By Lurie Daniel Favors of Afro State of Mind
We’ve all seen this image circulating on natural hair group facebook pages, instagram accounts and twitter:
And if you’re like me – one of your first reactions was probably to laugh. To the point of howling. But I have to admit that after I laughed I felt…off. I’ve debated with whether or not to forward or “like” the image.
After all – who doesn’t like a good “natural hair” joke?
But I’ve always decided to keep my laughter at this image personal, quite and only behind my own doors. Why? Because despite the fact that it’s hilarious at first glance, the message it sends is one of the most potentially harmful circulating within the Black community.
The message conveyed by this picture, which features a brown skinned Black girl crying for hair like the lovely Tracee Ellis Ross, is at the heart of many of the issues that prevent Black women from loving the hair they have.
We all know there is a hair type and skin color hierarchy in the Black community. And we’d be lying if we didn’t recognize that instead of transcending this hierarchy in the natural hair movement – many naturals have unconsciously adopted, embraced and even perpetuated this way of thinking.
Many of us want natural hair – but only if it looks like Sister Tracee’s.
Many of us with kinky hair spend hours of our lives searching for youtube videos of women with looser, “definable” curls and yearn for the day we find a product that will make our nappy hair look more like mixed girl hair.
There is, after all, a reason that some of the highest rated youtube natural hair videos feature multi racial women with hair that could never be described as anything close to kinky or nappy.
There are reasons why natural hair stylists bemoan the fact that many natural heads come to the salon looking for miracles that will transform their kinky, nappy strands into hair that is…neither kinky nor nappy.
We may want to be natural. But some of us only want a certain “type” of natural. This desire was at the heart of my youthful run ins with the Jheri Curl. Le Sigh!
As I’ve noted before:
A lot of girls who grew up believing that they had “bad” hair (or a very tight, coily or kinky curl pattern) spent their early years longing for “good” hair (or hair closer to the texture of Europeans) that could blow in the wind… Many of us grow up wishing we had lighter brown skin – often times regardless of how light or dark brown our actual skin color already was.
I’m as guilty of this as anyone. As I describe in my book,
I have vivid memories of coming home from church on Sundays and my sister and I would put our crinoline slips or stockings on our heads. We tied them on with belts or string so that the soft material could brush against our shoulders the way we imagined straight long hair did. I wanted hair like the White girls had—but I would have settled for hair like my sister’s. Naturally, my sister was also impacted by these messages and despite the fact that relatively speaking, she already had “good” hair, in our childhood games she wanted hers to be straighter too.
This is not about pointing fingers. It’s about recognizing that until we change the thoughts that are in our heads it will be very challenging to embrace the hair that is on our heads. It will be difficult to convince our children that they should love the skin they are in and the hair that they wear if so many of us are secretly nursing the desire for hair closer to the kind of hair that grows from our White sisters’ heads.
That’s why I was elated to see this video response to the image from Tracee Ellis Ross where she calls for a “hair love” campaign. Ms. Ross saw this picture and like many of us she laughed and felt flattered—at first.
But as she noted in her video:
At the same time I don’t want you to want my hair…and the reason I don’t want you to want my hair is I’m of the school of love what you got…For me, the reason my hair was such a battle is because I was trying to make it something it wasn’t. I wanted the hair that somebody else had. And because of that I was damaging my hair, trying to beat it into submission, trying to make it something it wasn’t, trying to make it slip into my face unconsciously. I was trying to do all of those things to it and as a result I was ruining and damaging the hair that I was given.
Can the church say “Amen”?
Ms. Ross ends her video by calling for participants in a Hair Love campaign (details on how you can participate below).
See it doesn’t matter how straight, “good” or “mixed” your hair may look. If you are a woman (or man) of African descent you are being targeted with messages that tell us we will never be good enough until we look whiter or have straighter hair. Many of us harbor a little Black girl inside who still fails the doll test. Many of us still buy into a default pattern of thinking that strives to be “just as good as” our White brothers and sisters.
And if you are a Black woman (or man) who wants something better for our kids than what we had then you owe it to yourself, your sisters, your mothers, your aunties, your grandmas, your children, nieces, nephews, husbands, uncles, grandpas and everyone else in your family and community to challenge these beliefs whenever they rear their ugly heads.
So consider this my endorsement of Tracee Ellis Ross’ Hair Love campaign. PLEASE PARTICIPATE!!! All you have to do is go to youtube and upload a video that describes your hair in 5 words or less, and explain why you love it.
It’s that easy. Sometimes we make things more complicated than they have to be. Imagine the love little Black girls and boys may feel when there are thousands of videos on the net describing how awesome Black hair is?
I’ll be discussing this issue more in depth at my book release event on June 30, 2013 (click here for details). Hair and color are so intertwined in our collective experience that I’m looking forward to sharing excerpts of my book that directly address these topics. I hope you can join us!
Here’s the video. Thank you Tracee!
138 Responses
I love this comment Tina, very positive. Hair isn’t that big of a deal compared to real goals like jobs and education and building a financially secure future. I wish all hair textures were celebrated! I do like the fact that there are more products for curly kinky hair and no one cares about Tracee’s hair, seriously.
