most beautiful sight.I hope more and more black women will be inspired to join us.
Stay natural and stay beautiful!
What does being natural mean to you?
