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Friday, May 21, 2010

WHY DO BLACK WOMEN FEAR THE AFRO ?



As a black woman living in Canada, I often feel invisible when it comes to my natural hair. The television series da Kink In My Hair (which just wrapped up its first season on Global television) taps into a lot of the issues black women have with hair, but on the streets of Toronto, it's a whole other story.

Some people might be offended by what I have to say, and others might think: "It's just hair. Get a life." Fair enough. But, since freeing myself from the dependency of chemically relaxing my hair every eight weeks, I feel it important to use my voice.

Too many black women can't remember what it's like to feel their natural hair. I know several, who have not felt their scalp since Bobby Brown was a member of New Edition. And I have sat in hair salons with women who spend more money on their hair than their education.

I also know a lot of black women who secretly want to go natural, but fear the reaction at work, what their family will say, even that their partner will leave them. If hair is just hair, you'd think going natural would be just as easy as processing your hair.

Then there are weaves, a process by which synthetic or real hair is sewn into one's natural hair to give the appearance of long, flowing, straight hair. While many women, irrespective of race, wear weaves (they're common in Hollywood), black women wear them to cover up, not merely enhance, their natural state.

Talk about hair is so woven into the black female experience that people often make jokes about who has "good hair" and who has "bad hair." In the song "I Am Not My Hair," India Arie sings, "Good hair means curls and waves/Bad hair means you look like a slave." A lot of people might not have a clue as to what she's talking about, but, as a black woman, I sure do.

One of the first things I learned as a child was that "bad hair" was not the same as having a bad hair day. It was a matter of texture. "Good hair" was the complete opposite of nappy, tightly coiled hair.

Admittedly, some black women have naturally long, straight hair, but most of us do not. As such, this is not about burning down the relaxer factory, or snatching a weave off someone's head. It's about uncovering the truth: when a black woman turns on her television, reads a magazine, or watches a movie, most of the images of black beauty she sees are fake, and her natural self becomes even more difficult to love.

Amid all these images, and all the time spent thinking about how to "fix" their hair problems, black women across North America face harsh realities that are not being discussed. A lot of black women are stuck in low-paying jobs, we're barely seen on television and in film, and we're often negatively depicted as hypersexual vixens in hip-hop.

In the book Hair Raising: Beauty, Culture, and African American Women, Noliwe Rooks says African Americans spend three times more than other consumer groups on their grooming needs.

Further, according to a 1997 American Health and Beauty Aids Institute survey, African Americans spend $225 million annually on hair weaving services and products. While these figures are from the '90s, it is fair to assume that similar results would be found today, and would also be applicable in a Canadian context.

The biggest hurdle facing black people across the diaspora is a lack of history, especially when it comes to hair. Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America, by African American authors Ayana Bryd and Lori Tharps, is a good starting point. When you read books like this, you begin to understand why hair is socially, psychologically and culturally significant to the black female experience. While history is always a difficult subject for any oppressed people, you won't ever know where you're going unless you know where you're coming from.

I'm old enough to remember when people sported afros. I never quite understood why they did it when I was younger but since then, I've read numerous books and seen countless movies chronicling the period. When black people went natural in droves, it wasn't just about sticking it to The Man or a sign of cultural solidarity, it was also about self-love. The people who continued to straighten their hair were seen as turning their backs on their roots. Unfortunately, by the early 1980s, the Jheri Curl came along, and hair processing once again was the rule.

This history of hair alteration saddens me. Sure, all women have body image issues and anxiety about their looks. We're too thin, too fat, not pretty enough or not feminine enough. Yet people rarely discuss how black women have been chemically altering the natural state of their hair for more than 100 years, and continue to spend money they sometimes don't have to hook up a tight weave, just to be like everyone else.

In addition to hair, black women have a lot of other issues that are rarely discussed. For instance, according to the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, black women are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Similarly, in the U.S., according to DepressionIsReal.org, a 2007 study found that depression among black women is almost 50 per cent higher than among white women. And black women are twice as likely as black men to suffer depression.