I believe that we wanted that simplicity of management when it comes to dealing with our hair, but most likely if you were born in America you are not fully black. My african boyfriend always talks in high regard of my complexion and hair type. With comments like ” you know all Americans are mixed.” It’s sad that we are scared and hateful of “nappy” and “black” and other races attempt to emulate it… My boyfriend’s mom be clowing us saying we dont love our own black people, and all our people are on skid row, while we are steady ” feeding the Childern” and it’s true. While ever other ethnicities acknowlges me in public, blacks or Browns act as though I will rob the or ignore me all together for the most part. But let me where a low cut top her they come wanting to objectify me….
No, not all American born Black people aren’t mixed.
Yes! They are mixed, read this article it would change your mind. Everybody else know that we are mixed except us, because of the racists teaching of being full black, when there is no such thing.
https://hamptonroads.com/2004/08/blackandwhite-world-walter-ashby-plecker
It should say this:
Walter Ashby Plecker, the first registrar of Virginia’s Bureau of
Vital Statistics, starting in 1912, forced Indians to classify
themselves as black. The tribes, he said, had become a “mongrel”
mixture. (Courtesy Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Walter Ashby Plecker
was the first registrar of Virginia’s Bureau of Vital Statistics, which
records births, marriages and deaths. He accepted the job in 1912. For
the next 34 years, he led the effort to purify the white race in
Virginia by forcing Indians and other nonwhites to classify themselves
as blacks. It amounted to bureaucratic genocide.
He worked with a vengeance.
Plecker
was a white supremacist and a zealous advocate of eugenics – a now
discredited movement to preserve the integrity of white blood by
preventing interracial breeding. “Unless this can be done,” he once
wrote, “we have little to hope for, but may expect in the future decline
or complete destruction of our civilization.”
Plecker’s icy
efficiency as racial gatekeeper drew international attention, including
that of Nazi Germany. In 1943, he boasted: “Hitler’s genealogical study
of the Jews is not more complete.”
Plecker retired in 1946 at the age of 85 and died the following year. The damage lives on.
Meaning
when he says that the damaged lives on, meaning he in-breeded you this
lie in calling yourself black and white for centuries.
Now you can believe in this stigma lie if you want too, but I like to believe in the truth. An not a set cult belief.
I don’t know. Don’t really care about all this. I wish we would get out of the dumps and spend our energy on real stuff that would move us up in life. Worrying about hair isn’t going to do much for us as a group. There’s nothing we can do about our genetics but accept what we have and keep moving. I’m done apologizing for my existence. I am black woman, so what? I am meant to do something great with my life just like everyone else, and I can’t get caught up into trivial stuff that would distract my focus from what I’m here to do. Maybe my package doesn’t have a pretty bow on it. That’s fine. However, what’s inside my package is what will separate me from others,
If you don’t like some things about your hair, don’t wear it out. Keep it out of site and mind and focus on the things that make you feel good about who you are. Black women focus too much on what they don’t like, because they have not discovered who they are enough to know and appreciate what they do like about themselves. If they ventured beyond their limitations, they would be amazed at their potential and value as beings and women.
Harriet Tubman is a primary example of this, and I will always use her to remind myself that I have nothing to complain about or feel slighted about. She was born destitute, black, female, had no class, no beauty, no wealth, disabled, and suffered abuse yet what she accomplished, most women have done 1/16th of it. She had intelligence, courage, leadership, compassion, and morality enough to make the most dangerous sacrifices in the name of humanity over 19 times. Still wasn’t finished giving, and later established nursing home for the elderly. She didn’t focus on her limitations and there were MANY. Didn’t matter. She kept it moving. She had a job to do here and she did it over, and over, and over again exceptionally. What’s our excuse ladies? What are we doing that is even close to her contributions? We’re blogging about hair.
I like Tracies hair but I don’t need to envy her hair. I have my own beautiful hair .
Tracee, I am now a middle-aged, white woman. I confess that I had issues about my hair as well. I know, I was a white girl…. what issues could I possibly have? My hair was straight as a board. I could set it in rollers, dippity-doo it until the rollers would stand on their own, use a curling iron, 3 cans of Aqua-net and yep, I could count the seconds from when I removed rollers/iron, etc until it was boringly straight. I envied the black girls I knew: curly, wavy, could braid it no matter the length and NEVER needed one of those stupid elastics with those balls on the end that were sort of like the Klik-Klax with used to play with back in the day – no elastics? No handfuls of hair caught in them and pulled from your head!! I was completely fascinated watching some of my friends just braid away without looking and then just tucking the ends in. If I tried that [and I did countless times], my hair would just slide out with the slightest turn of my head, braid would similarly slide away into oblivion until I was once again staring at a head of completely straight hair. 2-3 hours to attempt the braids and tucking and all gone within 30 seconds. It just wasn’t fair! [insert young girl having a hair tantrum]. Miraculously, my hair changed after the birth of my first child, I got waves! Down side? In order to really see how the texture and thickness of my hair changed I would have to cut it – and I liked it long. [heavy sobbing once again]. Perms didn’t last but maybe 4-5 days then my hair just looked like I tried to keep a pet rat in it. I wanted the long wavy, maybe a ringlet or two here or there [hell, I would have been happy with the wavy and didn’t want to press that issue – I’d take what I could get]. I have now come to terms with my hair – it’ll never be exactly what I want or picture but I always tell myself now…. “At least you HAVE hair and aren’t going bald.” No, I don’t know the struggles of a young black girl with her “natural hair” and never can, but I do also think, we all want something other than what we have. By the way, my hair is mouse brown. Plain, simple, no outstanding color shade, just plain old boring, mouse brown [but that is why they make HAIR DYE!!!] 🙂
I have always loved Tracie Ellie Ross and her hair but I never felt I should have her hair I already have my gorgeous hair .
