Assumptions Made Because You're Natural

Relaxed or Natural (with my hair out) people assume I'm from a Spanish speaking country. I even had a customer that was mad I wouldn't speak to him in Spanish. He went over and complained to one of my Spanish speaking co-workers who explained to him that I don't speak Spanish.
But most of the time I don't mind I get a love of love from my Hispanic brothers and sisters. (I'm actually planning to learn Spanish next year)

When my hair is in twists I don't know what people think. I don't get anyone walking up to me speaking in Spanish when my hair is twisted. I do notice that the more mature educated type (black male) are usually the one that approach me. I aint mad at that.
 
keepithealthy said:
Relaxed or Natural (with my hair out) people assume I'm from a Spanish speaking country. I even had a customer that was mad I wouldn't speak to him in Spanish. He went over and complained to one of my Spanish speaking co-workers who explained to him that I don't speak Spanish.
But most of the time I don't mind I get a love of love from my Hispanic brothers and sisters. (I'm actually planning to learn Spanish next year)

When my hair is in twists I don't know what people think. I don't get anyone walking up to me speaking in Spanish when my hair is twisted. I do notice that the more mature educated type (black male) are usually the one that approach me. I aint mad at that.
Click to expand...

???? why would he get mad about that???
 
When I wore my fro out the other day, the white guy at the gas station wanted me to know that not only did he do time in the penn but he knows were to get the bomb weed :look:
 
My Friend said:
When I wore my fro out the other day, the white guy at the gas station wanted me to know that not only did he do time in the penn but he knows were to get the bomb weed :look:
Click to expand...

I would have told him I was an off-duty police officer :drunk:

Assumptions:
-My hair is shorter than it is and when I do finally wear it stretched or showing some length people always remark how it would be so long if I got a relaxer...um no, that's exactly what kept it from being long.

-That I'm into an "all natural" lifestyle i.e. oils instead of perfume, no prepackaged foods, apart of a produce co-op, etc. (while all that would be nice...its just too time intensive and not "me")

-Where I live now, people assume that I have some type of direct lineage to Africa and/or have actually been to Africa...sadly no to both of these. I'm just a regular American Black Girl and haven't set foot in Africa yet.
 
Great thread! I can't think of any new ones....I have just gotten combinations of those already mentioned. It would be nice if natural hair didn't come with all of the assumptions.
 
Here are my assumptions (everyone else's have been comical by the way):

- That my hair is already "messed up" so they can just plop their hair in to feel it. :nono:

- Then, after touching, *shocked* that it is actually SOFT. (Is it supposed to hard and wire like?)

- There is absolutely NO work involved in maintaining my hair. I pretty much just jump out of bed and into some clothing and my hair self-adjusts itself. :lachen:

- I've done this because of the economy or can't afford to get my hair done.

- The reasons why they can't go natural. (Am I the only one that hears Charlie Brown's teacher talking at this point "Womp womp, womp womp womp...."?)
 
i'm gay
i love neo-soul music
i love to read poetry
i'm a vegetarian
i'm African
i'm into natural everything
i can't afford to go to the salon
 
That I'm only natural because I have very curly hair. I get this to those that give me excuses as to why they can't go natural.
 
1. Apparently EVERY social injustice EVERYWHERE is my personal problem. If I'm not familiar with a groups plight I get the side-eye as if my fro is some sort of magical transmitter of despair and injustice that needs to be helped. Also local artists assume I am down to support the cause even if their music is crappy.

2. That I want to smell like cloves and patchouli.

3. I enjoy "earthy" jewelry- no offense but I don't want some damn shells in my head and fifty eleven ankhs on a cotton string necklaces. Stop giving them to me and saying "I saw this and thought of you" you thought of my hair- not ME.

4. When I wear a WNG and someone asks how I get my hair "like that" and I say I just wash it they think I'm lying.

5.I'm on a crusade to save everyone from evil relaxers.

6. That I enjoy vegan foods, health foods and Kashi Bars and crap -NO I like meat too!!

7. And the hugest peeve is that people think I want their potentially nasty hands in my nice clean and fluffy hair.
Whew! rant over LOL
 
Every time a white person sees me with a twist out one day and then a tiny shrunken fro the next, I get asked 'omg you cut your hair???' Every. Time. :rofl: I have to pull a section down to my shoulder and say 'No. It shrinks.' And then I get this glassy eyed look and a quiet 'ohhhhh.' :perplexed :look: :lol:
 
tami73 said:
Is it just me or does it seem that its mostly you American folk that get these comments. I'm from Birmingham UK and all I ever get from co-workers black and white is the usual 'Oh your hair is so thick!' or 'Did you get a haircut?' after I wash my hair and it shrinks.

I actually thought and fully expected people around me to make weird comments when I first decided to transition but nope, my sister decided to join me in the transition and a few months later my mum did too! Now I'm fully natural and I've only just started to notice how many naturals there are out there and there are tons of us. It just doesnt turn heads and I'm feeling left out . . . I want silly assumptions too!! :ohwell:
Click to expand...
Yes to the bold. That plus the weave checks, unwanted touching, "what are you?" questions, etc. - they seem to be uniquely American phenomena. I say keep them over on that side of the Atlantic. We don't want them.
 
