Personal Narrative: Curls, Kinks, And Coils

There has been a notable amount of conversation on the internet on the rebirth of the natural hair movement. Cherise Luter (2014) states that despite afros and the natural hair movement not being a new concept (i.e. the Black Power Movement), it has gone under what she calls a “refreshing change”. Furthermore, what used to be “I’m black and I’m proud”, has been replaced with “I’m me and I’m proud” (Luter 2016). So, what is the natural hair movement? It is defined as a movement where black women decide to not conform to the social norms of chemically altering their hair and wearing it in its natural, kinky, or curled state (Joignot 2015). The movement could also be considered as an outlet for black women to display their racial and cultural pride or to articulate their “political position (Brown 2014:297). However, simply the terminology “movement” is something that should be shocking to many. There is a great amount of historical context behind the continuous influence Eurocentric beauty ideals have had on black women for centuries. According to Nadia Brown (2014), Black natural hair throughout history has proven to be recognized as “either unintended or intended personal and political statements” (298). the beauty standard in Western society which praises European hair textures, has influenced many black women to be critical of other black women who choose to chemically straighten their hair, accusing them of being subservient to the dominant and pervasive racist

Chris Rock’s documentary, Good Hair, investigates the notion of what good hair is. Dominant society views good hair as straight or essentially caucasian hair. This is not only problematic to the self-esteem and confidence of black women, but it can also cause black women to appropriate Asian culture. Black women unfortunately take advantage of Asian culture in search of what society believes is good hair. Many black women wear weaves in order to align to what society believes is good hair. However, when they buy this hair, they do not realize what Asians go through. Likewise, Asians who give up their hair do not know where or who this hair will be going to. Thus, this desire for good hair further perpetuates the lack of understanding that black

The attitudes and arguments towards and against black hair in “Balm” by Lonnae O’Neal Parker and “My First Conk” by Malcolm X are contingent because they express two distinct views on black hair. Malcolm X pleads that manipulation of our hair by straightening or covering by wig is self- degradation. While Parker believes that the time she spent doing her daughters hair is translated to the love she has for them. This time not only assures the girls that they have a loving mother, it assures Parker that she could send them out into a world that would appreciate them because they had someone who put time (love) into the girls. Parker is aware of the scary truth that our worth by outside world is one dimensional and fuel by aesthetics. Both Lonnae O’Neal Parker and Malcolm X have analyze the importance of hair in the black community. Parker praises the “black hair ritual” while Malcolm criticizes it. Even though their topics differ, both essays share the act of taming natural hair, and the motifs of love and pain

The researcher interview with African American women with natural hair and examination of social media. The researchers explain that in the natural hair community a curl texture is more attractive than kinky hair texture and lengthier hair more desirable than short hair; also having manageable hair is dynamic to African American women’s effective performances of Black femininity. This research expands the discourse in African American Studies that theorizes the experiences of African American women with natural hair compared to those of African American women with relaxed hair such as perms (Howard, 2015, p.

With a fury I had been scrolling through google, tumblr, and youtube, reveling in the feminine faces that had hair closely cropped to their scalp. Some had bangs. Some didn’t. Some were even shaved. I still ache for something like that-something edgy and out there. Something different. I begged my parents, arguing and becoming angry, defending my

Since the early 1900s, Black women have had a fascination with their hair. More explicitly, they have had a fascination with straightening their hair. The need to be accepted by the majority class has caused them to do so. Though the image of straight hair as being better than coarse hair still hasn’t left the Black community, there has been a surge of non straight hairstyles since the nineteen sixties. Wearing more natural hairstyles, which ironically enough include ‘weaves’ and ‘hair extensions’ has been considered to be more empowered and more enlightened. However, this image comes with a price, and though it appears the ‘natural’ hairstyle movement has advanced Black women, it has actually set

At 5:30 I hear the irritating sound of the alarm and hesitantly start to wake up. When I finally manage to pull myself out of bed I slowly amble over to the bathroom and start getting ready. Many thoughts are running through my head as I try to remember where my classes are. Once I get downstairs I sit down to eat breakfast and think about the day ahead. At 6:40 I shuffle outside to wait for my ride. Eventually we get to Anderson, I pick up my humongous book bag and hope that I didn’t forget anything. When I am opening my locker my hands start shaking as I turn the lock. I get to Spanish at 7:00 and anxiously wait to see people I know walk in. Thankfully, I know a lot of girls in my class and I settle in. Once Spanish is over I walk/sprint

Along with the consistent clop of the horse’s hooves, I could hear men groan at the heat, perspiration beads flanking their foreheads and the napes of their neck. This particularly annoyed me; I had lush, ginger hair that I had wished to keep clean and smooth. But with the deadly rays of the sun beating my back, sweat beads formed on my neck’s nape and on my forehead and slipped down in thick, flat streams. It amalgamated with my hair, creating a damp, tousled mess that reached to where I had my hair tied up in the back. It also caused my once silky bangs to meet the sweat and create the appearance that my hairline was greasy. How nauseating our appearance was!

I woke up on the very edge of my bed my blankets tossed on the floor and my head buried into a pillow. I groaned as I pushed myself off the bed picking up the blankets and laying them on the mattress. I stretched my arms and yawned as I walked over to my bathroom and twisting the knobs trying to find a perfect temperature.

Hair modification is a century old tradition for all ethnicities. The focus of this research paper will be the benefits of natural hair versus relaxed hair within the African American hair community. My position on this issue is that the natural state of hair is inherently better than the processed relaxed state of hair, even though African American women continue to relax their hair the outcome may be extreme.

When I once decided to take out my protective style and wear my hair in its natural state, I received several negative remarks. As a young black female I was bothered and wondered why. I wondered why I was receiving so many negative remarks especially from my fellow Black women. An individual went as far to tell me “your hair looks nice but do not wear that to a job interview”. Hair and the styling of it has been a staple of the Black community for centuries. In African American culture, an individual’s hair spoke volumes about that person. By looking at a person’s hair, one could tell where that person was from, what tribe he or she was a member of and even the status within that tribe. As time progressed the influence and importance of hair

Through collage and drawing, I show the relationship between these women and how historical stereotypes effect the way that American culture represents African American hair. Many of those stereotypes are generated

different from another on the same head, even more so on a different head, is what makes you unique in your own way. People tend to categorize a certain race with a certain natural hair texture. However, natural curly hair isn't a "black thing" or what defines you as a person. Natural curly hair varies through all races and genders. African American women soon realize that they must work hard to demonstrate that their hair texture does not lead to negative qualities about their identity. One way that African American women disband this stereotype is by avoiding the natural state that their hair grows. Maintaining beautiful African American natural hair is

Almost finished, I looked up to note my accomplishments. I was impressed. My thick, coarse hair was silky and had body. I couldn’t wait to show it off. Every time I needed my hair to look salon done, I used the Royale. It was my favorite until it became unreliable. I had yearbook pictures the next day and was depending on Royale with my life. I absolutely could not go to school with my hair half afro, half straight. A ponytail simply would not do. I started crying because the flat iron would not turn on. I tried everything I could imagine. I cursed the Italian saleswoman, and the creators of the Royale for filling my innocent mind with lies about a better future. I was about to give up on life when I remembered I still had an old flat iron. It may not have been new and improved, but it got the job done.

I woke up, at my mother’s, Cathy, house with one of my best friends, Olivia a short and skinny girl with medium length brown hair. As we begin to do our hair; of course we straighten it in my small but cozy bathroom, which has a bath tub- shower with a golden flower patterned shower curtain, three rugs on