Idc what texture my hair is I cut it short but my goal is to grow it long bra strap length and healthy it’s neck length now and it use to be straight and shoulder length ..I excited for long healthy hair 🙂 I have tight curls .
When I was little I wanted straight hair then at 5 my mom permed my hair and I was happy then I wanted curly fro hair but my mom always told me my hair was bad so I never went natural . Then at 17 I went natural I have curly afro hair I love it !! 18 now and learning how to take care of my hair .
This was a great article. I have been natural for clost to 3 years. My hair is more wavy/kinky (not sure of the number / type). I have had a somewhat difficult time accepting my texture too. I agree with the article, society has molded black women to want thr hair of others. I think that part of this is due to the fact that majority of thr natural hair guru’s that are on websites & forums all have long, pretty hair…& are mixed. So when i look at websites to learn more about natural hair & all/majority of them that are publisized are of mixed. Its hard NOT to want that kinf of hair! I am starting to embrace my hair texture little by little. But it would be nice to see other types of hair in these articles & on these websites.
I must’ve been the only one who did not laugh at this. Not because I don’t a good sense of humor (believe me I do), but because of what this photo represents.
I used to want a looser curl too. Then I lost my home, my car, my job, I also lost a large portion of hair on one side of my hair. I assume that I lost it on those nights I cried myself to sleep. Now I just want a healthy head of hair that won’t end up on my pillow, and will cover my bald spot.
Ladies, it’s not worth wishing you had someone else’s hair. Just appreciate what you have.
I can still remember how much it hurt my mom combed (pulled the curls out of) my hair every morning before leaving the house. Every day I had braids in my hair. I didn’t dare leave my house without them. That was the start of it all. Now, 20+ years later I’m slowly accepting my hair for what it is. I still live @ home with my parents 🙁 and I rarely leave my room without tying my hair. Words do go a long way…
@ Ava
I get what your saying. Your saying “why can’t hair be short, natural and beautiful? Short hair is usually associated with men! Black people’s hair is unique compared to all other races. We’re the only ones with hair like wool or that grows like a bush. There might be some races with tightly coiled hair but kinks are ours! Some ideas/ trends/looks/styles change over the years, and some just take longer. But it definitely starts with black folks accepting themselves first. (Even our black brothers shave most their hair down so low you cant see it or they got to have the waves, cornrows,etc. Texture does look better and for women texture plus length is the goal.. but your right it doesn’t have to be!
I think length is key for a lot of Black women. But again, I think the article was trying to say WHY is length so key? In addition to texture?
In other words, why is shorter, kinkier hair at the bottom of the natural hair totem pole? Texture is still a huge factor but for a lot of women, the combo of having both length AND texture seems to be the goal for a lot of Naturals.
I mean come on, we are on a site called “Black Girl Long Hair”!
Ava- you are totally missing the point, as I may take it that you do not have kinky curly hair and are ignorant on the subject matter with your whimsical response. Women who wanted longer and looser curls wanted them because you were considered to be more beautiful. For way too many years Black women straightened their hair and then permed their hair to fit the media image of beauty. So for women who had curly kinky hair they were faced with the idea of not being valued by not seeing images of them in the media. I have mixed girl hair that looks nothing like Tracee’s. But, I have chosen to wear it short. But, many women with curly kinky hair do not have a choice when it comes to length, especially if they want to wear it out. Hopefully, you have gained some insight.
My hair was never past shoulder length. At age 12 I remember my great- aunt pressing my hair and I was surprised at how much hair I actually had. (My mother had 4 girls and she’d usually comb our hair in a single bun on school mornings). I loved my hair! I was so happy with the length that texture never entered my mind… Length is still key to me… just give me some long healthy hair!
I didn’t realize that “many” black women going natural wanted the loose curl look. In my opinion, I still would consider this wanting “white girl” hair. Wanting “mixed girl” hair can only stem from society beliefs which uphold mixed are as the epitome of beauty (below straight “white girl” hair” and anything less than would be unworthy. I remember want bone straight hair as a child. I am so happy i am over those feelings. When I went natural I was so excited to find out what my curl pattern would be. I would’ve have been happy no matter what as long as it was mine. So I wear my curls proudly and it’s helped boost my confidence higher!
I cannot relate to this story, except for the fact that I am a Black female. I was not raised to envy anyone for whatever status they have in life be it Black/White, rich/poor, short/tall, etc. etc. I was taught to appreciate myself period and that who I am is enough. So, I did not grow up insecure about my hair. I just want my hair to conform to the style of the day.
stop lyin.
Ignore tankgirl. She is a troll from lipstick alley who posted this article on that site to get folks worked up.
I wasn’t literally sat down and “taught” these ideas and negative thoughts (on my color and hair) by my parents or anything; but I lived in the REAL WORLD and just as a little girl growing up, going to school, going to church, WATCHING TV, READING MAGAZINES, Reading books etc. by THESE things I was “taught”, the WRONG idea, that my Kinky/nappy hair wasn’t the preferred, that my dark brown skin wasn’t “light enough” etc. I just think that Suzie Q’s comment gives the impression that she’s never even “heard” of such a thing. I understand if she was raised and taught to love herself as she is…..but that is not how it goes over.
Thank You Tank Girl. My thoughts exactly.