And so, it's not just about hair. It's about a lack of cultural awareness and an internalized negative pathology. In order to transcend a troubled past, you have to engage in an open and honest dialogue, but that requires acknowledging there's a problem. On one level, I can understand why black women do what they do to their hair (I used to do it too). Natural black hair can be very difficult to manage and sometimes you just want to try a new look. Having said that, there are lots of products, books, websites and hair salons that cater to natural styles, but it requires effort to find them.

The last thing I want to do is pass judgment or demand that all black women run out and grow an Angela Davis 'fro or Alice Walker dread-locks.

However, part of the process of healing is seeing yourself for who you are, and most important, accepting who you are.

There's no better time to take that journey than during Black History Month, which begins tomorrow.

By Cheryl Thompson
Cheryl Thompson is a frequent contributor to Chart Magazine. She received her MA from Ryerson University's communication & culture program last year.

I did not write this article.  But , I did find it quite interesting. As I know there are more and more...and more and more ladies embracing their natural hair.  I mean I notice a natural... quite often ...be it television or even when i'm out with my family...I LOVE IT !!! ..I think it's the best thing since sliced bread.  But what do you ladies think do you think we still have a ways to go...do you think that there are still a few who fear the afro or their natural selves...Do share.  I would love to hear from you ladies.

                                                                                           ENJOY!!!

4 comments:

ChocolateOrchid said...

Wow! This is a great article.

Although I feel that we've come a long way, I still feel that we have a ways to go. To this day, I still meet people who refer to good hair as a particular texture. At this point, it saddens me. And trust me on this one, as a Southerner, natural hair in the work place can be "interesting" to say the least. I understand the law but dealing w/the looks and unsolicited comments can wear on your nerves.

I know that there are still those who fear the afro/natural hair but I also feel that we've come a long way. And in that same breath, as a whole, we still have a ways to go.

Unknown said...

@ ChocolateOrchid...Thank you so much CO... for sharing your feelings on this topic, I really enjoyed reading your comment. You share with so much wisdom. I could agree with you more we do have a ways to go. But...we are getting there. Thanks, again for stopping by and sharinG it's always a pleasure hearing from you. Take care.

Roitissa said...

I like to first thank you for placing this beautiful article on your website. I was actually searching for images and other information about wearing my hair natural when I "stumbled upon your site (first time). I have been wearing perms on my hair since about the seventh grade. Now that I am in my thirties, I find myself feeling "tired of being a slave to the perm". I do feel that, as a people, we have made tremendous strides in our efforts to gain equal rights, respect, and treatment from other races. Unfortunately, I repeatly find myself feeling the most pressure, judgement, and maltreatment from african-american people (AKA my own kind). So I just had to realize that the only person that I can change, the only person whose actions and opinions I can control, and most importantly, the only person whose opinion REALLY matters, is me....myself...and I. P.S. I am planning to do the "big chop soon and very soon. Any tips or advice would be immensely appreciated. Thank you! :o)

Unknown said...

@Roitissa....Why thank you very much and ...Thank you for taking the time to stop by and view AuNaturale. Everything that you have stated in your comment is 100% true, I couldn't agree with you more.

As far as you embracing the big chop and taking the amazing journey in becoming natural. I say go for it!!!!, there is such an sense of freedom. I have personally found that it is much easier to tell exactly what my hair needed and liked once becoming natural....my hair and scalp is much healthier....my hair is much stronger.... it is an overall delightful experience.

I would suggest that you stick with natural products...stay away from anything with "cones" in the ingredients....along with mineral oil....petroleum, etc.

And lastly, learn about your hair type...listen to your hair....And read all ingredients as well as learn about what ingredients are good and what ingredients are bad...there are other little tips like sleeping with a satin bonnet ( at all times)... keeping your hair moisturized etc. You can check my side bar where there is a ton of information along with a list of other fabulous natural hair blogs.

Hope this helped ...take care and thanks for stopping by.