What does it mean to be a militant natural?

qchelle

qchelle

Well-Known Member
Mammoth post ahead :grin:

The recent thread about Nicki Minaj saying how she feels about natural hair (and also the thread in OT about Louis CK) got me thinking about my interactions with people when talking about natural hair. I've been transitioning since May so, needless to say, I have lots of NG. And people ask me about my hair (friends, acquaintances) They ask me about it because before I got this sew-in (which I got like 3 weeks ago), I would wear it pulled back into a pony, oftentimes not caring about my wavy/nappy NG showing (more like 99% of the time). And they would see my hair, and inquire about it (never complete strangers though).

This is what a typical conversation would be like (typical meaning 90% of the time this is how it went):

Them: so...I guess it's time for a touch-up, huh? *all smiles, very very rarely malicious-like. Just a general inquiry in the black community*

(sidenote: if they ask maliciously, I just smile, nod, and say 'yeah, I no')

Me: *pleasant-like* oh, well I'm transitioning to natural, so..

Them: :look::perplexed:sad: oh. .........You too, huh? *long, irritated sigh* Why is everybody going natural? What's all this natural stuff about anyway? I don't understand. People make it seem like natural is sooo much better than perms! I mean, as long as you perm it right, you'll be fine! If you want to be natural, then fine! But don't look down on us for relaxing our hair and making it seem like we're less black because of it. And (and here is the kicker yall, here is the phucking kicker) nobody's really natural anyway! I mean if you use deoderant, put lotion on, do anything to alter your body's natural state, then you're not natural! DUHHH!!! Everyone can't go natural! If I tried to go natural, my hair would break the comb! My hair is BAD! It's nappy! I don't have that curly ****! I perm my hair because I choose to...so don't look down on me because of it.

Me: :look::look: Well......yea.....I mean, I don't agree with people trying to make you feel bad. I'm sorry you've experienced that.

Them: I mean it's just that everybodys going natural now *calming down*.

Me: So are people making you feel bad for relaxing your hair? (I make sure to ask this question, and 100% of the time the answer falls along the lines of:

Them: It's just that everybodys natural now! Like everybody I know is going natural!

Never has the answer been, "yes! people talk about me like a dog for relaxing my hair!" And I'm positive that they would have said that, if that were the case. Judging by their previous very outspoken rant about natural hair, I wouldn't classify her as shy<<which is always the case...they are never shy.

This is the response I get from women who are relaxed who ask me about my hair (I have never had a transitioner/natural head ask me about my hair IRL). This long azzzz rant about why they don't like people going natural. Never once citing any evidence as to where they have been personally attacked for relaxing their hair when they have been directly asked. Which leads me to believe that they don't have much experience with this...which leads me to conclude that she is just mad because she's not going natural??? Why are you yelling at me because of that?! I never even alluded to any of what you were talking about! *sigh*

Anyway, I just try to diffuse the situation by changing the subject. I twice tried to actually respond to the rant by dispelling some natural hair myths, telling her that I don't have that curly **** either, explaining the difference between a chemical that permanently alters the structure of your hairs DNA and deodorant<<<what a huge mistake;never again. And the response was even more volatile and I was called militant, extreme, intolerant, a natural nazi, etc.

So is that what it has come to? Trying to dispel myths about nautral hair means you're militant? Having a problem with media that does the opposite of that=extreme? And I said this reminded me of the Louis CK thread in OT because of the 'black people complain alot about black things' thing. (Which is a general sentiment amongst white people). You may know that feeling: It's like you have to walk on eggshells, hold your breath and look in every nook, crannie, crevice, and corner to find the speck of non-racism in it to the point where you can't even defend yourself when you feel it's necessary without (white) people saying you complain alot about dumb, irrelevant, get-over-it stuff.

But with white people, you really couldn't care less what they think (or atleast I can't) and you're gonna do what you need to do. I don't feel the same way about black people though. I can't be another cause of divide and people feeling bad about themselves in the black community. So I choose to just smile and nod now when someone goes off on their rant.

Anyway, sorry for the long post. Someone just posted that video about the news anchor going natural on FB...and people went in on that, too :nono:

I just think it's sad that there's so much division in the black community and it doesn't seem to be getting much better. It's just so sad guys :cry3:
 
What will happen in this thread:

Poster A: "Why can't folks just mind their own business? It's MY hair on top of MY head. Nobody should be concerned with what anybody does with the hair on top of their own head"

Poster B: "I would love to go natural and think it is wonderful that women do this. However, it's not for me. My hair is too kinky and it just isn't "ME", ya know?"

