Hello to all,
I want to start off by saying that I had no idea that perms may be able to have such severe side effects! Like most of you, I have considered/tried going natural. This past fall semester I was in a play called Black Hair 101: Doin' the Do, and it was directed by an African American woman professor. Amongst the cast were many different women with many different hair styles. There were weaves, perms, naturals, fades, dreds, braids and ect. The play explored not how but why african american women do their hair the way they do.
I won't deny that to some degree the social norm for us to straighten our hair has not influenced my decision to continue perming my hair. African American women perm their hair to be straight and White women perm their hair to be curly, so in my opinion its kinda like we imitate each other. My hair grows fast so I have to get perms every 4 weeks, but one time I let it grow out for about 8 weeks. During this time I discovered that I simply did not have the patience to wait for my hair to grow out, so I got a perm. My hair is healty and overall I haven't had many damage problems as a result of my perm. I will admit however, that the slimmy scalp concerns me !
I guess the point that I am trying to make is that just like the clothes I wear, my hair is a medium of expression for me. The main reason I perm my hair, and why many other women perm their hair, is for versatility. My perm allows me to achieve many different looks and styles to reflect my individuality. I do understand that to different women hair means different things. But to me thats what it means.
Synamynn
"To get something you've never gotten, do something you've never done!"
|