Black Hair: The Debate Untangled
Posted by: Annika Harris
Filed in:
style
11:30AM, Friday August 28th 2009
To straighten or not to straighten is still a heated debate within the black community, as the New York Times article, “Black Hair, Still Tangled in Politics” points out. The topic came up recently when 11-year-old Malia Obama was criticized for wearing her hair in twists while visiting Rome this summer. She was deemed by some to be unfit to represent America because her hair wasn’t straightened. Also, Chris Rock’s documentary “Good Hair” sheds further light on a culture in which “good” straight hair is preferred to “bad” nappy hair, especially when Chris asks a hair store owner: “So my nappy hair isn’t worth anything?”
I’ve had my own trials and tribulations with the “creamy crack,” as chemical straightener is sometimes referred to in the black community, so choosing to leave my hair natural was a decision that came, well, naturally to me. However, the Great Black Hair Debate still weighs heavy on my mind at times because naturally nappy black hair still isn’t widely accepted.
I was 17 when I decided to stop chemically straightening my hair. At the time, I was in a leadership program aimed at educating black youths about their culture. I was reading books like Before the Mayflower, Things Fall Apart, and The Bluest Eye. I felt I had a higher understanding of what could be beautiful even if it wasn’t accepted by the society in general. I no longer wanted to conform to the idea that straight hair was prettier than nappy hair.
My new thinking might have surprised some people who knew me at the time. I was always begging my mom to relax my hair when I was nine or 10. I was the last, at age 12, in my predominantly black class to have chemically straightened hair. And before my thirteenth birthday I had to wear braided extensions to grow my damaged hair back. But it took me a long time to learn my lesson. Two years later I was back in a stylist’s chair burning my hair and scalp into straight submission. I would travel miles to get my hair done at a Dominican salon, where stylists of Dominican descent not only relax hair, but also straighten it again with a diffuser blow-dryer attachment and a round brush. I wanted my hair to have that special bounce, so it was obvious it was real. After a few years of this assault on my natural coils, my mid-back-length hair was so damaged it needed to be cut to a shoulder-length bob.
The summer before I went to college I decided to grow my hair out with Senegalese Twist extensions. And six months after my last relaxer, I was sitting in a natural stylist’s chair waiting to have the straight hair cut off and the new growth twisted. The stylist, who had (dread)locks down to her waist, repeatedly asked me if I was sure I wanted to lop off about 10 inches because most black women want to add length to their hair. I assured her I did.
I felt so free with my natural hair because it could be styled in several ways that straight hair can’t be. My favorite was my huge Afro, but in 2000 I decided it was time to lock it up. People with locks surrounded me. My mom had been growing hers for four years, four other relatives were also locked, and two close friends were Rastafarians. It helps to have a strong support group when making a change like this because locks aren’t “pretty” in the early stages and people have no problem with telling you so. In fact, my hair had a mind of its own, but that was the energy it possessed.
Anyway, over the nine years I’ve been growing my hair, my attitude toward straight versus nappy has changed. Initially, I thought natural was the only way for black women. My motto was: “Free yourself from the chemicals, my sister!” I looked down on women who relaxed their hair because I thought they had their priorities warped. Shouldn’t they have celebrated black beauty instead of buying into society’s beauty ideals?
Now, however, I’ve changed my thinking. I think hair is what you make it. There are plenty of black women with locks who just want the length and they’ll over-groom their hair until it’s breaking off at the scalp. They need to find another way just like women whose straight hair is so damaged their hairline has receded and the split ends have taken over.
Although my attitude towards straight hair has changed, I still connect my identity to my hair. I think the very nature of my non-conformist hair shows that I think for myself in every aspect of my life. I had a dream a couple of weeks ago in which I woke up with a jet black, razor-cut bob. After I awoke, I considered whether I could go back to straight hair. I’d be able to get the latest styles, but I think I would lose a part of myself and people’s perception of me would change. Would people automatically associate me with Pecola Breedlove in The Bluest Eye trying to achieve an unattainable beauty ideal?
