A few months ago decided to go natural. I was tired of the costly trips to the hairdresser, the toxic smell of relaxer and the fact that my short pixie cut couldn't offer me much versatility. I'd been trawling YouTube admiring the fro's and textures of naturalista's contemplating what my hair would look like. A few months later and here I am. I love being natural. After six good years of relaxing it is the epitome of freedom. However the more I indulge in natural hair videos and blogs, the more I ask if certain stereotypes have been carried through to the natural hair 'revolution'.
As amazing as the natural hair world is, I can't help but notice that women with a looser curl pattern are overrepresented. The big, long, curly afro is every natural woman's dream. There are masses of products that claim to enhance curls and provide the ultimate definition. Now don't get me wrong, our hair is beautiful in all forms. However a lot of emphasis is put on manipulating our hair into curls. Are we unintentionally excluding sisters with kinkier hair? What about people who don't have a curl pattern? What about women whose hair resists Bantu knot outs and doesn't grow past their temples? Are we once again perpetuating a hierarchy of 'good hair' in a situation that should be liberating?
The beauty of Afro hair is its versatile and varied nature. Despite this, some of us still buy into the myth that curly hair is better than just plain kinky. There is also a heavy focus on how to achieve and maintain length. Many who 'go natural' only do so in the hope of one day having hair that competes with a 16 inch weave. As wonderful as long hair is, I feel that our need for it may be propelled by a subconscious desire to prove that we can fit into western beauty norms. If we look at pre-colonial African hairstyles, it's clear that length did not signify beautiful hair. In many African societies the intricacy of a hairstyle determined its beauty. With this in mind, it could be said that our desire for length is due to the internalisation of western beauty standards.
What some fail to understand is that hair texture, length and density is down to genetics. For some people, no amount of special tonic, miracle shampoo or greens will change the rate at which their hair grows. We need to acknowledge the fact that natural hair is beautiful regardless of whether it's '3A' or '5C'. As a community we can encourage women to embrace all textures, and to accept their hair regardless of its type. The more we focus on curl pattern and length the easier it is to lose sight of the significance of having natural hair - acceptance of self in a world that encourages us to be ashamed of who we are.