Poster C: "I'm tired of this discussion, there are bigger and more pressing issues affecting the black community than this hair stuff. It's just HAIR"

Poster D: " Honestly natural hair is not appealing. Say what you want, but i know if i walked into an interview with my hair like this, people would be looking at me as if i were celie from the color purple"

Poster E: "Other races don't have to deal with this sort of thing. White women like straight hair too and they are always using blowdryers and flat irons. How come when they do it, they are just trying to beautify themselves, but when a a black woman does it, it is because we are influenced by the dominant societys ideals?"

Poster F: "My preference for straight hair has no link at all to the way things were in the past. Colonialism and slavery have nothing at all to do with my preference for straight hair"

Poster G: " Natural hair is too difficult to deal with. I've tried. Combing it takes FOREVER! AND it never stays straight when i try to blow it out and it always reverts when i try to do a curly twist out!"

Poster H: " I'm tired of women with natural hair proclaiming this and that and demonizing those with relaxers. it is a personal CHOICE that has nothing to do with trying to be white. That is absolutely insane. How did we go from how i wear my hair to me trying to be white??"

Poster I: " So, all you naturals that plait your hair, loc it, use grease, comb it, mold it into the shape you want...it all points to the fact that you aren't really natural, so until you completely avoid doing the aforementioned things, you might as well be a relaxed head like myself."

Poster J: "How come my decision to wear my hair relaxed can't be just that? Why does it always have to come down to the white man?"

Poster K: "Natural nazi's are just espousing their beliefs in the way that they do because they secretly desire to wear their hair relaxed, but are too hung up on political correctness to admit it"

Poster L: "Relaxed hair is just as good and healthy as natural hair. As long as you don't overlap when retouching, base your scalp so you wont burn, and do protective styling, everything is fine"

Poster M : " I don't know why everyone is going natural. Its just a trend to wear your hair that way. Watch, in a few months folks will be wearing their hair normally again."

Poster N: "Honestly, i would soooooo go natural if i had a looser curl pattern..like pretty ringlets or glossy curls. maybe I'll try and go natural in the future...as long as i dont have that nappy stuff".

Poster O: "Perming your hair is just a tradition. My mom permed her hair so did my grandmother... it's really all i know. Thats the only reason i have the preference for straighter hair...it was passed down to me"

Poster P: "Natural hair is not classy, it just isn't. I didnt make the rules, i just play the game. If you want to get ahead in this society, you've got to do your best to make yourself as likeable as possible, including your appearance. unfortunately, the way things are, you will never be taken seriously with natural hair"

Poster Q: "Women just want to look attractive. They want to have long flowing silky hair. Whats so wrong with wanting to look attractive and beautiful?

Did i miss anything?
 
welp, i think jennboo just cliff-noted this thread before it even popped off. i dont even need to read the upcoming comments now lol
 
Jennboo you're scaring me LOL

OP when I transitioned I didn't talk to anyone about it. If I even thought that the person talking to me was going to be negative then I would never discuss my hair with them. It's fruitless.

Oh and to answer your question, a militant natural comes in many forms lol I personally flatiron my hair and go back and forth. If you came near me with a relaxer I'll karate chop you lol jk

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
ive had ppl who are newly-natural assuming that i was natural too [my braidouts usually come out very natural-looking] asking me for hair advice&questions about my hair and when i tell them im relaxed they bombarded me w.questions like "mmph ooh why do you relax your hair?" or "mmpph oh,nvm then" or "your hair would be so beautiful naural" or "relaxers are very damaging..blahblahblehblah-freaking-blah"

but at the same time they dont know that i was natural for 17 years straight,longer than any of them have ever been combined.

although i love my natural kinks&curls i relax my hair now because of time management&i can straighten my hair whenever i want within an hour instead of setting a whole day aside to do so. its just a personal choice.maybe one day i'll transition back but as of now im happy where im at which is healthy,almost WL, relaxed hair
 
BostonMaria said:
Jennboo you're scaring me LOL

OP when I transitioned I didn't talk to anyone about it. If I even thought that the person talking to me was going to be negative then I would never discuss my hair with them. It's fruitless.