I won’t be able to answer that question until I cut my waist-length locks, and that’s not going to happen anytime soon. But I can say that it’s a constant struggle to be true to what I think is right for me when I constantly see almost every black celebrity not only straightening their hair, but also wearing weaves and wigs to look more acceptable. Some of them even get hair care endorsement deals, too. So what does that say to me and every other black woman? Fake is better than real.
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*sam*
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 10:37 am: [report]
This is probably one of the most fascinating subjects to me. Thank you Annika for putting your perspective on it.
jackofhearts
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 10:43 am: [report]
Really interesting article, Annika, thank you.
I’ve never come across the description ‘nappy hair’ before. I can grasp it’s meaning through inference, but does anyone know it’s provenance?
shoeluvher
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 10:46 am: [report]
I am a black woman and I am so annoyed by this whole debate. Black women with natural hair who think that they are somehow more black than women who choose to get relaxers and weaves or whatever really piss me off. Its hair. Who cares. I think the great thing about black hair is that you can do so many different things to it. And if you choose to relax it you are not a sell out. I have relaxed hair and I like wearing it that way. I get a relaxer every 4 weeks instead of the recommended 6-8 because I have very thick hair and my new growth grows out very quickly. And my hair has not been damaged as a result, in fact it is the healthiest it has ever been and has grown a lot. I definitely am excited to see Chris Rock’s movie on the subject, but I just wish that black women would stop tearing each other down and trying to think that they are better than others based on something as simple as how you wear your hair.
_jsw_
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 10:47 am: [report]
Yes, thanks Annika. My own opinion is that, as with all things, if doing something “artificial” makes you feel better about yourself, then fine, go ahead and do it if it’s safe, but do it for yourself and not others. One of the most appealing traits about a person is how comfortable they are in their skin, not how well they conform to the standards-du-jour.
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 10:48 am: [report]
Interesting insight into an unknown subject.
Fyi, I’d totally have dreads if I didn’t have to work anymore.
Raugiel
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 10:50 am: [report]
When I was a kid, I REALLY wanted curly hair, and hated my straight, flat, do-nothing hair. When I was about 12 I was allowed to start geting chemical perms, but none of them stuck no matter how tight the rollers or how bad the checmicals. I was suprised the first time a girl told me she wanted straight flat hair like mine!
As an adult, now I appreciate my hair, even though it won’t curl, hold a barrett or clip, or do much of anything besides lay there. Though sometimes I could pull off the multitude of styles out there for all the different kinds of hair, I now appreciate the upsides of what I’ve got. On those occasions when I get hair envy, I remember that there is someone out there who would trade with me too if she could - though I secretly yearn for the day when we get the Jettson machine that gives us new, perfect, hair every day in any type and style you could want.
bijouu
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 10:51 am: [report]
Thank you for posting this! I had no idea about the Malia debacle….how sad is that?
This discussion, and others, will help alter the image of natural hairstyles from “not proper” to acceptable.
I was scared to do the Big Chop (again), as I’m older now and work in a corporate setting. However, my hair does not dictate my professionalism and ability: the reasons for being hired in the first place.
I love this hair more than the relaxed tresses. I can exercise freely, wake up and go and have moments of serenity more often than before. (Sounds like a commercial lol).
Either way, natural hair or not, people should wear their hair for themselves. At the end of the day, no one cares that much….(aka, Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow)
joyy
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 10:54 am: [report]
I have to admit that I read the NYT article with complete fascination, since it was the first time my eyes were really opened to the controversy over the subject. However, I think twists and other natural styles can look really great!
And shame on whoever criticized Malia Obama for wearing twists abroad. I am ashamed as an American that some thought she was “unfit to represent America because her hair wasn’t straightened.” This country is a melting pot founded on personal freedoms. Let a girl wear her hair however she damn well pleases!
Raugiel
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 10:55 am: [report]
OOPS, should have said “WISH i could pull of the multitide of styles”
Clearly from my post, I can’t pull off most styles!
ikimashokie
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 10:59 am: [report]
I’m still not sure what I want to do with my hair.