When I was doing my research for natural hair I should my mom and cousin (my personal stylists) the photos of twists out braids outs and black girls with curly coily kinky hair. They both told me flat out I don’t have the genes to get that type of hair even with products. That at most I would have hair like Erika badu. I knew in my heart and mind that they were wrong because I was 4yrs post relaxer but I continues to straighten it but I had a few curls still and my mom told me thought were just naps. I was so determined to prove them both wrong I went fully natural, 9 months into my transition my hair went from my collar bone to boob when stretched. I cut my damaged ends monthly and my mom and cousin now want to go natural and they always want to play in my hair. When I was younger I honestly didn’t want hair like a white girl I wanted the curls or the long hair that my black friends had. I love my hair now with its naturalness.
I’m white and from my perspective it’s a mistake and unfair for someone to compare “apples and oranges” (blacks and biracials). Black women and biracial women are genetically different and it’s often physically obvious (like hair, as the author acknowledges, other features). Biracial women by definition are at least as white as they are black (especially in the US). Yes, there are exceptions of course, with some biracials looking far more black, but not generally. My race has committed the sin of placing biracials on a pedestal and treating blacks as invisible or worse. I’m just a little startled that and all the white people I know and I tend to acknowledge how different these two groups are, but a lot of blacks seem to pretend biracial people are “just black”, then get surprised when their hair doesn’t end up looking like Ross’s hair. I don’t understand.
@Tetris2013 I think I understand where you’re coming from but I think the idea of biracial or multiethnic w/any black in you meaning you’re black stems from the one drop rule back in the day when it didn’t matter whether you were mixed. If you had any black in you, even the proverbial ‘one drop’ whites considered you black. I am roughly half white half black according to dna testing and my ‘look’ if you could consider it that has been mistaken for all kinds of races-namely Native American, Indian and Puerto Rican in particular. My hair is somewhere in between racial groups in some kind of mixed no man’s land. When I was living back home in TX I used to get quite the tan every summer and many whites looked down on me. And blacks wouldn’t want to hang out with me neither because I didn’t act ‘black enough’.Bear in mind this was in the good old south and 20 plus years ago so times have changed. However it all made me very sad never feeling like I belonged anywhere. I bear no ill will towards either race, I just figure people can be ignorant and that’s life. As for whether I’m black or not I say I’m mixed because it’s true. I am both and there is nothing wrong with stating a fact. I am not ashamed of my black or white heritage and if people want to categorize me it’s their own problem not mine. I don’t think I’m any better than any race. I’m just Michelle with all good and bad things I need to work on. It’s been really hard to find true friends where I live now (NW)but that doesn’t mean I’ve given up on people. I would gladly be friends with anyone who has morals and is a decent person. Just my take from an actual ‘mixed’ person’s perspective 🙂
While what your saying is true..its still depends..
It depends on whether a mixed person looks more physically as a certain race type
I tend to find that white people in general accept mixed people on their terms,rightly or wrongly as so do others and a big portion of that human conditioning is based on how YOU LOOK lol,sad but true.
Mixed people who tend to look more black physically are treated as such and those who look more white are accepted more openly by whites,
I also find that mixed people who are more accepted by the way they look by whichever group tend to relate more with that group therefore choosing to live/date/hang around that type group.
I have seen mixed people who look more black be accepted by blacks and therefore they are more likely to move in those circles because black people accept them based on the same similarities.
For instance Halle Berry,Leona Lewis and alicia keyes are what I typically would assume to be mixed race depending on their look.
Derek Jeter ,Mariah Carey and Adriana Lima look like an exotic mystery..people may see ethnic in them but they could also pass for being another minority not linked with black.
Then you have mixed people who do look black such as Jordin Sparks,singer (uk) Craig David and Faith Evans
Then you have mixed people who seem to pass for white such as Wentworth Miller,Jennifer Beal or cash warren etc..
i actually agree with you tetris. i’m one of those apparently few black people that don’t see biracials as blacks (unless they look “totally” black, if that makes sense- like, you wouldn’t have guessed they were more white than your avg. AA), so given this, i can see where you’re coming from. Expecting your hair to just be 3b/c or some variant when you know from at least judging by the hair of the men in your family (i say men, because black men’s hair usually is left natural, albeit short) that it’s highly unlikely your hair would look like that. i knew always what my hair looked like, although i can say that over the years my hair has changed a little bit in texture- namely, the center of my hair became more coarse, but the biracial people on my husband’s side of the family have markedly different hair from the otherwise “full black” members. the loosest texture of hair on the non mixed blacks in my family is 3b/c, like myself (in my family, that’s actually among the tightest curl pattern, ironically, although we’re not mixed by a long shot; my grandma and mom were both 3a/b and definitely nowhere near mixed lol) but with distinctly Afro texture, but the two mixed babies born recently (a year old and the other is 7 months) have almost white-people hair- very silky and straight with the slightest of waves to it. about 1c/2a in texture, like their white mothers. definitely a huge difference.
Maxine- Yes sad but true. Ive felt left out of both but mostly from blacks unfortunately because of my look and how I carry myself/speak. Its sad because I love people in general and don’t see color.
Very true Chalise. My own texture is 3c I believe but so are others that are not mixed ‘by a long shot’ as you said. And my boys have loosely curly caucasian textured hair. You get what you get but you should always be proud and accepting of that and love yourself.
