Jealousy, Admiration or Ignorance?

[prettypithy]

How do people respond to your newly longer hair?

Most people respond to mine with admiration. A few have seemed quite jealous. Another few seems to ignore it and never comment even though one would think they would (friends who know you're on an HHJ or are on an HHJ of their own).

How do you respond when people react to your hair with jealousy, admiration or ignorance?

 

[londonjakki]

~Most of my coworkers ignore it along with most of my family members. For example a few years ago my hair fell out, so I wore a wig for about a year and a half. This past Christmas we all got together (siblings and nieces etc) and they all just stared pretending not to notice that my hair grew back in length and thickness and is currently bra strap. No one said anything.
A few of my coworkers have asked if I'm mixed and what am I doing to make the hair grow. I've also been asked if its all mine, I take the latter as a compliment. Thanks dontspeakdefeat!!

 

[IMFOCSD]

My hair is only apl but its the longest it has been and i wore it down a couple weeks ago for the first time in months. People noticed and commented but idk if i would consider that admiration..even though that's what i voted for lol.

 

[EbonyCPrincess]

Everyone appreciates it and I don't encounter much negativity at all. The only person that even is slightly negative is my mother and I suspect that has more to do with her own struggles with her hair, which has never been longer than NL, than with me. But she isn't jealous in the least bit.

 

[Candygirl]

Mom seems to be the most jealous... hair right there in here face and she goes on like its nothing.

 

[prettypithy]

~Most of my coworkers ignore it along with most of my family members. For example a few years ago my hair fell out, so I wore a wig for about a year and a half. This past Christmas we all got together (siblings and nieces etc) and they all just stared pretending not to notice that my hair grew back in length and thickness and is currently bra strap. No one said anything.
A few of my coworkers have asked if I'm mixed and what am I doing to make the hair grow. I've also been asked if its all mine, I take the latter as a compliment. Thanks dontspeakdefeat!!

londonjakki What is the "Indian Reggie" mentioned in your siggy?

I just don't understand the whole ignoring thing. Understandable if maybe you thought it was weave or something but for those who know the truth, it wouldn't kill them to acknowledge it.

The person who ignores my progress is my sister. She's always had the longer hair between the two of us. On my last salon visit, I discovered I'm only about two inches shorter now...maybe not even that much on the longest layer. She knows about my hair struggles, my going natural and my efforts to grow my hair longer. And she doesn't say a word not even a "your hair looks nice."

 

[Chaosbutterfly]

Most people ignore my hair...I get some compliments every now and again, but mostly people ignore it. And I've never been met with outright hostility over the length of my hair.

I don't mind either...when people pay too much attention to my hair, I feel awkward, so it's good that people leave it and me alone. I also don't really need/expect people to tell me how my hair looks. I know how it looks already.

 

[greenandchic]

For the most part, people can't see it because its in PS most of the time. Some people do notice the fullness of my styles and ask me if its mine. Its only BSL and shrinkage is to my shoulders so even when I wear it out, it doesn't look that long.

 

[yaya24]

I PS most of the time so I don't really get any admiration.

I'm totally cool with that though.

 

[NYAmicas]

I get a lot of admiration and support.

 

[NappyNelle]

For the most part, people can't see it because its in PS most of the time. Some people do notice the fullness of my styles and ask me if its mine. Its only BSL and shrinkage is to my shoulders so even when I wear it out, it doesn't look that long.

^^This. When I wear my hair out and stretched, I notice more people admiring than showing jealousy or apathy.

 

[PrincessLinzz]

People usually compliment/admire it. But on occasions I have been doubted and have had people ask if they can touch it (when its curly) I'm assuming to see if it is real. I have been curly head weave checked a few times, lol.

 

[SmileyNY]

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't flattered when ppl are surprised that it's all my hair...

However comments from my family seem to annoy me the most. They know it's my hair & they still have so much to say. They ask me what I do to my hair, I tell them... then they tell me why it wouldn't work for them. Stop asking then.

And I love my Mommy (yes I still call her that.. So what?)... She's so proud of my hair, but she's so embarrassing sometimes. She'll tell anyone who'll listen "That's all her hair!"... Mom, nobody was talking about my hair ...And don't let her overhear anyone actually talking about my hair. She goes in. Smh...

And I'm only MBL.

 

[sweetlaughter]

I wear it in PS most of the time or curly so when it's straight I get admiration for the real length. I am between apl and bsl right now.

 

[Solila]

I do protective styles often too, but when I let my hair out, people ask me if its a wig sometimes. At times I even catch people standing a little to close to it...I guess to see if there is a track in there or something. LOL

 

[Triniwegian]

I wear my hair out a lot but people never say anything.

Sent from my EVO using LHCF

 

[discodumpling]

How about indifference? Folks don't care about my hair...thankfully. I wear it however I want & never make compliments or the lack thereof make me feel any kind of way!

