Do you think the standard of beauty is changing?

[Cherokee-n-Black]

I'd like to think, yes. More and more, the natural texture of our hair is being seen more often, reflected in fashion, worn by professionals, performing artists, etc... I just know that this was also the case in the 70's and just look where we were just a few years later later: Jheri Curls in the 80's, the explosion of the relaxer business, in the 90's Li'l Kim, Beyonce (who I love, but lawd if the child seems to get whiter and blonder with time), and now, Real Housewives, and Zoe Saldana as Lt. Uhura...(WTF??? I love her too, but come on!)

I've really noticed the natural/transitioning hair train picking up steam in the last couple of years, and now with the NYT article we done hit the big time (I'm a little miffed the hair boards didn't get an honorable mention).

Is the new "black hair is curly hair" movement just a fashion trend, or is this really a paradigm shift? I see so many natural heads (and twice as many weaves, but I didn't say we didn't have a ways to go) just on my way to and from work. I love that so many moms are keeping their babies natural, and that sites like this exist to really "Break it down" on how to care for our hair in any state. Am I too optimistic. Will 2020 have people straightening with some new scientific breakthrough??? I hope not!

 

[kittikat24]

Hmm, interesting perspective.
As I was out shopping today, 1 out of 3 of the black women were natural, or were sporting kinky wigs etc.
I don't think the STANDARD of beauty is changing, but I think there's strength in numbers. If brothers (and fellow sistas) start getting used to seeing natural hair thats beautifully groomed, it may convert some who wouldn't normally go natural to give it a shot.
I think with the recent grammy awarded to Esperanza Spalding, that probably opened eyes to the beauty of natural hair in the mainstream media.

 

[bellou04]

Yes i do think its changing, a lot of my friends (i mean A LOT) are going natural. they are all rocking BCs.

 

[*CherryPie*]

I think it's changing for BLACK people. Other races? Not so much...

 

[DDTexlaxed]

I believe each individual should be able to decide whether they embrace natural hair or not. No standards should be forced, even if we are natural at birth. Society standards are fickle and change at the drop of the dime. It is up to any individual to stay true to themselves and not change to please the masses.

 

[omegachick31]

I definitely think the standard of beauty is shifting but I don't think it is only hair focused. I think that it is more of an acceptance issue when it comes to hair. The features of black/ethnic women which were shunned or denigrated in the past and are seen as beautiful on others is testament to that fact. Although I believe that what we perceived as pure abhorrence for what we have naturally, in all actuality has been displays of cognitive dissonace. It is funny though that the one thing we do have that is hard to mimic is our hair....Can't wait for the day when they offer Afro-American hair implants.

 

[sapphire18]

The world is starting to realise that there is no such thing as a standard of beauty.

 

[NuBraveHeart]

no, i do not.

 

[sunnieb]

No, I don't.

I think the advent of the internet has made more information about OUR hair more readily available. Therefore, we are not afraid to try new things with our hair (going natural, stretching relaxers, going without direct heat, using hair products marketed to other races, etc.).

There's nothing like seeing a woman with hair texture like yours successfully grow a beautiful head of healthy hair. Doesn't matter if she's natural or relaxed IMO.

 

[AuNaturalMaMa]

I'd like to think, yes. More and more, the natural texture of our hair is being seen more often, reflected in fashion, worn by professionals, performing artists, etc... I just know that this was also the case in the 70's and just look where we were just a few years later later: Jheri Curls in the 80's, the explosion of the relaxer business, in the 90's Li'l Kim, Beyonce (who I love, but lawd if the child seems to get whiter and blonder with time), and now, Real Housewives, and Zoe Saldana as Lt. Uhura...(WTF??? I love her too, but come on!)

I've really noticed the natural/transitioning hair train picking up steam in the last couple of years, and now with the NYT article we done hit the big time (I'm a little miffed the hair boards didn't get an honorable mention).

Is the new "black hair is curly hair" movement just a fashion trend, or is this really a paradigm shift? I see so many natural heads (and twice as many weaves, but I didn't say we didn't have a ways to go) just on my way to and from work. I love that so many moms are keeping their babies natural, and that sites like this exist to really "Break it down" on how to care for our hair in any state. Am I too optimistic. Will 2020 have people straightening with some new scientific breakthrough??? I hope not!

My DH mentioned this the other day when we were watching tv and she came on for a haircolor commercial.

I think that its wonderful that not just AA are embracing natural hair but also all other races. At the same time I think people should be more about healthy hair vs. having to be natural because all people wont want to be. All races do things to change their hair. I don't think that will ever change. I do think that ppl shouldn't be putting chemicals in their childrens hair!! Leave that to them when they can make logical decisions about hair/self-esteem....I enjoyed reading your view on this. Thanks.

