Solange Knowles recently ended her relationship with Carol's Daughter. Solange was part of their Transitioning Movement from April 2011. The singer has long shunned the role of the face of the natural movement. She believes that "the way we wear our hair is a personal choice" (Lurve Magazine).
 |
| http://www.solangemusic.com/ |
I'm actually not surprised. I was more surprised by her decision to be a part of the campaign, seeing as she has always made her stance very clear. The question, though, is.....
Is hair a personal choice or do we need to be socially responsible to others with our looks?
I was walking down the street, recently, and saw a girl rocking a ridic cool fro. My friend commented that he loved seeing women rock natural hair. He said it came with such pride and beauty. The reality is this...
When a black woman wears her hair natural, the world assumes that she is trying to make a statement. or maybe that she put a ton of thought into it. Or maybe that she stands strongly on the path of naturalness.
Why are these things not assumed when a non-black woman wears her hair natural?
Sure. Maybe she is one of the above. Or maybe she is not. Maybe she grew up in a society where natural hair was just the way to go. Maybe she always wore her hair that way and doesn't like change.
A part of me wants to applaud when I see a black woman wearing her natural hair because it helps normalize natural black hair. We're giving our younger generations living examples of naturalness and freedom from the confines of hair processing. We're showing our little girls that black is beautiful.
As an adult and a future parent, I want to applaud.
As a woman, I want to say, "Yeah...and?"
You're wearing your hair natural...what's the big deal? It's your choice. You woke up this morning and just felt it. You felt that vibe and you did it. It shouldn't define all of who you are. It only defines how you felt like looking this morning.
So yes, Solange, I feel you, girl. Natural hair is beautiful but it is a personal choice. There is no wrong or right. Just a girl and a mirror, with a comb or weave, trying to do her.
What do you think? Is hair a personal choice?
Like Tabs On Fashion on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter @Tabsonfashion!
Posts
I agree. How a women styles or wears her hair is about her choice but its not a definition about her. Other races wear their natural without all the implications but they don't have the racial/ fired self hate history with hair. Very few races have the same texture and hair history as "black people". Interesting blog post
ReplyDelete