Right now it is a sheep’s bum, because I didn’t want to get it relaxed. I’m kinda tired of the “oh well look at your hair we won’t give you the time of day” from different groups of people. I don’t want it relaxed, because dangit, the last time I had it relaxed I’m not sure what was going on with it, on top of being pricey. It’s just hair, it will grow back/out/however it wants! I try to tell myself.
Thankfully I don’t think I’ve ever heard the sellout for having my hair straight, but I’ve definitely gotten the sellout vibe for going nappy. It’s a really weird idea to describe… like I’m not black enough because I don’t have straight hair, but at the same time I’m obviously too black, because look at my hair! It will break a comb from a foot away. But then because of the way I carry myself and dress, I’m obviously not black enough…. It hurts my head to think about it. All said, I’ve gotten it worse from my own than from others.
shoeluvher
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 10:59 am: [report]
jsw, who is to say that getting a relaxer or a weave is necessarily artificial? That’s the problem right there. Relaxing your hair, putting in a weave, or braids, or even dreads does not make you inauthentic.
catscratchfever
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 11:03 am: [report]
Great article, and thanks for the link to the NYT article.
I’m white, and I actually find myself filled with a mix of awe and insane jealousy whenever I see a woman with an Afro. Love them.
catscratchfever
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 11:14 am: [report]
@Raugiel - I was your opposite. I have big, curly hair and all of the other girls had straight hair. I woke up from a 6-year hair identity crisis when I started college and realized that lots of girls didn’t straighten their hair, and I didn’t have to either. I’ve actually grown to love it, even though clips and barretts enter at their own risk, and I sometimes wake up with a gigantic blonde (and pink) halo. Everyone gets hair envy, but once you learn to work with what you’ve got it’s pretty fun.
wonder_bread
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 11:18 am: [report]
im transitioning from relaxer to natural…i decided to do this because i wanted to see what my natural texture was. for me its getting to know every aspect of myself. i dont remember what my natural hair looks like so i figured what better time than now to embrace another part of myself… i say do whatever makes u happy but do it for you and no one else. if u like ur hair relaxed then relax and take care of it. if u like it natural.. be natural and take care of it. and that goes for every other style in between. i dont know what ill face as i go on this hair journey i may go back to relaxers or find that i love my natural hair so much i will never go back to the creamy crack. either way im not going to judge anybody else for their decision.. its not my hair nor my problem… as a society we need to support each other instead of tearing each other down…
though i will that we need to do a better job teachin our daughters that the hair they are born with is beautiful as it is. and refuse to relax until they are of age to make a an informed decision. we should teach self accpetance instead of allowing them to comform just because they’re different.i think they will get more out of the experience if they can at least remember what they’re natural hair looks like.
Raugiel
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 11:22 am: [report]
@ catscratchfever -
yeah, I guess the grass is always greener on the other side, but eventually, you come to realize that what you’ve got is pretty good! I have to say that although my hair is basically un-stylable, it is the lowest maitenence hair of anyone I know.
_jsw_
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 11:24 am: [report]
@shoeluvher: I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to equate using relaxers to something like breast implants or the like. My point was simply that one is born with a certain type of hair and that it’s OK to keep that type regardless of what everyone else is doing to change theirs. I don’t see anything wrong with any change in one’s appearance through whatever means (as long as it’s safe enough by one’s standards), as long as that change is for the person, not for others. And yes, there are exceptions to that rule, but, in general, I just meant that it’s never wrong to be happy with the way you are.
Weaves and relaxers aren’t necessarily “artificial” so much as they involve altering one’s appearance, which, again, I think is fine but not something anyone should feel socially required to do.
workerbee
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 11:26 am: [report]
I’ve heard this debate many times before and it still never ceases to amaze me. I think it’s unfortunate that it causes such a debate—especially about a child. I get it too though, so much of a woman’s identity is wrapped up in her hair.