Oh and to answer your question, a militant natural comes in many forms lol I personally flatiron my hair and go back and forth. If you came near me with a relaxer I'll karate chop you lol jk

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

:lachen::lachen::lachen::lachen:
 
I say don't sweat the small stuff. Those that mind don't matter, and those that matter don't mind. Live and let live. Yada yada yada.

Power to the People

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black_power_photo_2.jpg


:drunk:
:grin:
:look:
 
Militant natural? They still have those??

It was a topic of hot debate back in the early to mid 00's - but I thought that went away with the pre-Obama world. What room is there for militant naturals with the rise of the bkt and Indiremi curls, anyway??
 
jennboo said:
What will happen in this thread:

Poster A: "Why can't folks just mind their own business? It's MY hair on top of MY head. Nobody should be concerned with what anybody does with the hair on top of their own head"

Poster B: "I would love to go natural and think it is wonderful that women do this. However, it's not for me. My hair is too kinky and it just isn't "ME", ya know?"

Poster C: "I'm tired of this discussion, there are bigger and more pressing issues affecting the black community than this hair stuff. It's just HAIR"

Poster D: " Honestly natural hair is not appealing. Say what you want, but i know if i walked into an interview with my hair like this, people would be looking at me as if i were celie from the color purple"

Poster E: "Other races don't have to deal with this sort of thing. White women like straight hair too and they are always using blowdryers and flat irons. How come when they do it, they are just trying to beautify themselves, but when a a black woman does it, it is because we are influenced by the dominant societys ideals?"

Poster F: "My preference for straight hair has no link at all to the way things were in the past. Colonialism and slavery have nothing at all to do with my preference for straight hair"

Poster G: " Natural hair is too difficult to deal with. I've tried. Combing it takes FOREVER! AND it never stays straight when i try to blow it out and it always reverts when i try to do a curly twist out!"

Poster H: " I'm tired of women with natural hair proclaiming this and that and demonizing those with relaxers. it is a personal CHOICE that has nothing to do with trying to be white. That is absolutely insane. How did we go from how i wear my hair to me trying to be white??"

Poster I: " So, all you naturals that plait your hair, loc it, use grease, comb it, mold it into the shape you want...it all points to the fact that you aren't really natural, so until you completely avoid doing the aforementioned things, you might as well be a relaxed head like myself."

Poster J: "How come my decision to wear my hair relaxed can't be just that? Why does it always have to come down to the white man?"

Poster K: "Natural nazi's are just espousing their beliefs in the way that they do because they secretly desire to wear their hair relaxed, but are too hung up on political correctness to admit it"

Poster L: "Relaxed hair is just as good and healthy as natural hair. As long as you don't overlap when retouching, base your scalp so you wont burn, and do protective styling, everything is fine"

Poster M : " I don't know why everyone is going natural. Its just a trend to wear your hair that way. Watch, in a few months folks will be wearing their hair normally again."

Poster N: "Honestly, i would soooooo go natural if i had a looser curl pattern..like pretty ringlets or glossy curls. maybe I'll try and go natural in the future...as long as i dont have that nappy stuff".

Poster O: "Perming your hair is just a tradition. My mom permed her hair so did my grandmother... it's really all i know. Thats the only reason i have the preference for straighter hair...it was passed down to me"

Poster P: "Natural hair is not classy, it just isn't. I didnt make the rules, i just play the game. If you want to get ahead in this society, you've got to do your best to make yourself as likeable as possible, including your appearance. unfortunately, the way things are, you will never be taken seriously with natural hair"

Poster Q: "Women just want to look attractive. They want to have long flowing silky hair. Whats so wrong with wanting to look attractive and beautiful?

Did i miss anything?
Click to expand...
Nope I think you covered all the BullShi$ excuses black women use to mask their hatred for their natural born nappy-kinky hair!
I nominate this post as "POST OF THE YEAR":cup:
 
jennboo said:
What will happen in this thread:

Poster A: "Why can't folks just mind their own business? It's MY hair on top of MY head. Nobody should be concerned with what anybody does with the hair on top of their own head"

Poster B: "I would love to go natural and think it is wonderful that women do this. However, it's not for me. My hair is too kinky and it just isn't "ME", ya know?"