As a child I was never really focused on “hair texture”.. I remember wanting long hair but it just wasn’t that serious for me. My wonderful mother raised me with the idea that people do not have any control over the way they “naturally” look and that outward appearance wasn’t a reflection of personality. She also constantly reassured me that everything about me was beautiful. My mother wasn’t very knowledgeable about healthy hair care but she knew how to raise a confident happy child. I was really young when I received my first relaxer and it wasn’t until I was a teen(17 to be exact) that I even fully realized what natural hair was and what a relaxer did to our hair. I grew up thinking we’re suppose to relax, I didn’t realize it’s a choice.. Anywho I think the desire for long hair doesn’t have anything to do with Euro beauty standards. Healthy hair is hair that is retaining length regardless of race. Long hair = well preserved hair = healthy hair. The obsession with long hair and it’s connection to femininity is really very primal. Healthy hair means healthy woman and a healthy woman is probably a “fertile” woman. I do believe there is an obsession with wanting loosely curled aka good hair but it’s not always because people think it’s prettier.. Many believe curly hair to be more easily managed than kinky/coily hair. My hair is 4c, when began my natural hair journey i really wanted 4a or 4b hair because it would still be kinky and it would still fro but i thought it would be easier to manage than 4c.
ANYWHO.. i’ve beem rambling on. i just saw so many interesting comments and i wanted to give my feelings as well. HHJ ladies. 🙂
I´m trying not to envy someone else´s hair in my natural journey, but Wao! I actually Do have Tracee Ellis Ross´hair (just a little bit damaged) LOL
I don’t need to envy anyone’s hair. Not when I’m working with something that looks this good!!!
[img]https://bglh-marketplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/DSC00585.JPG[/img]
[img]https://bglh-marketplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/DSC00735-2.jpg[/img]
But I think that even with you hair, there are a lot of women who would envy your type of hair being natural.
I used to have hair envy but I had to learn to love what I got too. I have 4C hair and I got to the point where I realized my hair works with certain products and styles and not so much with others. I had to tell myself I am fearfully and wonderfully made and God didn’t make any mistakes – even as it relates to my hair. As long as I have healthy strands on my head to work with, I’ve learned to be just fine with my hair and focus on other things in my life I need to gear my focus towards.
I never wanted white girl hair because I didn’t really have white friends. My dad made a huge deal about my mom NOT straightening my hair. What I did want was my mixed & Latina friends long pony tails. I would always want my mom to put the stucker knockers on my hair because in my mind when she did that it looked longer. By middle school my dad had past away so I was in the shop every other week get washed & pressed so I could pride myself in being a “regular black girl” with long hair. Sad part was my hair was a good length(in its natural state) & a beautiful texture but I never knew it. It took the humidity of New Orleans to force me to wear my hair natural. It was the push that I needed I’ve learned to love my hair. I can’t wait to upload my video!
I don’t remember how I viewed my hair when I was younger. My mom did my hair (she was a hair stylist) and I didn’t have to think too much. I saw her go from perms and weaves to braids and an afro and didn’t think much of it. As I got older, I did my own hair styles but my mom or a stylist did the color, chemicals and cut. The only exception is that I wanted to cut my hair short one time because I saw a girl with short curly hair, but my mom said my hair wouldn’t come out like that. It wasn’t until I went natural that I understood what she said. Now I’m like I’ll wear my hair as it best suits me, wash and go, twists, twist out or other styles I plan to do in the coming months. I like that there are styles I can do that looser textured ladies cannot. 🙂 But also note that looser texture ladies come in all shades; I have friends who are as dark as me with very loose hair. They are usually from the islands.
Reading this I am so thankful for the way and place (because I think that can play a part in this ass well) I was raised. Surrounded by all kinds of people with all kinds of features, blacks, whites, asain etc. In my life there have only been a handful of times others made me feel awkward about the way I looked (dark skinned with 4c hair) because of their comments. It really didn’t affect me that much because I believed in my own uniqueness. I have always been proud about the way I looked. Always loved the kinky hair and curls more than straight hair because that’s just not me. I get goosebumps when I see a black woman with a big fro. Call me crazy 🙂 I wish more and more black women would see their own beauty. Because that’s what we are, beautiful…
I like your comments Maureen.
I was born and raised in Africa and I currently live in Europe.I am very proud of my African features and my 4c hair. I really wish more and more black women will embrace their natural beauty (hair, skin color…everything).I have managed to get my mom and my sister in-law their BC a couple of weeks ago!!! They have made me proud…
I’m mixed and my hair does not have defined curls at all and I LOVE IT THAT WAY. My hair is definitely influenced more by afro genes than by caucasion ones (if it has any influence from there at all). It was other women particularly those with weaved or straightened hair who were pressuring me to “define my curls” with this or that or wearing a twist out. I never understand the natural hair communitys desire for defined curls. It’s so beautiful as it is. Why is a curl definition valued and more acceptable then our natural undefined hair?
I think that hair that is naturally curly is very beautiful. But all of this gel or puddings to try and get this fake curl definition doesn’t look all that good to me. In order for kinky hair to keep any type of definition it needs to stay moist or have some type of hold like a gel and that just comes off looking a little grubby to me. I’m also not a fan of twist outs, it just falls a little dull and boring in my opinion.
But to each their own really, just my two cents.
I feel you on this. People don’t understand lots of mixed ppl come out with kinky curly hair. But the Europeans got us believing all mixed have loose curls or waves. Not accurate.