 

[Evolving78]

i'm not long by lhcf standards, but i get the most fuss from my family. they make a lot of comments about how it is growing. i know i said this before, but my grandmother brings up how i was bald when i was a baby. i am well in my 30's. it is really starting to get old.

 

[pre_medicalrulz]

Admiration I guess. Esp when I'm @ the beauty supply stores.

I never met anyone who was negative about hair. Seems a bit odd to be mad at hair. *shrugs*

 

[RegaLady]

How about indifference? Folks don't care about my hair...thankfully. I wear it however I want & never make compliments or the lack thereof make me feel any kind of way!

That's confidence

Maybe a few people admire, but otherwise no one cares.

 

[RegaLady]

Admiration I guess. Esp when I'm @ the beauty supply stores.

I never met anyone who was negative about hair. Seems a bit odd to be mad at hair. *shrugs*

Exactly.

If someone is mad, perhaps they don't have enough going on in their life to keep them busy

 

[pre_medicalrulz]

^^^^^ TRUTH!!

 

[snillohsss]

It depends on who I am around. Usually people don't say much of anything, but once at the airport a girl complimented me on my hair, and then proceeded to yell out from behind the counter... (yes.. she worked there)

"is it yours?"

I replied yes..

"all of it!?"



Good thing I was trying to live by the Lord when that happened.

 

[snillohsss]

People usually compliment/admire it. But on occasions I have been doubted and have had people ask if they can touch it (when its curly) I'm assuming to see if it is real. I have been curly head weave checked a few times, lol.

I only get weaved checked by older women.... (and like you...only when its curly!)

 

[FoxxyLocs]

People either compliment or they're indifferent. Usually I get compliments when I'm at the salon. A lot of people there are transitioning so they talk about how they can't wait for their hair to get that long. Other then that nobody really cares, which is fine with me.

 

[Kimbosheart]

The older black ladies at work love my hair and comment on it all the time. It's a little embarassing. The white women want to know if its weave or they talk to me like we have the same hair care practices. Most people ignore it though. My family isnt impressed at all I had much longer hair as a child and my mother and grandmother have very long and thick hair.

Now maybe you ladies can help me figure out one of my coworkers. She came up to me and said, while rubbing her hands in my hair, that she was surprised it was so long because I'm dark and that everyone expects her to have long hair because she is so light. I ignored that comment then but she's said some very interesting remarks regarding skin tone and her perception that she is very "fair skinned" as she says. I think maybe thats her way of expressing her feelings about my hair or I'm reaching. I know y'all will let me know.

 

[cheryl26]

A stranger has never said anything negative about my hair that I can recall. I've been complimented at least once or twice a week since elementary school by the public and family except one member... It was implied I had bad hair but not in so many words. I think the person just didn't like that it was somewhat short.

 

[TopShelf]

The older black ladies at work love my hair and comment on it all the time. It's a little embarassing. The white women want to know if its weave or they talk to me like we have the same hair care practices. Most people ignore it though. My family isnt impressed at all I had much longer hair as a child and my mother and grandmother have very long and thick hair.

Now maybe you ladies can help me figure out one of my coworkers. She came up to me and said, while rubbing her hands in my hair, that she was surprised it was so long because I'm dark and that everyone expects her to have long hair because she is so light. I ignored that comment then but she's said some very interesting remarks regarding skin tone and her perception that she is very "fair skinned" as she says. I think maybe thats her way of expressing her feelings about my hair or I'm reaching. I know y'all will let me know.

I think that many people feel this way but most will never say it. Long hair in the black hair community (who are not on forums) is usually associated with with light skin women. So you may not be reaching

 

[Raspberry]

I get a good number compliments on my hair, expecially when it's freshly relaxed and wrapped and sometimes on my braid-outs/bantu knot-outs. I've gotten a lot of curious stares at varying points in my hair journey and once in a while I'd get kind of a disgusted lip curl from family over my locs in the early stages . People seemed fairly indifferent to my loose natural hair unless it was in a big twist-out or something.

Jealousy is one of those things that's hard to quantify though I do sense stronger reactions to my relaxed hair than any other hairstyle I've had..

I think that many people feel this way but most will never say it. Long hair in the black hair community (who are not on forums) is usually associated with with light skin women. So you may not be reaching

I agree and don't take it personally Kimbosheart, your co-worker is just reflecting where she's at. Maybe you can give her some haircare tips so she can get away from the idea that melanin (or lack thereof) is a magic ticket to awesome hair lol..

 

[Raspberry]

It depends on who I am around. Usually people don't say much of anything, but once at the airport a girl complimented me on my hair, and then proceeded to yell out from behind the counter... (yes.. she worked there)

"is it yours?"

I replied yes..

"all of it!?"



Good thing I was trying to live by the Lord when that happened.