Poster C: "I'm tired of this discussion, there are bigger and more pressing issues affecting the black community than this hair stuff. It's just HAIR"

Poster D: " Honestly natural hair is not appealing. Say what you want, but i know if i walked into an interview with my hair like this, people would be looking at me as if i were celie from the color purple"

Poster E: "Other races don't have to deal with this sort of thing. White women like straight hair too and they are always using blowdryers and flat irons. How come when they do it, they are just trying to beautify themselves, but when a a black woman does it, it is because we are influenced by the dominant societys ideals?"

Poster F: "My preference for straight hair has no link at all to the way things were in the past. Colonialism and slavery have nothing at all to do with my preference for straight hair"

Poster G: " Natural hair is too difficult to deal with. I've tried. Combing it takes FOREVER! AND it never stays straight when i try to blow it out and it always reverts when i try to do a curly twist out!"

Poster H: " I'm tired of women with natural hair proclaiming this and that and demonizing those with relaxers. it is a personal CHOICE that has nothing to do with trying to be white. That is absolutely insane. How did we go from how i wear my hair to me trying to be white??"

Poster I: " So, all you naturals that plait your hair, loc it, use grease, comb it, mold it into the shape you want...it all points to the fact that you aren't really natural, so until you completely avoid doing the aforementioned things, you might as well be a relaxed head like myself."

Poster J: "How come my decision to wear my hair relaxed can't be just that? Why does it always have to come down to the white man?"

Poster K: "Natural nazi's are just espousing their beliefs in the way that they do because they secretly desire to wear their hair relaxed, but are too hung up on political correctness to admit it"

Poster L: "Relaxed hair is just as good and healthy as natural hair. As long as you don't overlap when retouching, base your scalp so you wont burn, and do protective styling, everything is fine"

Poster M : " I don't know why everyone is going natural. Its just a trend to wear your hair that way. Watch, in a few months folks will be wearing their hair normally again."

Poster N: "Honestly, i would soooooo go natural if i had a looser curl pattern..like pretty ringlets or glossy curls. maybe I'll try and go natural in the future...as long as i dont have that nappy stuff".

Poster O: "Perming your hair is just a tradition. My mom permed her hair so did my grandmother... it's really all i know. Thats the only reason i have the preference for straighter hair...it was passed down to me"

Poster P: "Natural hair is not classy, it just isn't. I didnt make the rules, i just play the game. If you want to get ahead in this society, you've got to do your best to make yourself as likeable as possible, including your appearance. unfortunately, the way things are, you will never be taken seriously with natural hair"

Poster Q: "Women just want to look attractive. They want to have long flowing silky hair. Whats so wrong with wanting to look attractive and beautiful?

Did i miss anything?
Click to expand...


today's my birthday.... and u just made my day
 
fist_pick.jpg


black_power_photo_2.jpg


owwwww! I must find one of these picks again!!!!! memories!!! reminds me of being a kid

BEING SURROUNDED BY SUCH SKKKKKROOOOOOOONG BLACK BROTHA'S!!:grin::grin:
 
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What does it mean to be a militant natural? This is a person who looks down upon women who relax and always tend to think that self hatred is the reason any woman who relaxes does so. I relax and I honestly could care less about what some militant natural thinks of my hair- its just hair! And like you niqu92 people assume that i am natural often due to thickness then when i respond im not sometimes they ask why (this is usually a person who doesnt know how to take care of thier own natural hair) and in return I ask them why are they worried about my head? (usually then the conversation is over at this point). Jennboo brings up so many good points and i guess im that person in Poster A.
 
Jennboo

all those excuses are so silly yeah someone will say at least 7 of them then other posters will respond saying how silly those stuff are then theres an arugment then the thread get locked down! :locked:
 
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I honestly dislike the term natural and only learned it once I started coming on hair boards. Before then, it was "I don't have a relaxer." That makes more sense if you think about what a lot of 'natural' people do to their hair & how they define natural

So is that what it has come to? Trying to dispel myths about nautral hair means you're militant? Having a problem with media that does the opposite of that=extreme?
Click to expand...
Militant naturals are the people who offer unsolicited advice about the evils of all things not natural. I think in your situation you had a militant relaxed head.
 
jennboo said:
What will happen in this thread:

Poster A: "Why can't folks just mind their own business? It's MY hair on top of MY head. Nobody should be concerned with what anybody does with the hair on top of their own head"

Poster B: "I would love to go natural and think it is wonderful that women do this. However, it's not for me. My hair is too kinky and it just isn't "ME", ya know?"