When I was a child, I used to comb my hair down with and place a bandeau on it in hopes that it would stay fallen and flow in the wind. Much to my chagrin, with one gust, my hair was sticking up like I was one of the little rascals. I think in my natural journey, I’ve experienced the same kinds of expectations vs. realities where I would think I was going to wake up being a curly haired beauty when my 4c reality didn’t really scream soft flowy curls.
ok, um this is a good article, the comments are very interesting…BUT why are the comments so long? Are we writing a book ladies? perhaps a novel? lol…
I’m okay with the comment length, some are really interesting and informative but are all the photos necessary? When did that start happening? I scroll through the comments to read not look at pictures of strangers. Photos belong in the gallery.
I’m sorry, I can’t relate. I never thought my hair was going to be like Tracee Ross’ nor did I particularly want it to be. I respect you for sharing your experiences but I wish there were more stories from women who liked their hair just as it was and never wished it was someone else’s.
SO this is my natural hair.The shot where its pinned and pulled back was cos I couldn’t get it into a big afro (and it was actually a white hairstylist who innovated the style).The other shot is one of me and my best friend (with the long curly/twisted hair).Just showing that all “natural” hair is different not just among women of colour but depending on the weather,the climate and I dont know,just a whole lot of things.This is what inspired me to go natural back in high school.I just wanted to see what it would look like and play around with it.My hair doesn’t grow very long but its really thick now,and sometimes I get natural and relaxed coming up to me and saying they wish they had hair like that.My good friend in the photo,has got this combinition of curly and wavy hair which shes twisted in some parts and let be in other parts and it looks absolutely beautiful on her.So i think hair doesn’t and shouldn’t define you,I think its just all about choice-and for me and many of my peers letting our hair be was the best choice for us practically and visually.I can totally tell when someone has natural hair cos thats what they want versus its a trend (cos it seems to be becoming that) and even when a girl has a weave cos she knows she rocks it beautifully versus she cant stand her own hair.So just be and do you!If you have natural hair I say let it be,dont class it or grade it according to any other standard but your own!x
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SO this is my natural hair.The shot where its pinned and pulled back was cos I couldn’t get it into a big afro (and it was actually a white hairstylist who innovated the style).The other shot is one of me and my best friend (with the long curly/twisted hair).Just showing that all “natural” hair is different not just among women of colour but depending on the weather,the climate and I dont know,just a whole lot of things.This is what inspired me to go natural back in high school.I just wanted to see what it would look like and play around with it.My hair doesn’t grow very long but its really thick now,and sometimes I get natural and relaxed coming up to me and saying they wish they had hair like that.My good friend in the photo,has got this combinition of curly and wavy hair which shes twisted in some parts and let be in other parts and it looks absolutely beautiful on her.So i think hair doesn’t and shouldn’t define you,I think its just all about choice-and for me and many of my peers letting our hair be was the best choice for us practically and visually.I can totally tell when someone has natural hair cos thats what they want versus its a trend (cos it seems to be becoming that) and even when a girl has a weave cos she knows she rocks it beautifully versus she cant stand her own hair.So just be and do you!If you have natural hair I say let it be,dont class it or grade it according to any other standard but your own!x
This is kinda sad in a way I will NEVER understand and for that I am thoroughly grateful.
Again not every mixed girl has loose flowing curls and not every black girl has tight coils. Its such a misconception. How ones hair texture comes out is based on dna not the color of ones skin.
It’s not just a looser texture to be like whites; many of us also want long hair to be like whites.
I suppose so. My only thing is that long hair isn’t just a European thing. That’s one of the standards of beauty for women in many cultures (such as with Indian women and Asian women). In other words long hair isn’t a European Beauty standard, it’s a generally held female beauty standard.
That’s why I don’t think wanting long hair is a bad thing especially since it’s possible for women of all races to have long hair. It’s just that for some black women, it might mean that instead of hair that grows down, the length appears as more volume. (That still means that they had to have long hair in order to have hair with a lot of volume in the first place.)
Personally, I think the desire for long hair among black women is the impact of living within or being influenced by white western societal ideals and norms. If someone can prove that Africans have culturally prized and desired long hair then I will believe otherwise. We are not Asian or white women, why do some always seem to bring other races up as doing or liking something as to why it’s acceptable for black women to do it or black women to desire it? I’d like to hear what non diaspora black women have to say about this subject because people always suggest that all women desire long hair while speaking from an undoubtedly western influenced pov.
It’s ok to desire long hair or even grow it long but we should admit where that need for long hair is coming from. Most of us that grew up in the diaspora were bombarded with images of the European ideal from birth – our dolls, magazines, advertising, schoolmates and peers, family who were taught the ideal themselves, television, film, music ad nauseum.
I grew up In Africa and then had a chance to live in Europe. You are right in Europe long hair is seen as a big deal and women are taught to aspire to have long hair. And this also happens in Africa. I think one of the things that drives most black women to want long hair is that most black women dont have long hair. When people see a black women with long hair, its like a phenomenon. Something which is unheard of and unseen if you get what I mean. Plus most of the images we see on out screens are of women with weaves (Beyonce, Rihanna, women in music videos). Having long hair is desired in the black community.As Cherise pointed out black women have the volume rather than length. its only if you straighten the hair that you see the length.
You are correct
Long hair is nothing to do with race,as one commentator just pointed out in Africa a black country ,many women desire to have long hair because it’s not a race thing it’s a women thing
A lot of European women aspire to the long length of hair because it’s seen as feminine,a women’s beauty is her hair the fact the people may have views that black women’s natural look is short hair is ridiculous when in fact as pointed out by another,many natural black women do have long hair but it’s not always so visible because of the coil of the hair.
You really think the CONTINENT of Africa is “a black country”?