 

[howyoudoin]

Im seeing a lot of people rocking their hair chemical free and i love it. I have been relaxed since age 9, but if i the choice i would have never put this crap in my head. Im glad a lot of us are showing the beauty of our hair. Just watching tv the last few years has been a downer, all these black women on tv with these ridiculous wigs ,weaves and heavy make up , looking like wannabes instead of beautiful black people, at least now we are seeing some real blackness on tv and not just standard weavy, wiggy, contoured nose type black women. i dont think all this stuff is healthy for the mind of black children or any black person for that matter. I

 

[Naturel]

The world is starting to realise that there is no such thing as a standard of beauty.

True! And in reality there is no standard beauty!

 

[Ms. Martina]

For at least 10 years now most of the women in commercials have sported natural hair. I started noticing this when I was younger. It stood out to me as odd marketing considering most black women were relaxed during that time, so I wondered why they were using mostly natural actresses when the average black consumer had relaxed hair. With that said, I think the standards in film/TV/advertisements have always been "afro-friendly." However, I think corporate America has been not so into the natural style. I see this changing some now, but we still have a long way to go.

 

[SND411]

I think it's changing for BLACK people. Other races? Not so much...

Why the sad face? As long as Black people see the beauty of ourselves, that is all that matters to me. "F" everyone else.

 

[SND411]

Yes I do. Visit "black fashion" tumblr.

 

[allmundjoi]

Yes. Look at the media and hair care lines. We are seeing more happy-to-be-nappy women in commercials and movies. There is still the trend for the racially ambiguous to be displayed in commercials, but I am seeing more 'fros and dark skinned women. Hair care lines are changing up ingredients to appeal to natural hair (even if it means marketing a natural ingredient that makes up 1ppm of the product). Product descriptions include uses like 'may be used on natural or chemical-free hair.' The fact that these industries (driven by money) are changing are reflecting a change in society.

Sent from my DROIDX

 

[DDTexlaxed]

I've noticed as far as product ingredients, the hair industry is paying attention to more natural products. Every hair product line now says it has shea butter, morrocan oil, jojoba,coconut oil, and olive oil.

 

[danysedai]

I'm still relaxed but I have seen that hair products companies are paying attention. Seeing that for example the fashion industry is using bloggers now and paying attention to them for trends and for what every day people on the streets use, I truly believe the hair industry follows forums like this one, nappurality,BHM, and natural and relaxed bloggers. They would be fools if they didn't, it's FREE market research done for them, reviews, opinions, likes and dislikes so they have adapted some hair products to reflect what we as black women want.
Commercials are now showing more natural hair but I've noticed is the most socially acceptable (not my words or my opinion) "curly ringlety" type.

In real life? I can't speak for the U.S but in Canada where I live I mostly see weaves, wigs and relaxers, just a few sisters with natural hair. In Cuba where I'm from, it's relaxers land. My little sister who has one of the most beautiful heads of natural hair and has been natural since she BC in 2000 is NOW getting a lot of attention because her hair is almost WL.

 

[darlingdiva]

I've noticed as far as product ingredients, the hair industry is paying attention to more natural products. Every hair product line now says it has shea butter, morrocan oil, jojoba,coconut oil, and olive oil.

I've noticed that, as far as product ingredients, the hair industry is becoming slicker in regards to "natural" products. Take Tresemme, for example.

They have the nerve to market it as "Tresemme Naturals" when there is pure alcohol in it, and the avocado oil and aloe vera is basically at the end of the product. I still use it to detangle b/c it comes in a 25 ounce bottle for cheap, but still....Tresemme is wrong for that.

 

[omegachick31]

The world is starting to realise that there is no such thing as a standard of beauty.

I don't agree with this and the reason I don't is because practically everything is set by a standard...time, length, heat....even the concepts of intelligence, so beauty is no different. If you are constantly bombarded by an image and told that it is beautiful when that image is presented you are practically automated to think it is beautiful as time has shown us to be the case over the last century. The alteration of the image at first will prove resistence from the masses in believing it too can be beautiful unless it becomes commonplace i.e., a new standard.

 

[healthyhair2]

I think it's changing for BLACK people. Other races? Not so much...

Yes, I agree with you wholeheartedly!! We, as black people have opened our eyes to different definitions of what is beautiful. Everyone else I think hasn't changed so much. Blonde is still beautiful to plenty of people.

 

[Nelli04]

if the standard of beauty is changing it is changing VERY slowly...I think as parts of this country and the world become more diverse, views of beauty will change...

I know the reason most of us did not like our hair and opted for the relaxer, or were forced to get a relaxer is because of what we told/perceived 'other' people thought of it.
But seeing other women go natural and rock natural hairstyles and STILL be accepted and not ridiculed is changing that mindset.

