article: Natural hair doesn't make you 'Blacker'

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

Natural hair doesn't make you 'Blacker'

Posted Wed, 2011-10-26 12:13

Twitter: Check out my #S2SMag blog on how "natural hair" doesn't make you 'Blacker'. I'm just saying what a lot of ppl think!! bit.ly/vaZzQM
http://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=MyrandasRant


I didn’t think a word could be more overused and annoying than “swagger,” until I heard “natural.”
In case you somehow don’t already know, going “natural” is the latest trend among African-American women who are saying goodbye to relaxers (also known as perms), which chemically straighten their naturally curly or kinky hair.

Going natural was on the rise many years ago, but it virtually exploded into a movement following the 2009 Chris Rock movie, Good Hair. In the movie, Rock highlights the extremes Black women take to achieve so-called “good hair” – be it in the form of weaves or relaxers, which he famously coined “creamy crack.”
For many African-American women, the film was an inspiration to overcome their addiction to relaxers, not just because of the sometimes damaging effects it has on their hair, but also for a sense of African-American pride.

To the latter, I say bullcrap. I never believed in the silly notion that Black women who straighten their hair are trying to resemble their White female counterparts with long, silky smooth tresses. My hair is super thick and gets extra frizzy in the rain. I don’t like that, so I have a perm. Period.
Yet, for some reason it seems there’s this new sense of shame or judgment against women who rock a relaxer or weave. Recently, an Atlanta club promoter even offered discounts to women with natural hair and who don’t wear weaves.
Enough already.

If a relaxer is making your hair fall out, then by all means, get rid of it! But please don’t think you’re making a statement in the process. I’ve been getting relaxers for over 20 years now, and my hair is still healthy and I am still very much Black (gasp!).
It’s called individuality. Do you! Going natural doesn’t make a woman any better or “Blacker” than one rocking a weave down to her behind. If that’s the case, how do you explain when White women wear “extensions” and straighten their naturally curly hair? Who are they trying to be like?

Besides, if we’re talking about going natural, I say go all the way! Get rid of your makeup, nail polish, deodorant… heck, even get rid of your Spanx! (ok*biiiiish-but-y-u-mad?) But please don’t try to pressure me to do the same.
I’ve always marched to the beat of my own drum, and that won’t change, no matter how many movies Chris Rock makes. If I’m a fiend to the creamy crack, then fine. Call me Pookie.



***

Myranda Stephens is a TV reporter, blogger and hair model who currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland.


y-u-mad.org

 

[naturalTAN]

*yawns*.......................

 

[naturalTAN]

is she shoulder length?

 

[Mis007]

Healthy hair, should be the main concern for ALL women. But in our community there is always some degree of seperation. Whether it be whose lighter or darker, who talks too white or who is too ghetto, and more recently whose natural and who is relaxed. Lets embrace our differences, I love seeing women with beautiful natural hair, and I admire women who have straight relaxed hair, and even those who are weave wearers, if it looks good to me I'll compliment it.

 

[Kn0ttyByNatur3]

What.....? I never once thought I was more blacker since I stopped relaxing my hair. erplexed She need to calm down.






She is right about one thing, though. Black ppl did overkill the word swagger. Took a perfectly cool word and slaughtered it. Never to return.

Thanx, T-Pain.

 

[youwillrise]

((rolls eyes)). thats special.

 

[jamaica68]

Why is she so angry?erplexed

 

[carameldimples]

erplexedOkay.......

 

[Shelew]

I agree with her totally well said. She does look to have shoulder length but everyone is not into just having long hair just to have long hair and does not mean she cant get longer hair. A friend of mine is constantly cutting her hair but it grows like weeds with out all the regimens we analyze to a science. She simply does not like it long. Most women are not in a mirror taking progress pictures or sitting on a hair site early in the morning like myself lol. They actually like their hair shorter and they should not be hated on either.