Poster C: "I'm tired of this discussion, there are bigger and more pressing issues affecting the black community than this hair stuff. It's just HAIR"

Poster D: " Honestly natural hair is not appealing. Say what you want, but i know if i walked into an interview with my hair like this, people would be looking at me as if i were celie from the color purple"

Poster E: "Other races don't have to deal with this sort of thing. White women like straight hair too and they are always using blowdryers and flat irons. How come when they do it, they are just trying to beautify themselves, but when a a black woman does it, it is because we are influenced by the dominant societys ideals?"

Poster F: "My preference for straight hair has no link at all to the way things were in the past. Colonialism and slavery have nothing at all to do with my preference for straight hair"

Poster G: " Natural hair is too difficult to deal with. I've tried. Combing it takes FOREVER! AND it never stays straight when i try to blow it out and it always reverts when i try to do a curly twist out!"

Poster H: " I'm tired of women with natural hair proclaiming this and that and demonizing those with relaxers. it is a personal CHOICE that has nothing to do with trying to be white. That is absolutely insane. How did we go from how i wear my hair to me trying to be white??"

Poster I: " So, all you naturals that plait your hair, loc it, use grease, comb it, mold it into the shape you want...it all points to the fact that you aren't really natural, so until you completely avoid doing the aforementioned things, you might as well be a relaxed head like myself."

Poster J: "How come my decision to wear my hair relaxed can't be just that? Why does it always have to come down to the white man?"

Poster K: "Natural nazi's are just espousing their beliefs in the way that they do because they secretly desire to wear their hair relaxed, but are too hung up on political correctness to admit it"

Poster L: "Relaxed hair is just as good and healthy as natural hair. As long as you don't overlap when retouching, base your scalp so you wont burn, and do protective styling, everything is fine"

Poster M : " I don't know why everyone is going natural. Its just a trend to wear your hair that way. Watch, in a few months folks will be wearing their hair normally again."

Poster N: "Honestly, i would soooooo go natural if i had a looser curl pattern..like pretty ringlets or glossy curls. maybe I'll try and go natural in the future...as long as i dont have that nappy stuff".

Poster O: "Perming your hair is just a tradition. My mom permed her hair so did my grandmother... it's really all i know. Thats the only reason i have the preference for straighter hair...it was passed down to me"

Poster P: "Natural hair is not classy, it just isn't. I didnt make the rules, i just play the game. If you want to get ahead in this society, you've got to do your best to make yourself as likeable as possible, including your appearance. unfortunately, the way things are, you will never be taken seriously with natural hair"

Poster Q: "Women just want to look attractive. They want to have long flowing silky hair. Whats so wrong with wanting to look attractive and beautiful?

Did i miss anything?
Click to expand...

in the bolded, this is what my brother called my hair before i was natrual:nono:
 
You know how if you back an animal up into a corner, say a snake, and it feels threatened and it will to try defend itself by rattling its tail, and bracing itself and start striking at you? Well, whoever this was that you talked to feels threatened by the recent increase of women who are leaving the relaxer alone. She feels like she has to defend her decision to still relax and she lashed out at you for going natural because of that threat she feels.

I guess I would probably be labeled as a "militant natural" because I am pretty pro natural and I don't really hide it and can't help it, I really love natural hair lol! I really hate those labels though because why does someone have to be all of that just because they advocate for natural hair? The same way a black person is labeled a "militant" because they are "pro black" or afrocentric. What's up with all the labeling because I love myself and my culture?
 
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:lachen: OP, I find it funny how people try to give this long justificaiton of something you didnt even question them about :lachen:

They have this tremendous personal notion on their negative theory of natural hair when honestly....no one really cares.
 
To me a militant natural is one who criticizes those who choose not to wear natural hair and believes that there is only one right way to wear your hair (natural).
 
See, to be militant about natural hair is to hold onto the believe that only people with natural hair love themselves and their culture.

A militant natural is a delusional person who thinks that a person's consciousness, self-esteem, and sense of identity are all wrapped up into whether or not a person chemically straightens his or her hair.

It doesn't matter if their hair is dry, matted, dirty, hidden under a weave, or otherwise damaged or hidden. Their hair is "natural" and that's all that counts! Despite the evidence to the contrary, they believe that all natural hair is more beautiful than relaxed hair. They disregard the scores of women with relaxed hair who grow their hair to amazing lengths, whose hair is "healthy" and manageable. These women scare newbies with relaxed hair into thinking that their hair can never grow long....part of the reason for the constant big chop/relax/big chop cycle.

