Ok I did read it.
First of all, if someone respects a "movement," they don't necessarily have to be a part. You don't have to usurp and insert yourself into everything just because you can kind of relate. That is the point that many of us were making.
I am all for stylists and people of all colors appreciating and learning to do kinky/coily and kinky/curly hair. However, that doesn't mean that it is ok to dubiously proclaim that you are part of the natural hair movement. It means something totally different for us. Please. This is the most ludicrous claim about this movement that I have ever heard.
Nikki is wrong by saying that in order to be fully accepted, we need to let others insert themselves into our spaces and it's necessary to expand our movement to include people who it was never for. This just dilutes the premises and ideologies upon which this movement was built. This movement was founded due to the systematic oppression, humiliation, and degradation that black men and women have faced/are facing across the globe.
Now we want to expand it to include anyone who got called names due to having some poofy (albeit long) hair that they could easily put into a bun?
They want to expand it to include people who never struggled with growing their hair due to never having the products and techniques? Our traditional combs and other hair grooming tools and techniques were taken away from us and we never had a chance to learn about our hair. Hello? Pickaninnys anyone?
We are just now...
just freakin now after hundreds of years of oppression...seeing the light and learning ourselves. Yes, "natural hair" has been around for years waterlilly....YOUR natural hair...not ours. The mere fact that we have to even say "natural hair" and differentiate it from permed hair says a crap ton about our situation that you/they clearly don't understand.
Sorry Nikki, I don't agree. Waterlilly and others like her can accept our movement by simply accepting it. They can cheer from the sidelines and they can even relate to the struggle if they've dealt with their own identity issues, negative self concepts, and unrealistic standards of beauty. I get it. We can ALL relate.
However, that does not mean that they have to insert themselves and act like they are part of it in order for the movement to be accepted. Like a pp said, this movement is the way it is because WE made it...we created it because there was/is a desperate need. To include people who honestly have nothing to do with it will only diminish the true meaning of it. It actually doesn't even make sense. I'm confused as to what natural white women with curly hair going are back to?
erplexed
Nobody is saying that they can't/shouldn't read black hair blogs or share tips. That is what women do and that's fine. I'm just saying please do not insert yourself under the context of #natural hair when you know good and got-damned well that that is not nor has ever been your experience.
Stop appropriating our ish. Just respect it and accept it! There is a difference.