1. I got "good hair".
2. I'm mixed.
3. I date only white guys. (My BF IS white, but I don't know where the natural hair = white man thing come from).
4. Cant afford to get my hair done.
5. Had a horrible experience with relaxers in the past. (I never relaxed)
6. I think I got good hair, (but don't).
7. That I'm stuck up.
8. I'm "different" because I actually shop for products as the BSS (like the white women) and not the weave/wig sections. (Yes, the BSS here are full of white folks buying "our" products.
9. Lazy because I don't want to do anything "special" to my hair (relax, weave, etc).
 
People assume that I'm a liscensed certified beautician or something and that I can answer all their curly head questions. Especially white mothers of mixed or adopted children. I love to give the advice because I love talking hair, but thank goodness I halfway know what Im talking about because I've seen people literally buy the stuff I mention in passing that works for my hair.
 
Some of the stereotypes I fit! lol I am vegan but I haven't always been. When I first went natural I got a lot of negative comments but when people saw how much my hair grew in a short period of time they shut up real quick. lol I really don't see it as a big deal because I like me so I don't do it to make a statement. This is my hair and I like it so thats what matters.
 
The very first day I wore my hair out to work after my BC this little old lady came up to me UP IN MY FACE and said,
"Ohhhhhhh! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Look at that! That looks so cool. You know, when I saw you before with your hair, you know, how it was pulled back and all" [my default was a severe bun] "--it was like, very low key. But now it's like... *leans back and starts gyrating and snapping fingers* 'HEY FUNKY MAMA!!'"

So... yeah. People have kind of assumed that I'm friendlier, and... funkier. I guess that's a good thing, except for looking funky at work.

...Wait, now that I reread this, "looking funky?" I'm not so sure how I feel about the funk. :perplexed
 
I'm not natural anymore but when I was, classmates thought I was smarter than them and went to all the poetry slams and spoken word type events lol. They that I wore long flowing skirts and a trillion bangles (umm, jeans and a tshirt will be just fine). I was once told that I was mysterious and that I "burned" with sensuality lol. Idk if that was from the baldy or what but I take any and all compliments! Guys were not as comfortable approaching me. They def gave me the "hey my sista" or "how you doin princess" type game tho

ETA: when I first moved in with my new roommate she's like hi. I said hi and smiled. Then she says "I'm straight". I started laughing and said ok. Cuz I'm bald I must be gay cuz no woman in her right mind would want to be bald unless she ate fish right? Ugh!


Sent from my iPhone using LHCF
 
It's so weird that I fit some of these stereotypes WAY before I went natural.

I DO write poetry

I've been a Jill Scott/India.Airie fan since I was an 8th grader

I do come across aggressively/passionately about what I believe.

However i love fast food, I tried to go pescatarian 2 yrs ago but ma daddy made some ribs one night and THAT was done:lol:

I guess ppl think I'm crazy...but that's nothin new...I've always been somewhat of a free spirited person. I'm used to not fitting in. So I continue to dance outside the box.

My grandma asked me how long I'm keepin my hair "like that"....I said "FA EVA" lol....she goes "NAW!:nono:" and pinched her face up.:lol:

I DO NOT SMOKE WEED or anything at all...I DO enjoy rum and coke tho:grin:...sorry Fambo no Red Bull for me!...oh yeah and I've loved reggae music since I was a little girl.

I love coffee and tea.

I guess my hair kinda serves as my exclamation point! :lol:

LAWD.
 
kupenda said:
I'm not natural anymore but when I was, classmates thought I was smarter than them and went to all the poetry slams and spoken word type events lol. They that I wore long flowing skirts and a trillion bangles (umm, jeans and a tshirt will be just fine). I was once told that I was mysterious and that I "burned" with sensuality lol. Idk if that was from the baldy or what but I take any and all compliments! Guys were not as comfortable approaching me. They def gave me the "hey my sista" or "how you doin princess" type game tho

ETA: when I first moved in with my new roommate she's like hi. I said hi and smiled. Then she says "I'm straight". I started laughing and said ok. Cuz I'm bald I must be gay cuz no woman in her right mind would want to be bald unless she ate fish right? Ugh!


Sent from my iPhone using LHCF
Click to expand...
:lachen::lachen::lol:
 
I get made respect when I wear my fro out. People make way for me and rush to open doors :lol:. There is a lot of nodding and bending their heads in a deference-like manner. I think they are all reacting to my increased confidence.

I am in Canada so I don't get questions (we are not that bold), but my boss once said she thought my hair out suits me very much. A black friend here feels my hair all back in a bun suits me better so it is the battle of one black opinion vs. one white opinion :lol:.
 
BlkOnyx488 said:
Some people assume my White Husband doesn't like my natural hair.
They ask, "Umm what did Mike say when you decided to umm do THIS to your hair?"
Click to expand...

What some black people don't know is... many white people in general are curious about Afro hair types. Not that they don't like it.

I have been approached by more white men than black.

Because I am natural they see me as approachable and laid back...all of which I am.
 
yup when I BCd - to a caeser ... my Bfs friend asked him if we had broken up/ --- weird

also got the lesbian question also

I find that ppl automatically assume Im a sweet christian girl too

Im actually an evironmentalist by profession and use juices and berries in my hair so their assumption in that aspect would be quite correct.
 
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