Check this video out

[Coilystep]

This goes to show that our babies are watching us. I'm not saying everyone should be natural by any means. I think there is a place for all the different perms, relaxers and what have you. I know growing up during the time I did it was a given that by a certain age it was almost a right of passage that you were going to get relaxed. For me it meant I wasn't a baby anymore. That being said I was not prepared for all the came with a relaxer. For me that included having burns in my scalp no matter how mild and only leaving it in for a short period of time, having thinner hair my wasn't super thin but definitely was thinner than when I was a kid. Having to forgo getting my hair wet. I never got in pools for fear of messing up my hair. I never learned to swim. I plan to learn how in the next year it's going to be one of my goals for the new year.
I just think we need to be letting our babies know that there is nothing wrong with what grows out of our heads.

I hope I copied this link right. I saw it in my Facebook feed and it really spoke to me.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=510689849040880

 

[MsKinkycurl]

Can u post the YT link? I'm having trouble viewing it.

Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

 

[Coilystep]

Can u post the YT link? I'm having trouble viewing it. Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

I will try to find it when I get home.

 

[Coilystep]

http://www.wptv.com/news/local-news...y-they-have-had-enough-they-are-going-natural

 

[Coilystep]

MsKinkycurl I just posted the news article you can try clicking on the video in the article. The article actually also covers what is in the video.

 

[MsKinkycurl]

Thanks OP!

Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

 

[koolkittychick]

Such an awesome story! Thanks for sharing.

 

[naturalmanenyc]

I'm always leery of these stories. They seem to portray Black women as willing to spend their rent money to get their hair done as if White women don't also spend billions on their hair, mostly color and extensions I'd guess.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...nd-32k-hair-lifetime-brunettes-spend-28k.html

Blondes will spend a hair-raising £32k (over $50,000 USD) on their crowning glory over a lifetime while the brunettes' bill comes to £28k
At £37 a month, women spend an average of £439 a year on their locks
Haircuts are biggest expense, at £29.99 five times a year, or £149.95 a year
We spend £6.76 a month on shampoo and conditioner, or £81.12 a year
Other costs include colouring, products, and special occasion styling
Blondes pay £4,000 more than the £28k dark-haired women will spend


As for the story itself, a friend did something similar once she had a daughter. She wore her curly hair blown out for most of her life, including after she had her son but having a daughter changed her opinion.

 

[Coilystep]

I hear you naturalmanenyc[/MENTIONo]. But for me it's not about the money. I spend the same amount on my hair whether it's relaxed or natural.

 

[koolkittychick]

I'm always leery of these stories. They seem to portray Black women as willing to spend their rent money to get their hair done as if White women don't also spend billions on their hair, mostly color and extensions I'd guess.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...nd-32k-hair-lifetime-brunettes-spend-28k.html

Blondes will spend a hair-raising £32k (over $50,000 USD) on their crowning glory over a lifetime while the brunettes' bill comes to £28k
At £37 a month, women spend an average of £439 a year on their locks
Haircuts are biggest expense, at £29.99 five times a year, or £149.95 a year
We spend £6.76 a month on shampoo and conditioner, or £81.12 a year
Other costs include colouring, products, and special occasion styling
Blondes pay £4,000 more than the £28k dark-haired women will spend


As for the story itself, a friend did something similar once she had a daughter. She wore her curly hair blown out for most of her life, including after she had her son but having a daughter changed her opinion.

Two points to consider regarding that daily mail story:

1. Since White women generally make more money/are in a higher income bracket than most Black women, they generally spend a smaller percentage of their income on their hair than we do. Most of them will not decide between rent or even food vs. doing their hair, and I have seen many Black women make just such decisions, much to my disbelief.
2. Regardless of how much money they are spending, they are doing it to acheive the ideal beauty standards for their race. We spend just as much money, if not more, trying to acheive the beauty standards for their race, be it through relaxers, extensions, or chasing a certain kind of curl pattern. I think that is highly problematic, especially in regards to the message it sends our children.

I would love for the day to come when such stories as the one the OP linked are besides the point, because how we wear our hair is besides the point (i.e., it's totally okay if we want to wear it as it grows out of our heads), but sadly, we are nowhere near there yet, so I welcome stories like these, and hope as many Black women--especially mothers of young daughters--see them and take them to heart.