Natural Hair and Nappy Heads PDF Print E-mail
By Kamilah Blackston -- Black College Wire   

As an avid tweeter, throughout last semester and this past summer, I've been seeing a lot of tweets from males criticizing how females dress, act, and especially how they wear their hair.

Some of the tweets that I read said things like, 'Natural hair is sexy;" "I hate weaves;" "If you wear weave, don't talk to me;" and "Natural Hair Rocks!"

Since first seeing guys' tweets about natural hair during last semester, I cannot help but notice that an overwhelming number of females have resorted to going natural.

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Kenneth Hawkins/A&T Register
Kamilah Blackston
Girls are cutting out their perms, wearing short curly but mostly nappy bushes, and starting locs.

Many females said that the reason they went natural is because they want to take care of their hair and be healthier. They no longer want to put chemicals in it.

Unfortunately, I feel that for most females on this campus, the choice to go natural was not because of this, but because going natural is becoming a trend.

While talking to a male friend of mine, I asked him his thoughts on girls going natural. He said that he preferred natural hair and that he hated weaves with a passion.

When I asked him if he felt that a female going natural was a personal preference or a trend, he replied, "Females always say they are going natural because they want to be healthier. If girls really were pressed about being healthier, why do you have a gut? Why don't you work out regularly? Why don't you eat healthier? It's definitely a trend."

I think it is safe to say that his point was made.

I wholeheartedly believe that the natural hair craze is becoming a trend if it is not one already. In the same way that many females follow and copy Rihanna's hairstyles and Nicki Minaj's pink lips, this is the same path that the natural hair trend is following.

Everybody cannot wear short hair. Everybody does not look good with bright pink lips. Only a handful of females can pull off a short hair cut, let alone natural hair.

Unfortunately, if you are one of those few, there are hardly any hair stylists in Greensboro that actually know what they are doing.

A lot of girls stray from who they are by trying to be like other people. If we all did the same thing, nobody would be different and I feel it is safe to say that a lot of girls on this campus are starting to look just alike.

Women need to find out what looks good on them and what does not.

If your head is bigger than your body, short hair might not be the way to go. If your hair is dry, brittle, and extremely nappy, natural hair is just not for you.

A lot of girls need a wakeup call. Some girls might just have to resort to a perm if the texture of their hair is not too pretty. If you know your hair does not grow, you might want to consider getting a sew-in and keeping one.

We all try to be queens and some people feel like going natural is getting back in touch with your roots. However, if you are looking more like a slave than a queen, you might want to take a trip to the beauty supply store and get some perm or weave.

This natural hair trend is getting out of control. I hate that girls walk around thinking that natural bush is fly when it is not. Ladies, please go do something to that head because that bush is making you look foolish.

Regardless of what guys may say about females' hair, or what looks good on somebody else does not necessarily mean it looks good on you. The sooner women realize what looks good on them and what does not, the better off they will be.

Maybe after reading this, some people will take this advice as constructive criticism and get their life together. 

As for the males who have something to say about every aspect of a female's appearance, do not think you are so GQ that you can't use some tips. I can go on (about) scruff, unkempt hairlines, and dusty locs all day. Some of you need to get your lives together as well.

Natural hair looks good on some people, but everybody cannot pull it off!

Individuality is what makes people interesting, but lately the only thing interesting about many girls is that mess on their heads.

Kamilah Blackston writes for The A&T Register, the North Carolina A&T University student newspaper, which originally published this article.

Articles in the Voices section reflect the opinions of the individual writers and do not represent the views of Black College Wire.

 

Posted Sep. 20, 2010
 
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