Hair is Everything:
If asked, you will probably be told that an African Americans biggest pride and attribute is her hair. Black women are, a lot of times, stereotyped to be the biggest buyers of fake hair and hair changes of any other race. Which may be true. When it comes to hairstyles, African Americans seem to go above and beyond to change their hair and experiment with colors, shapes, and lengths. Most might not even know that most African Americans have naturally thick, tough, and curly hair. With increased exposure to a white society and customs, along with the creation of hair relaxers and straighteners blacks have managed to change their hair in a completely different appearance than their natural. In society today, long, smooth, and thick hair is seen as being the idealism of beauty which, I believe, is the main reason so many African American women, and even men, have averted from their naturally rooted hair. Toxic chemicals, such as relaxers, have been created as permanently solutions to the natural hair that so many African Americans fail to appreciate. Similarly, the growing industry of fake hair has added to the change of hair with products such as weaves, wigs, and braids. Hardly does one really see an African American walking around with their naturally birthed hair anymore. The more managed looking, the better, according to society.
On the contrary, African Americans have begun to bring back appreciation of natural hair over the past 10 years or so. Many African Americans stand by the appreciation of their African roots and keep their in either dreads or the natural hair they were born with. A lot of times, African Americans will even cut off their chemical hair in order to regrow their hair in a more natural and healthy state. The trend of natural hair is slowly being brought back into society. However, how long will this take to really take an immense effect? It may be happening, but is that enough? A lot of times, people will say that this change of hair has a lot to do with the change of time. Similar to how people have changed and adjusted clothing and language, why cant hair follow the same trend? Although the loss of traditional black hair may not end in the near future, it still needs to be recognized and appreciated. Changing ones hair may not make them any less of and African American but does that physically alter the connection? Whatever the reason, my argument is not stated to make all African American to go natural, in terms of hair, but to rather make it aware that natural black hair is beautiful and what makes them who they are.
Related Articles:
http://documentaries.about.com/od/revie2/fr/GoodHair.htm
http://loveisntenough.com/2007/09/21/good-hair-and-bad-hair-the-silent-messages-our-children-receive/
http://thefreshxpress.com/2009/05/tyra-visits-the-good-hair-vs-bad-hair-conversation/