They ridicule other naturals who use heat on their hair. It's okay to use henna, baking soda, and caramel to loosen your texture, but BKT is questionable. You may or may not be kicked out of the "natural club," for using BKT.

You don't even have to wait until you are fully natural to become a natural militant. You can declare that you are "transitioning" and still have 18 inches of relaxed hair on your head. As long as your "mindset" has changed and you put in your siggy that you're never using "creamy crack" again, then it's cool. You, too, can be a natural militant.

They seem to walk around thinking they have "one up" on those of us who do use relaxers or texturizers. It doesn't matter if this person is horribly out of shape, riddled with debt, lacking an education, or a terrible mate. They are better than you because you relax your hair.

You may notice that may of these people rarely offer hair advice; or, if they do, the only advice is to "stay away from the creamy crack!" They usually show up in threads in which there is a natural vs. relaxed hair debate, or some other controversial topics.

Natural militants fail to see the oppressive nature of the idea that black women should be a monolithic group; they fail to appreciate the true diversity of our hair and the value of choice. They believe that black women do not have the ability to choose how we wear our hair. It doesn't matter if you're degreed up, smart, capable, accomplished, and constantly give back to the black community. If you have relaxed hair, you are "brainwashed."

A militant natural can also be a man, like the ones who "only date natural women."
 
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I'm natural. I will rock a fro, WNG, twists, braids, etc but I will also blow dry, flat iron, press, and weave/wig it up.

Personally, I've gotten flack from both sides of the same Ican'tseemtomindmyowndamnbusiness coin. My siggy was inspired by a natural in a thread I made about someone dissing my natural hair:drunk:. How ironic is that?


I'm team STFU, STFD, and worry about what's on your head:look:.
 
qchelle said:
Mammoth post ahead :grin:

The recent thread about Nicki Minaj saying how she feels about natural hair (and also the thread in OT about Louis CK) got me thinking about my interactions with people when talking about natural hair. I've been transitioning since May so, needless to say, I have lots of NG. And people ask me about my hair (friends, acquaintances) They ask me about it because before I got this sew-in (which I got like 3 weeks ago), I would wear it pulled back into a pony, oftentimes not caring about my wavy/nappy NG showing (more like 99% of the time). And they would see my hair, and inquire about it (never complete strangers though).

This is what a typical conversation would be like (typical meaning 90% of the time this is how it went):

Them: so...I guess it's time for a touch-up, huh? *all smiles, very very rarely malicious-like. Just a general inquiry in the black community*

(sidenote: if they ask maliciously, I just smile, nod, and say 'yeah, I no')

Me: *pleasant-like* oh, well I'm transitioning to natural, so..

Them: :look::perplexed:sad: oh. .........You too, huh? *long, irritated sigh* Why is everybody going natural? What's all this natural stuff about anyway? I don't understand. People make it seem like natural is sooo much better than perms! I mean, as long as you perm it right, you'll be fine! If you want to be natural, then fine! But don't look down on us for relaxing our hair and making it seem like we're less black because of it. And (and here is the kicker yall, here is the phucking kicker) nobody's really natural anyway! I mean if you use deoderant, put lotion on, do anything to alter your body's natural state, then you're not natural! DUHHH!!! Everyone can't go natural! If I tried to go natural, my hair would break the comb! My hair is BAD! It's nappy! I don't have that curly ****! I perm my hair because I choose to...so don't look down on me because of it.

Me: :look::look: Well......yea.....I mean, I don't agree with people trying to make you feel bad. I'm sorry you've experienced that.

Them: I mean it's just that everybodys going natural now *calming down*.

Me: So are people making you feel bad for relaxing your hair? (I make sure to ask this question, and 100% of the time the answer falls along the lines of:

Them: It's just that everybodys natural now! Like everybody I know is going natural!

Never has the answer been, "yes! people talk about me like a dog for relaxing my hair!" And I'm positive that they would have said that, if that were the case. Judging by their previous very outspoken rant about natural hair, I wouldn't classify her as shy<<which is always the case...they are never shy.