*sam*
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 11:46 am: [report]
regarding children: I read somewhere (perhaps it was the “Good Hair” post here) that some women prefer to straighten their hair just because it’s more manageable. So my guess is that’s why a lot of children have straightened hair(??) I’m white, so I honestly have no idea how difficult natural hair can be, but I can’t imagine how much of a hassle it would be to try to get a small child ready for school in the morning with naturally difficult hair.
conspicuous
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 12:14 pm: [report]
I come from the opposite end of the spectrum—I have thin, stick-straight hair that won’t hold a curl without half a can of aquanet. And over the years, I’ve done just about everything you could to my hair—perm, color, chop, and chock full of hair products. Finally my new doo is something I can live with and that I’m really happy with. I don’t think it should matter what you do to your hair, just as long as you are happy with it.
Also, I’m not so sure that celebrities wearing weaves, wigs, extensions, color, etc. (even if they are endorsed) are telling us that fake is better than real. Celebs of all races partake in changing their hair in these ways.
Maybe it’s a glass half full thing—you may feel that they are saying fake is better than real. I think they are saying, hey if you want to try something different–do it!
Coral
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 12:17 pm: [report]
Interesting article, Annika.
I have always had the struggle of whether my hair should be like ‘black hair’ or ‘white hair’ since I’m biracial. Because my hair is really neither naturally, it just has a life of its own. I personally don’t like dreadlocks on almost anyone—they can also be quite dirty and messy after awhile—it’s just not something I would get done for myself.
I relax my hair because it basically looks like crimped hair that is really thick, and a little frizzy. I love to have my hair perfectly straight because it loses lots of volume, but it’s not too flat, plus it doesn’t get all tangled, but I don’t mind have a few waves in my hair. I just really cannot deal with my natural hair.
doridori
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 12:56 pm: [report]
My mother started relaxing my hair at the tender age of 6, mainly because I was tender headed and she wanted my hair to be more managable. I decided to go natural at the age of 22, it was a personal choice, I was ready for the change. I went from having waist length relaxed hair to hair that was only an inch long, and full of curl.
I’ve worn wigs, I’ve had braids with extensions…. everyone experiments with how they look at some point. I’ve been cursed out for cutting my “good hair” by family members, co-workers, friends and even teachers. To this day, I still hate that term.
For me, the issue has never been an issue of relaxed, natural,wig or wear weaves… it’s always been the wording and connotations used in black hair culture. My hair is not good, it’s not nappy, it’s simply mine. Weather it be bought, natural or chemically enhanced, it’s still mine.
DancerNinja
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 01:42 pm: [report]
Maybe it’s just the Oakland culture getting to me, but I see some girl rocking a fantastic fro and I can’t help but think “Why not MEEEEE?!?!?” They’ll have fun barrettes and clips or head scarves with them. My hair is curly, but it won’t do THAT.
It’s what ever anyone one wants, but natural fro and/or curls look so fun and free.
mayorbubbles
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 02:49 pm: [report]
my mom started relaxing my hair when i was… 10? when i was 16 i let it grow naturally for about a year and a half. my hair is weird because relaxing it doesn’t make it straight. it really just takes out most of the frizz and makes it a bit more managable. but when i was growing it out, i had a visit to texas… my hair basically absorbed all the moisture in the air and i looked crazy the entire time i was there. hahahaha. I get relaxers now about every 6 months. most of the time i don’t even straighten or blow dry my hair. i just put curl managing stuff in it and that’s about it. haha. i really hate getting relaxers because they make me antsy. coincidentally my mom is supposed to be putting mine in tonight.
aries3_04
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 03:58 pm: [report]
Thanks Annika! I’m transitioning and I’m deciding to do it for me…this article is a nice uplifter because I’m not used to doing different things with my hair, and hopefully I’ll be able to keep it up
fallonthecity
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 04:17 pm: [report]
That anybody thinks an 11-year-old girl should have to do anything to her hair to represent America is mind-bogglingly stupid.
