You Are Witnessing a Meltdown: When I see an African American woman with relaxed and colored hair, a little part of me dies inside.
…(via dionnadecay)
I don’t believe that maintaing a relaxer can provide the hair with optimum health. However, my post wasn’t specifically directed toward the health aspect. It was more about conformity. I’ll admit, I used to be the woman that I was complaining about,…
well if you wan to put it like that ppl with natural hair put chemicals in it as well so either way no ones hair is up to optimum health. conformity? dont you think the whole natural phase is conformity as well?
The chemicals aren’t nearly as damaging as chemical straighteners are. I for one only use cocoa butter and conditioner in my hair. And I don’t understand how having natural hair could be conforming. It’s what’s coming out of our heads, we can’t help that.
Agreed - and it’s hard to “conform” to something that is NOT a current standard of beauty. Black women are constantly encouraged and pressured to conform to white ideals of beauty (notice the only black women fashion magazines like to feature are “white girls dipped in chocolate”), and a big part of that is straight, flat, colored hair. The natural hair movement doesn’t have the same prevalence. Even if a larger percentage of women decided to wear their hair naturally, it really wouldn’t have the same racial implications. It’s like saying black women who embrace their natural skin color are “conforming” by NOT using skin lightening creams. Doesn’t make much sense to look at it that way, considering the social context…
