I think going natural, twa, transitioning movement as a "big deal" is a fad. It's the new thing that a person can learn form scratch if they never tried it, tried it but didn't stick with it or tried it a long time ago and want to try it again. Once people learn their natural hair as just hair it becomes just another option like braids, pressing, a perm or color. I think the fad is the process and the extra hype people associate with it right now.
To be quite honest I'm all natural haired out. People are just going way too hard for my liking which is making it feel like a fad.
I don't think it's going anywhere. Same for perms, relaxers and texturizing. Something someone will always be rocking.
I remember when I went natural in 2000, there were only a few hair boards so everyone sort of knew each other. Even back then people were saying that natural hair was a fad and that folks would be on to the next thing soon enough. Well, 12 years later and the "fad" has grown even bigger. It's not going anywhere.
I have nothing against straight hair but there really is nothing cuter than a little girl with a huge afro puff or big twists/ braids. And I would gets such a kick out of seeing our teenage girls rocking big fluffy fros and waist-length twists and twist-outs. Again, nothing against straight hair. It just saddens me that many of us don't see the beauty and potential in a feature that is almost uniquely ours.
claud-uk said:I don't understand this comment? There's a lot more to successfully managing a healthy head of natural hair than there is to slapping on a relaxer and settling for NL or SL hair - so few naturals are alike with regards to type/texture etc that overcoming a particular problem is often down to time, trial and error, setbacks and more time. We have to learn our hair, learn what suits it's particular idiosyncracies, learn what it likes and doesn't... It's not as simple as "making sure to use regular protein" like it is with relaxers. If I've read you wrong or misinterpreted you please feel free to set the record straight.
the relaxer was the fad. doing what's natural to you, is well, natural. So the relaxer fad is reversing and more and more women are done with that fad or trend.
Just another way to looking at it.
I think it's mainly a trend. But there's always going to be some who stays natural. I can't help but to stay natural...whether I like it or not, because my scalp was affected by the relaxers. So I can't go back.
Just look at THIS board. Naturals are relaxing at a high rate lately.
I was talking with my bestie yesterday about how natural hair is now "trendy" . . . she's been natural for years and was ecstatic when I went natural.
Anyhoo, during our conversation I wondered aloud whether "going natural" was just a passing trend and we'd all be running to relax again in another few years. She said no - because this time around we have more information about how to care for natural hair as well as more products to help us in doing so.
Now I know for me, the change was moreso about the health of my hair/scalp and just wanting to "try and see" what my hair could do . . . I am not one of those people who says "I'll never relax again" but knowing what I do now about relaxers and all of the chemicals . . . probably not. But who knows.
Your thoughts???
What I really want to see is whites, asians, and latinas jack up their hair textures in order to rock fros, puffs, locs, and kinky twists. I'd like to see them spend millions upon millions trying to achieve what's naturally ours. For once.
Because it has now taken over as the new standard of beauty.
That would be awesome.