OK,we all know its a continent but many people like to define it as country by location..
the girl in the picture is sooo pretty. hopefully she’s not bawling over hair…she could be bald and she’d still be cute!
I can relate to this article. When I was a young girl around the ages of 5-9, I always wanted long flowing hair as my Caucasian classmates. I complained to my mother why did my hair grow toward the sky instead of towards the ground? I remember my mother telling me how beautiful my hair was and that’s how Black/African people hair grows because we originally come from a warmer climate and that’s why our skin is darker also. At the age of 23, I embrace my natural hair even though I have ups and downs with my hair. I have been natural since March 2011 and my hair type is in the 4 range.
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Now I feel out of place because I’ve never coveted anyone else’s type of hair…
I wrote once before on BGLH about this nonsense hair texture chart and was surprised to see that I got a lot of dislikes. Why; I asked myself? Why would people dislike an argument that says that type charting hair is useless at its base and quite offensive to black women in my opinion? Perhaps I did not explain myself well enough in that response to a BGLH article, so I will try again here.
Hair charting is wrong in my opinion because once again here is something that puts black African people at the bottom of yet another list; and in this case, the hair texture list. Why is everything black always at the bottom of some list and associated with all things negative: blackmail, blacklisted, black-cats-danger, the blackness of the night-danger, hell is black, having a black heart/soul, and the list goes on and on. However, when it comes to white it’s simply put, YOU’RE ALRIGHT? I have never understood or accepted these ideas. I never did as a child, and although I had my ups and downs with being black growing up, I never accepted that my black meant for me to “stand back.”
Subsequently, here is this chart that tells me that white European hair is at the apex of some hair chart list and that list begins with a 1 and ends with a 4. And in between these two numbers are letters that go from A-C, with C being the least desirable and A being the Apex. A is always the best, as A is in reality. I mean, no one wants a C now. But why must black people accept these ideas when it comes to being their authentic selves? Nonsense, utter nonsense.
Clearly, knowing one’s hair texture is important. And I do not have to list the reasons why here. The blog that is BGLH addresses these types of issues in there many articles. However, since it is hair texture that allows an individual to discover what products are right or not right for one’s hair, and how to grow healthy beautiful hair, knowing hair texture in the form of 1-4 and A-C with white hair being the most “manageable” and most “desirable” and black hair being the most “difficult” and least “desirable” is offensive to me. Straight white supposedly 1 through C hair can be course, unmanageable, dry and unattractive to me. And supposedly black 4 through C hair can be course, manageable, soft and attractive to me. Shouldn’t hair ‘typing” read more in the line of fine, course, limp, porous, thick, etc and THAT’S IT, since all hair types fall into these categories? And why do black women accept this nonsense hair chart? Why do we give it credence? It puts us at the bottom of the barrel people, the bottom! I’m not at the bottom of anything-except when I am mean and nasty to my partner and he says “you’re so mean.” I’m at the bottom there. There I accept it. Being mean is cruel and I belong there at those times.
However, I refuse to be put at the bottom of some line when it comes to my hair, my skin, my features, and my being. I am black. I was born with kinky hair, black skin, black features, and blackness. And all these things are ALL ALRIGHT in my eyes. And since they are ALL RIGHT in my eyes, that clearly means only one thing to me. I’m a 1.
You received thumbs down because it was your opinion, the hair typing system does not make all of us feel how you feel. I was not raised with a “good hair, bad hair” mindset.. I never heard those words until I was actually grown and of course it was from other Black people. I personally do not like straight hair so the fact that it is 1 on the chart is irrelevant to me, it could be 100 and it would still be a problem but either way I would still not like straight hair. I’ve found that how people feel about their physical features often starts at home so many cannot control if they feel less than since that was programmed into them at such an early age.
Actually I like you never grew up with the “good” hair “bad” hair mentality. As a matter of fact, I pretty much had no negative thoughts about my hair growing up-aside from the insecurities that one goes through being a young girl about all this physical. Also, My mom never permed my hair until I was about 14 years old and that was okay with me. I never got teased. I never felt out of place.
I learned about the hair chart system not too long ago. It was actually earlier this year when I decided to go natural and started doing my research that I came across it. I just thought it was negative. I still think it’s negative. The individual who made it up, made it up with a bias mind in my opinion. You might not think so and that’s okay. I just dislike when things of “beauty” assigned to black people tend to be on the negative side. That is my problem with this chart.
I do not put great thought into the chart other than what i think however. It’s not dwelling in my thoughts and making me think negative things about myself. Also, if I am responding to an article such as the one here on BGLH, I will give my thoughts, but that’s about it. It really isn’t a big deal. Insecurities, I have. I’m human. It’s okay. However, they don’t really have much to do with my hair texture, skin tone, etc. They are much bigger than that.
I also wanted to add that again like you, I am not a fan of straight hair. When I had a relaxer, I would only perm it so much as to just “relax” the texture a little. I liked when my hair felt like it had texture and was not straight. I have very fine hair so completely straightening my hair was a no no. On top of that I hated the way the way very straight hair looked on me, and I loved the feel and texture of my own natural hair.
It took me awhile to go natural however. To be honest, It never crossed my mind that I could wear my hair in it’s natural state although I loved natural hair-Isn’t that some crazy mess? I think so. And I also think it’s true for a lot of black women. We are learning though, and that’s nice.