Thanks for the insight on this issue.
impoddity
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 07:35 pm: [report]
It’s amazing how culture and society have influenced us to conform to one standard of acceptable beauty
I’m a Black woman and have bounced back and forth between extensions, twists, an afro and relaxed hair. But I find it’s just easier to keep it natural or twisted, but I’m only looking from the poor, college student standpoint. It’s amazing what a good salon will charge for a wash/relax/style. O_o
canadiancutie
wrote on August 29 2009 @ 11:38 am: [report]
I’ve been relaxing my hair since I was about 7. I begged my mom to let me do it until she actually did. I’ll never forget the bounce and how healthy and beautiful it looked after that first time.
Unfortunately, the other thing I’ll never forget is how painful those morning wash-and-combs would be before the perming, when I was a kid. I get mini-reminders around the 8th-week mark when it gets really thick and difficult to comb once again (ironically, this is also when my hair tends to look its best… when the roots are kinky, giving my hair some natural volume). It is very much a personal choice, and I will likely always choose to relax my hair.
Still, as others have pointed out, black hair is like no other kind, and in many ways I am grateful for that. Right after a perm I can wear it bone-straight as if I am Asian, but I prefer to curl it with a big-tubed curling iron. I love that I can show up to work everyday with big, loose, voluminous ringlets, and it’ll stay. Or sometimes I’ll flip it out at the ends, 60s-style, and it’ll stay. Sometimes I’ll fuse the two styles. Everyone loves my hair. How many people can say that? I’m always getting compliments on my hair. And as much as it can sometimes be a curse (hello, when the chemicals are sitting on your head, I know the bleach-blonde set feels my pain), it’s also very much a blessing.
If there were a procedure available tomorrow and it was affordable, that could permanently change the texture of my hair, I’m not sure that I would actually take advantage of it. I think I’ve grown to love my hair.
canadiancutie
wrote on August 29 2009 @ 11:40 am: [report]
Wow, I really rambled there. Not sure if any of that even made any actual sense or it it was even coherent. I guess we do tend to overthink this issue (lol).
sesl
wrote on August 29 2009 @ 12:03 pm: [report]
I have the same problem as Coral in that I’m of mixed race and my hair is neither ‘black’ nor ‘white’ when it’s natural, just unmanageable. I wasn’t allowed to get a relaxer until I was about 12 years old and up until that point I could only wear my hair in 2-4 thick braids. I remember just loving that I could wear my hair down. Then in college I decided I wanted to be more authentic (whatever that means) and also treat my damaged hair better. Those years, and the pictures that have survived, will probably always keep me in relaxers as my natural hair is just a big, poofy mess. Incredibly loose curls that become straight frizz at the idea of humidity and is just impossible to keep under control. I used to have issues with the ‘am I selling out by straightening my hair? do I secretly want to be white?’ but I know now that my hair doesn’t define me in those ways, especially since I know how proud I am of my heritage and that ‘blackness’ doesn’t boil down to any single aesthetic or behavioral quality. I simply can’t deal with my hair natural, and if other people choose to judge me as a result of that, it’s their problem and certainly not mine. Good article and great discussion=)
Coral
wrote on August 29 2009 @ 01:09 pm: [report]
@arya: Yup, I agree with how you were asking yourself if your were selling out or secretly wanting to be white. I prefer my hair straight, if it that makes even more people think I’m just white, then I don’t really care. Because I definitely feel both black and white, whether or not my hair reflects that.
stiffinp
wrote on August 29 2009 @ 08:14 pm: [report]
i like the style you are wearing Annika. I had a classmate in college who had your style and it looks good on her. I don’t particularly care for the cornrow look however.
jwms
wrote on August 30 2009 @ 06:32 pm: [report]
As a person with locks I enjoyed this article and the the point of view of the commentators. Thanks.
Elleohelle
wrote on August 31 2009 @ 11:16 pm: [report]
I very happy with my hair, since I’ve found my own unique balance of straight and curly. My afro, which earned endless teasing, was predominantly very short, then I got cornrows. After they grew out I left it alone for a while, but now I straighten it. But… without all the effort. My hair is a puffy, insane, not-straight-but-not-curly mess that can be styled any which way, and I’m the only person I’ve ever seen with hair quite like it, so it’s a very person style for me.