Choklatekiss79
Active Member
Hey Ladies:
I was sitting at work and I got to thinking about the shows that Oprah has done, that were probably ideas generated by someone who felt passionately about something - just like me. stranger things have happened. I only got 2,000 characters, so I had to compress my thoughts A LOT. Like to hear it..here it go...
Dear Oprah:
After numerous discussions about black hair, I’ve begun to take a deeper look into what it is about a pile of dead skin cells that can simultaneously make people, specifically black women, feel so alive, and yet be the center of so much negative controversy. For the first time in my life, I’ve come to the realization that hair is not just hair. I would like you to do a show about African American hair. I’d like to see you really dig into the history and psychology of this subject and present it in an honest light, as it has been tip toed around for so long. I often wonder why there are so few black women in the media and entertainment industries who wear their natural hair proudly. I feel that if more black women saw this, it would open the door to more self acceptance in our community. Many of us are still bound by this ideal of beauty that is not a reflection of who we innately are. I wonder why it is that I see 4 and 5 year olds with relaxers and weaves down their backs. I feel many of us are subconsciously teaching our children that who they are is not sufficient, that in order to be beautiful they must alter themselves in ways that can be potentially damaging to their health. I wonder why so many black men find straight, flowing hair more attractive than what naturally grows out of the majority of black women’ heads. Is this something that was subconsciously taught and instilled or is it truly a preference? I wonder if more black men preferred natural kinks and coils would more black women have the courage to wear their hair that way. I just wonder. I’m in no way a fully self actualized individual. I’m still growing and learning. However, this is a topic that has struck an undying chord in my heart. I understand your position and need to not alienate your viewers of different races, but I feel that a show such as this one could open up an honest discussion and be a step in the right direction towards helping other races, as well as our own, understand us better.
Sincerely,
I'm not sure if anything will come of it, but ti sure felt good to get it off my chest.
What do you all think?
I was sitting at work and I got to thinking about the shows that Oprah has done, that were probably ideas generated by someone who felt passionately about something - just like me. stranger things have happened. I only got 2,000 characters, so I had to compress my thoughts A LOT. Like to hear it..here it go...
Dear Oprah:
After numerous discussions about black hair, I’ve begun to take a deeper look into what it is about a pile of dead skin cells that can simultaneously make people, specifically black women, feel so alive, and yet be the center of so much negative controversy. For the first time in my life, I’ve come to the realization that hair is not just hair. I would like you to do a show about African American hair. I’d like to see you really dig into the history and psychology of this subject and present it in an honest light, as it has been tip toed around for so long. I often wonder why there are so few black women in the media and entertainment industries who wear their natural hair proudly. I feel that if more black women saw this, it would open the door to more self acceptance in our community. Many of us are still bound by this ideal of beauty that is not a reflection of who we innately are. I wonder why it is that I see 4 and 5 year olds with relaxers and weaves down their backs. I feel many of us are subconsciously teaching our children that who they are is not sufficient, that in order to be beautiful they must alter themselves in ways that can be potentially damaging to their health. I wonder why so many black men find straight, flowing hair more attractive than what naturally grows out of the majority of black women’ heads. Is this something that was subconsciously taught and instilled or is it truly a preference? I wonder if more black men preferred natural kinks and coils would more black women have the courage to wear their hair that way. I just wonder. I’m in no way a fully self actualized individual. I’m still growing and learning. However, this is a topic that has struck an undying chord in my heart. I understand your position and need to not alienate your viewers of different races, but I feel that a show such as this one could open up an honest discussion and be a step in the right direction towards helping other races, as well as our own, understand us better.
Sincerely,
I'm not sure if anything will come of it, but ti sure felt good to get it off my chest.
What do you all think?
I'd origianlly made reference to that in my letter, but I didn't have enough room (character space). There was no way I could get everything I want to say in one letter, so I had to stick to the points I felt most passionately about. If each of us can take time out to write a letter once per month about this, maybe something big can happen. As a matter of fact, I CHALLENGE all of us to! We all talk about this over and over again. So now let's try to encite some change. Passion means nothing without action.
erplexed I don't watch Oprah often, so I didn't know she was making negative comments about our hair. Well I guess when you have limited knowledge you just go with what you know whether its right or wrong. My people still say good hair all the time.