 

[LuvlyRain3]

I don't know if the standard of beauty is changing or if people are just getting tired of conforming to it.

 

[Cherokee-n-Black]

I think it's changing for BLACK people. Other races? Not so much...

Yes, I agree with you wholeheartedly!! We, as black people have opened our eyes to different definitions of what is beautiful. Everyone else I think hasn't changed so much. Blonde is still beautiful to plenty of people.

OK, now THIS I find interesting, because I think black people are the last to embrace the natural look, hence my thread about the italian ice cart pushing [bleep] AND my thread in the children's hair section about how white people would constantly ooh and ahh over DD's hair when it was looking its craziest (not styled).

I see a few Dominicana's here and there rocking naturals, which is interesting because I always wonder if they are catching heat for in their community, because that standard is "the whiter the righter," and they are, in fact the inventors of the heat-style-your-hair-to-death Dominican Blowout. My mother-in-law freaked out when I told her I was going natural. "So, you're just going to wear an afro????" (West Indian) So...I actually think as I said before that the arts and the media are showing us something quite different from the perm boxes and weave ads--and we know that the media ain't hardly controlled by black people. I've also noticed a LOT more biracial couples here in Harlem--where the woman is black! I was always concerned as to why brothers were crossing over, but men of other races weren't crossing over to us (10 cool points if you get the movie reference ).

Well...that's kind of out the window, now, so perhaps I should revise the question to "Do you think the standard of beauty is diversifying its portfolio?"

 

[Zaz]

Jheri Curls in the 80's, the explosion of the relaxer business, in the 90's Li'l Kim, Beyonce (who I love, but lawd if the child seems to get whiter and blonder with time), and now, Real Housewives, and Zoe Saldana as Lt. Uhura...(WTF??? I love her too, but come on!)

Cherokee-n-Black
I didn't quite get this part of your post what about the Real housewives, which ones, Atlanta?
I had to google Lt. Uhura but she seemed to have relaxed hair in the old one and the new one.

 

[Solitude]

OK, now THIS I find interesting, because I think black people are the last to embrace the natural look, hence my thread about the italian ice cart pushing [bleep] AND my thread in the children's hair section about how white people would constantly ooh and ahh over DD's hair when it was looking its craziest (not styled).


Well...that's kind of out the window, now, so perhaps I should revise the question to "Do you think the standard of beauty is diversifying its portfolio?"

I started not to comment because the only time I think about the "standard of beauty" is when I log into LHCF. In the real world, if you're beautiful, you're beautiful. It has to do with the individual in my opinion.

But, I get really tired of people saying that white people appreciate our hair more than we do. Non-black people used to pat my son's fro when he had one and I didn't think that was a compliment. They were intrigued because his hair was an oddity. They were also indifferent because they don't have any kinks growing out of their own head and never will. They have never experienced the stigma associated with "nappy hair" - so, what's not to love?

Why would blacks comment on a black child's hair when they were once a black child with black hair? When I see whites getting curly perms and picking their hair into fros, rocking braidouts and twistouts, and getting type-4 weaves, then I will be convinced that they have embraced the "natural look" whatever that is. In the meantime, I'm not bothered a bit and I'm glad that the natural hair movement is going strong, although I think that the attention in the mainstream media is about money and how black women are spending it, more than it has to do with beauty.

 

[sapphire18]

I started not to comment because the only time I think about the "standard of beauty" is when I log into LHCF. In the real world, if you're beautiful, you're beautiful. It has to do with the individual in my opinion.

But, I get really tired of people saying that white people appreciate our hair more than we do. Non-black people used to pat my son's fro when he had one and I didn't think that was a compliment. They were intrigued because his hair was an oddity. They were also indifferent because they don't have any kinks growing out of their own head and never will. They have never experienced the stigma associated with "nappy hair" - so, what's not to love?

Why would blacks comment on a black child's hair when they were once a black child with black hair? When I see whites getting curly perms and picking their hair into fros, rocking braidouts and twistouts, and getting type-4 weaves, then I will be convinced that they have embraced the "natural look" whatever that is. In the meantime, I'm not bothered a bit and I'm glad that the natural hair movement is going strong, although I think that the attention in the mainstream media is about money and how black women are spending it, more than it has to do with beauty.

I agree with part of your statement. Beauty is subjective. But, more than just black people are accepting our beauty. I spent the first part of my childhood in a neighborhood that was predominately black and the latter part of my childhood in a neighborhood that was predominately white. I was under the impression I was ugly until I moved to the white neighborhood. Most of the black males I know that are my age are dating, engaged, or married to white females. I am pretty sure their standard of beauty is their girlfriend and not a black woman. Again, beauty is subjective and race doesn’t even determine a standard.

Unusual or odd beauty equals exotic beauty.