This is the response I get from women who are relaxed who ask me about my hair (I have never had a transitioner/natural head ask me about my hair IRL). This long azzzz rant about why they don't like people going natural. Never once citing any evidence as to where they have been personally attacked for relaxing their hair when they have been directly asked. Which leads me to believe that they don't have much experience with this...which leads me to conclude that she is just mad because she's not going natural??? Why are you yelling at me because of that?! I never even alluded to any of what you were talking about! *sigh*

Anyway, I just try to diffuse the situation by changing the subject. I twice tried to actually respond to the rant by dispelling some natural hair myths, telling her that I don't have that curly **** either, explaining the difference between a chemical that permanently alters the structure of your hairs DNA and deodorant<<<what a huge mistake;never again. And the response was even more volatile and I was called militant, extreme, intolerant, a natural nazi, etc.

So is that what it has come to? Trying to dispel myths about nautral hair means you're militant? Having a problem with media that does the opposite of that=extreme? And I said this reminded me of the Louis CK thread in OT because of the 'black people complain alot about black things' thing. (Which is a general sentiment amongst white people). You may know that feeling: It's like you have to walk on eggshells, hold your breath and look in every nook, crannie, crevice, and corner to find the speck of non-racism in it to the point where you can't even defend yourself when you feel it's necessary without (white) people saying you complain alot about dumb, irrelevant, get-over-it stuff.

But with white people, you really couldn't care less what they think (or atleast I can't) and you're gonna do what you need to do. I don't feel the same way about black people though. I can't be another cause of divide and people feeling bad about themselves in the black community. So I choose to just smile and nod now when someone goes off on their rant.

Anyway, sorry for the long post. Someone just posted that video about the news anchor going natural on FB...and people went in on that, too :nono:

I just think it's sad that there's so much division in the black community and it doesn't seem to be getting much better. It's just so sad guys :cry3:
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wow that person was extremely insecure. seems like she is the one feelin some type of way over her choice to continue relaxing while everyone else goes natural. she needs to build a bridge and get over it. she can do whatever she wants with her hair and whoever doesn't like it can suck an egg so she ain't gotta trip like that. ♥
 
Solitude said:
See, to be militant about natural hair is to hold onto the believe that only people with natural hair love themselves and their culture.

A militant natural is a delusional person who thinks that a person's consciousness, self-esteem, and sense of identity are all wrapped up into whether or not a person chemically straightens his or her hair.

It doesn't matter if their hair is dry, matted, dirty, hidden under a weave, or otherwise damaged or hidden. Their hair is "natural" and that's all that counts! Despite the evidence to the contrary, they believe that all natural hair is more beautiful than relaxed hair. They disregard the scores of women with relaxed hair who grow their hair to amazing lengths, whose hair is "healthy" and manageable. These women scare newbies with relaxed hair into thinking that their hair can never grow long....part of the reason for the constant big chop/relax/big chop cycle.

They ridicule other naturals who use heat on their hair. It's okay to use henna, baking soda, and caramel to loosen your texture, but BKT is questionable. You may or may not be kicked out of the "natural club," for using BKT.

You don't even have to wait until you are fully natural to become a natural militant. You can declare that you are "transitioning" and still have 18 inches of relaxed hair on your head. As long as your "mindset" has changed and you put in your siggy that you're never using "creamy crack" again, then it's cool. You, too, can be a natural militant.

They seem to walk around thinking they have "one up" on those of us who do use relaxers or texturizers. It doesn't matter if this person is horribly out of shape, riddled with debt, lacking an education, or a terrible mate. They are better than you because you relax your hair.

You may notice that may of these people rarely offer hair advice; or, if they do, the only advice is to "stay away from the creamy crack!" They usually show up in threads in which there is a natural vs. relaxed hair debate, or some other controversial topics.

Natural militants fail to see the oppressive nature of the idea that black women should be a monolithic group; they fail to appreciate the true diversity of our hair and the value of choice. They believe that black women do not have the ability to choose how we wear our hair. It doesn't matter if you're degreed up, smart, capable, accomplished, and constantly give back to the black community. If you have relaxed hair, you are "brainwashed."

A militant natural can also be a man, like the ones who "only date natural women."
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nappystorm said:
I'm natural. I will rock a fro, WNG, twists, braids, etc but I will also blow dry, flat iron, press, and weave/wig it up.

Personally, I've gotten flack from both sides of the same Ican'tseemtomindmyowndamnbusiness coin. My siggy was inspired by a natural in a thread I made about someone dissing my natural hair:drunk:. How ironic is that?


I'm team STFU, STFD, and worry about what's on your head:look:.
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:clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping: because hitting the "Thanks" button truly wasn't enough.
 
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