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From The New York Times:
Maeling Tapp remembers the moment three years ago when she saw her mother and sisters wearing their coil-prone hair in its natural state and decided that she, too, would stop slathering caustic paste onto her scalp to burn her own similarly textured locks into straight submission.
"Unfortunately, after four months I relaxed my hair again because I just didn't know what I was doing," said Ms. Tapp, 25, a Ph.D. candidate in materials science and engineering at Georgia Tech.
"Going natural" is the term used by many African-American women who decide to stop chemically processing, or relaxing, their hair. It's a move that can be fraught with confusion, missteps and sometimes pain, as the 2009 Chris Rock documentary "Good Hair" attested.
Many women with Afro-textured hair have not seen it in its unadulterated state since childhood. And even some who are acquainted with the texture of their untreated tresses are not comfortable styling their hair in ways they believe are fashionable and appropriate for them. Figuring out which of the countless hair-care tools and products on the market might work can make the undertaking even more overwhelming.
Tired of expensive, time-consuming salon visits, many would-be "naturals" are searching YouTube for inspiration, instruction and other people who have made peace with their kinks and curls.
Ms. Tapp said that watching videos there inspired her to pick up the camera herself and create a YouTube channel, Natural Chica.
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By: kingdomsower1 on 6/10/2011 8:29AM
Yes, there are some cost facters along the way, like your career, unless you have earn a rank being there for a while, relationships, unless you have been married to the same person, and then it is not guranteed that your spouse or mate will approve, not that you need their permission, but it is considered a very drestic step, and further more, the stickma that has been placed on women who hair is not every strain in place or if a nap show or the ends start to frizz, the stickma is an unkept person, an inferior person, in the house as well as out side the house by our own in a greater % than not, this seed has been sown and it is deeply planted, most of all it will keep you out of the list of favorables on the employeers desk, when we do decide to make such a drestic step, lets bring much knowledge with it and be strong, wheigh the cost, if economically it will put a strain financially, dont choose to until you at least have a financial back up plan, dont loose you mate over this, yes you might feel as though he or she should be bigger than that but we all have a long way to go, in two hundred years, for a Black American President and they surely aren't taking that to well. queen A/ Debra A 6/09/11.
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By: Watcher Watchmen on 6/11/2011 9:30PM
Read your reply, agree with your stance.
However, you've also said that what matters most is what matters most to whites.
In that, everything you think, feel, say, do and what you look like is entirely up to the approval of whites.
But ironically, that seems to hold true to those who are without an identity and/or are suffering an identity crisis.
Blacks (females, in this case), don’t need to profess themselves in white ornaments for the acceptances of whites. They simply needs to stand their ground and "BE" themselves as they are! IN THEIR "OWN" IMAGE!
Verifiably, whites are prone to show more respect in blacks who SHOW self-confidence and respect OF themselves, FIRST!
We’ve seen this many times! Of course you’ll run into whites who have difficulties relating to blacks as a “peer” and will exhibit no respect under any circumstance and will stop at nothing to ensure the blacks they meet be deemed a inferior and/or a sub-servant.
When we encounter whites like this, we turn up our professionalism on them. We maintain a strictly business stance with them and follow and/or acknowledge all company rules and bylaws to the letter.
Their own racist attitude and frequent show of disbelief of a black person (for example) in assumed incapable of intelligence, is often their own undoing. Especially then that black person holds their white counterpart accountable for their observantly poor work related performances. Unsurprisingly, those white racists always lose in the end!
Primarily because they’re the ones who are in direct violation of the “Code Of Work Ethics” and therefore are their own victims of conviction.
As for the Black females, they have a unique beauty that is THEIR OWN and is unmatched by ANY other race of women.
There are black women who DO take good care of themselves and are sporting their OWN unpremed hair as they do about their lives looking like walking physiologically toned trophies.
Breath-takingly beautiful black skin like silk and cloths in professional attire that accentuates raw exquisiteness. Strong spirited, self-confidence, self-pride and without any self-complexes in the presence of racist whites who are lurking in circles around them for an opening to inject low-self esteem.
(Those whites do this for their own personal superiority complex reassurances.)
We’ve seen black women sporting their natural hair in a style similar to the black women on the walls of the Egyptian tombs. Old and outdated? NO! It was styled in a way that completely complemented her black features and she was so drop-dead gorgeous that she commended respect without asking for it. She looked as if she was a mannequin that suddenly came to life and walked away from a window display.
When Asians were first seen, they were mocked and scorned of their slanted eyes. But the Asian Pride and Independence have lead to their own empire. NOW, to see an Asian’s slanted eyes is a symbol of intelligence and technology. But if the Asians has disowned themselves to appease whites, (as many blacks have done), then they too would be where many blacks are at today. The Asian held onto their pride (fought and dies, tooth and nail) and ultimately GREW their culture into a force to be recon with.
But it started within their homes, FIRST!
Blacks can CHANGE the Eurocentric demoralization of black imagery, by simply following the Asian lead in self-pride.
If the Asians can turn their own image into a symbol of respect, then so can the blacks do the same for their own image in the white world media.
But it starts from within, then within the home, then spreads abroad and more!
But most importantly, it’s a collective effort!
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