Just reading up on the founder of an organization, a white woman who was rewarded $200,000 by Rocnation, who cut locs off two black teens for a “better life” change in 2016. I do not have locs but I have been natural for 17 years. All my hair and because of that fact either treated like a Chupacabra aka disbelief or petting zoo aka curiosity for most of my life. I have been told my hair is ugly, disgusting, nasty, unattractive by black, brown and white people. There has always been this idea of “good hair” and when black natural hair is admired there are plenty who do not contemplate my texture as such. I know how some perceive my hair and black women, girls, men and boys are still discriminated against for certain natural styles within their professions and schools. New York and California just banned discrimination against natural hair this year.
Breaking antiquated standards of what is beautiful or acceptable based on a Eurocentric standard of beauty (as if there is even a standard) is still very much a reality. This idea that chopping off a black hair style signifies a “better life” is not only an ignorant and asinine statement but demonstrates how many, no matter the race because as many black women with natural hair can attest to some of the rudest comments are from some within our own race, view natural styles on black people as not professional or appropriate or beautiful.
Did you know in the 1700s it was illegal for black women to wear their hair out due to the attention they received and how others viewed them of a higher stature because of the ways they adorned their hair? I think about this, especially when people said the nastiest things about my hair that made me want to hide my strands or afraid to wear it all out because of what others had to say. Now no one can make me hate my hair. The better life started when I stopped trying to conform to false ideals of beauty that never had my texture and my skin color in mind in the first place. - TK Wonder