 

[naturalTAN]

I agree with her totally well said. She does look to have shoulder length but everyone is not into just having long hair just to have long hair and does not mean she cant get longer hair. A friend of mine is constantly cutting her hair but it grows like weeds with out all the regimens we analyze to a science. She simply does not like it long. Most women are not in a mirror taking progress pictures or sitting on a hair site early in the morning like myself lol. They actually like their hair shorter and they should not be hated on either.

I was being sarcastic b/c of the other thread that refuses to die.

 

[Ozma]

I agree with one thing she said. DO YOU! Exactly. Go on ahead with your relaxer; nobody cares.

 

[Raine054]

She is missing the mark here. How can you compare wearing our hair the way it grows out of our scalp to wearing spanx or nail polish? That's one of the most ridiculous analogies I have ever heard.

Also, comparing us to white women is absurd. Our history and culture are not the same. She doesn't get it. I'm bone-laxed and have no problem saying that this is a sad article. Her tone is brash...impulsive almost. The natural hair movement is an important one. I believe we need it.

 

[lovegymnasts]

She sounds extremely defensive and angry.

 

[RarityFluttershy]

is she shoulder length?

Lets Not Go There.

 

[HauteHippie]

I get what she's trying to say. People go natural for different reasons, but at various points, I recognized a holier than thou, Blacker than thou attitude, even while I was natural. Ironically, it tended to come from people who were late catching the natural train. The "I don't mind spending 5 hours to wash and style my hair because my hair is special. My hair is strong. It grows out to the heavens. It protects my scalp from the sun. It is my crown and glory and I am content to do what it would have me do. AND SO SHOULD YOU." Ummm... no. I'm not in college anymore. I got a real job now and I'm starting at the bottom. Early days, late nights. I ain't got no time to play in the mirror. I ain't got no money for my thirsty hair. And this is not a religion. It's hair.

People should do what actually works for them. She's probably just annoyed due to some slight or mild mistreatment and as a reporter she probably knows that it works, b/c plenty of women will identify with it. She has an audience.

And... I'll support her comparison though I'm not a fan of throwing WW in the mix. But I hear her.

Not all of us grew up in communities that were pleased to pass on their complexes. Some of us grew up without the pleasure of light vs. dark, good hair vs. bad hair, etc. We skrait. 1-3 times a year, I'll wear dark green contacts and people are like, consolingly trying to tell me I'm beautiful. Thank you. I wasn't worried.

When my blue-eyed ex fiance wore hazel contacts no one said anything to him. When my half-Indian (and half-White or Arab) co-workers wears hazel contacts-- which are lighter than the dark green-- no one says ish. Paris Hilton, blue contacts, who cares? But I hate myself? Please! People need to quit mistaking their own complexes and insecurities for everyone else's.

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[diadall]

The name of the person at the top that wrote the article is different from the photo of the woman at the bottom.

It sounds like someone hurt her feelings. I have never pressured or even asked any of my friends to go natural. They ask me more questions about my hair (sometimes uncomfortable) than I do about their hair (really never).

I could write my own article about wanting to "do me" but people judging me on why my hair is natural and I never considered myself "blacker" and none of the women I know who are natural feel that way either.

She generalized and gave no quotes from anyone or gave any examples.

 

[cabellera]

Why the big concern with Naturals? Also, why is there a growing trend of " I'm a relaxed, pressin or straight wig, weave or extensions wearing victim, cuz of all this natural talk." Huh, really? Because of other people wearing their naturally puffy hair...that "they like," now there are more articles written of why one straightens their hair basically. Uh, no ones asked before. Remember culturally, this was the NORM for a great many of us poofy haired people.

...and the ole' trynna be white line, aren't we all in some way? My mind set has not changed in regards to my identity when I wore my hair straight. Back then and as they are now, the hair trends for straight hair were set by the designs created for people with naturally straight hair. So although I wasn't trying to be white in identity, I certainly got my hairstyle ideas from them, as those were the straight styles to copy... well if I could. 




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[HauteHippie]

She generalized and gave no quotes from anyone or gave any examples.

Now, that's bad reporting!

