Around my senior year in high school, one of my good friends cut off all her hair. The reasoning behind her move brought up a big discussion amoung our circle of friends. As we began to do more and more self evaluation, one by one we all found ourselves making the change.
The biggest question pondered was why we got our hair permed in the first place? Although each of us had different answers, only one conclusion could be made...We were ashamed. Then we thought about the source of that shame and figured why be ashamed of the way our hair grows from our scalps. "They" are not ashamed of how "theirs" grows. And why be facinated with how long your hair grows, it's genetically determined anyway. ( It's so funny to hear some people say they cant get their hair to grow past a certain point. That's because genetically that is you stopping point. But I digress...) So in an effort to take back power that we felt was stolen from us moe than four hundred years ago, we got rid of the perm.
I felt a difference in my spirit almost immediately. It gave me a certain assertiveness that was not there when I claimed "their" ignorance.
In the seven years since my decision, I haven't regreted it once. I feel like I've gotten to know a side of myself that I don't think I ever would have known otherwise.
Today, I feel like whatever I do to my hair is not rooted in the legacy of slavery. I can wear twists, after-twists, a big blown out Angela Davis, the afro puff, or I can get it pressed. But whatever I do it's because I want to not because I'm ashamed and I feel I have to.
The rest of Y'all are on your own (meaning I have other things to think about than whos doing what to their hair and why). I don't judge anyone for what they look like. As long as you are comfortable with who you are, I'm comfortable with you. Besides, when my hair is pressed I'm not going to be walking around with a banner saying "IT'S NOT A PERM. REALLY. IT'S NOT."
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Hybrid Mode