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[30something]

Ugh... Why does Chris Rock good hair movie keep getting credited for starting the lastest 'natural hair movement'. That is like the 4th time I have read that, I mean only so many people actually saw that film.

 

[diadall]

Ugh... Why does Chris Rock good hair movie keep getting credited for starting the lastest 'natural hair movement'. That is like the 4th time I have read that, I mean only so many people actually saw that film.

I agree. I was already natural before I even head about the movie. If anything I was pissed about how those people give their hair to God as a sacrifice and then it is sold as weave.


The author is bitter about something. I think.

 

[ladysaraii]

Ugh... Why does Chris Rock good hair movie keep getting credited for starting the lastest 'natural hair movement'. That is like the 4th time I have read that, I mean only so many people actually saw that film.

Now I will say that watching the part about the soda can in the relaxer ingredient reaffirmed my decision to stop relaxing.

But yeah I walked out mostly pissed that we were spending so much money and it wasnt even goign back to our community.

 

[Poohbear]

I never thought natural hair makes one "Blacker". Nothing can make you "Blacker". erplexed

 

[ecadnacmc]

is she shoulder length?

LMAO! My thoughts exactly!

 

[MyCoilsGoBoing]

Who peed in her cornflakes?

 

[NappyNelle]

 

[Poohbear]

She has her own website: http://www.myrandastephens.com

Check out her portfolio which shows a few pictures of her: http://www.myrandastephens.com/#!portfolio/vstc2=slide-1

 

[ladykpnyc]

I didn't go natural b/c of Chris Rock...and it's certainly NOT a trend.

I don't worry about anyone's hair but my own.

I do agree w/ her point that having natural hair doesn't make one 'blacker'.

This article could have been so much better if the tone wasn't so abrasive.

 

[Raspberry]

I get what she's trying to say. People go natural for different reasons, but at various points, I recognized a holier than thou, Blacker than thou attitude, even while I was natural. Ironically, it tended to come from people who were late catching the natural train. The "I don't mind spending 5 hours to wash and style my hair because my hair is special. My hair is strong. It grows out to the heavens. It protects my scalp from the sun. It is my crown and glory and I am content to do what it would have me do. AND SO SHOULD YOU." Ummm... no. I'm not in college anymore. I got a real job now and I'm starting at the bottom. Early days, late nights. I ain't got no time to play in the mirror. I ain't got no money for my thirsty hair. And this is not a religion. It's hair.

I agree, over the past couple years I have noticed some folks going extra hard on the natural hair thing...pontificated long on "self-hate', etc., etc. but that's mostly confined to Twitter and some blogs..and oh yea, YouTube.. it's basically an internet thing. In the real world most people aren't discussing hair on a regular basis. I also agree that a lot of the relaxed vs. natural drama tends to come from younger people, especially college students who are more immersed in social and cultural movements in general.. topics like hair loom larger for them.

I was natural for a while (starting right after college) and even though I was consumed with hair politics in the beginning, that wore off because well.. life goes on and I had other things to think about. Also, rubbing shoulders with women of many ages I see that most of them who are grown and have jobs and families and what not simply want hair that is easy to care for and looks presentable.

The author should stop paying attention to rachetness on the internet and looking to be offended.. she'll be alright, she needs to log off and focus on being cute .

 

[nicole625]

I really don't think we should feed into these kind of articles. To me, it is just another way of poisoning black women minds by trying to give another reason for us to separateand turn against one another. Unfortunately, you have some simple minded women who will easily get sucked into this just because it is being reported. I really don't think that we are that concerned about what other people are putting in their hair. Oh and also im going to need these articles to stop giving the impression that watching a damn chris rock movie was what we needed in order to embrace our natural hair.

 

[Raspberry]

Ugh... Why does Chris Rock good hair movie keep getting credited for starting the lastest 'natural hair movement'. That is like the 4th time I have read that, I mean only so many people actually saw that film.

Yea this is annoying, people are even crediting him with creating the term "creamy crack".. that was around way before he made that movie.

What's ironic is most naturals couldn't stand the movie when it came out..