I agree with AC, you’ve read too much into this chart based on your own insecurities and biases. The chart was never designed to put one hair type above or below another, it was an easy way for a hair stylist to categorise his clients and utilise a shorthand to remember what their hair was like and what it needed. It was positive in its creation for that purpose.
If anyone has warped this system it’s the very women who use it the most and cling to it for dear life, black natural women, sorry it’s the truth. You can choose to accept the chart for what it is – a shorthand for categorising your hair and using it to find tips and methods from women who identify with your hair type or you can make it into a whole big mess of hierarchys and superiority/inferiority. It’s up to you.
The chart perhaps was not designed to put one hair above another but unfortunately it does. Clearly not you, but many others.
come to think of it, tho, most of the world has type 1 hair, followed by the other types. type 4 hair is the rarest of the types, so from that perspective, i can see why it would be farther down the list if we’re going off of pure numbers. just playing devil’s advocate. i can def see where the controversy is justifiable.
I’ve never wanted anyone else’s hair because I’ve had too much fun (challenges) learning my own. I also never bought into the whole hair typing system because I felt that it was another way to divide us. I can say that there were times I wished my hair had the same length that another natural had.
I have big natural hair, but I find that I always tame it with putting it in big braids and then in a ponytail. I have friends (and boyfriends) that always convince me that i have beautiful hair and should just wear it out, but I always have it in my head that my hair wouldn’t look how I want it to look and also, i don’t want to be stared at. Mind you, I see all types of big hair and I love it, from curly to kinky, I love it all. I just wish I wasn’t so shy to wear mine out.
Start wearing your hair ‘out’ around the house, then when running about outside doing your chores. You’ll start to feel comfortable within your head about your own hair. Maybe then you’ll decide to go shopping, or out to lunch with friends, with your hair out. And don’t forget, you could always do a partial updo with your hair down in the back. The whole idea is to be comfortable with what you have on your own head, whether it is the big look or not…I always thought my hair would be a big rockin’ ‘fro but I’ve discovered that I have a full head of hair with thin strands. Mostly I wear mine ‘out’…I twist or braid it to get away from the scalpiness. It isn’t full at all but it is mine and I love it.
I love natural hair.
GLORY THANK YOU FOR STATING WHAT NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR. LOOK AT THE YOUTUBERS THAT MOST POPULAR AND IT WILL BE A LOOSER CURL. GROWING UP THE ONLY THING NEGATIVE I WAS TOLD ABOUT MY HAIR FROM MY OWN FAMILY IS THAT IT’S TOO THICK. WHEN IT WAS STRAIGHTNED I WAS TOLD IT WAS SO PRETTY AND LONG. IN CORN ROWS NOT SO MUCH LOL. BUT THEY BEHAVIOUS AND HAIR ENVY AND COMPLEXION ENVY SADLY ARE TAUGHT. THE CYCLE MUST END. AND YES I AM SICK AND TIRED OF THE CURLY ENVY I WITNESS EVERY DAY ON YOUTUBE, FACEBOOK, AND INSTAGRAM. LOVE WHAT YOU GOT. I THOUGHT MY HAIR WAS GOING TO BE DIFFICULT ONCE I GOT A SOLID REGIMEN AND STAPLES IT BECAME A BREEZE. KNOW YOUR WORTH
Nice article! When I first saw the meme, I thought someone had gotten a hold of a picture of myself. She looks just like me as child. So I didn’t think it was at all funny. It also reminded me of a time when I wanted that kind of hair only because the guys(black and white) liked biracial girls with this hair at my school. I had to compete with that hair. So the meme was painful and offensive.
When I decide to chop my hair off, I had no idea what my hair texture was going to do , but I knew it was not going to look like this. I was very vulnerable. I constantly looked for products that made that magic swirl! After years of wearing my hair natural, I have realized that it’s all ignorance. The media played a big influence on this idea of what we thought was beautiful and acceptable. We live in an amazing time filled with good information on how to care for our mutli-textured hair.
I have finally grown to accept my hair texture. No longer do I envy those girls with effortless curls. Thank you to MichelleS for her story. Seeing that the other side isn’t as easy helps me accept that everyone has their path and we all have to figure out how to love what God gave us.!
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I know I had to learn to accept me, just as God made me. From my hair to my feet. I had to deal with allowing myself to feel and be beautiful in my dark skin and kinky curly hair. I know that was the realization that helped me to embrace my natrual hair. The acceptance of my hair texture was achieved with the acceptance of me!
Welp. Before going natural, I had no illusions about what kind of hair I had. I’d been told how thick and “bad” and “rough” my hair was my whole life. I still recall the sounds of disgust my hairdresser would make when relaxing my new growth. lol. Those black folks never let me forget just how nappy my hair was.
But. As a kid I certainly wanted mixed girl hair. Of course I did. Considering how I was treated for having kinky hair, it would make sense to want the kind of hair everyone found acceptable. Then I wouldn’t have to spend hours getting my hair done, then I wouldn’t be called ugly all the dang time, then I wouldn’t be shouted at for playing outside after my mom finished pressing my hair for HOURS, then I could be a kid. Innocent, free, valued.
What I’m sayin’ is that wanting white-girl or mixed-girl hair is par for the course for us kinky-haired girls. We’ve been innundated with messages that if we had hair like theirs, we’d be okay. But the way God made us was unacceptable, ugly, unsightly, and in desperate need of consistent fighting, struggling and changing. Sad but true story of the life of a black girl. It ain’t for the weak-minded. Being a black girl requires such fortitude, strength and grace just to come out okay. It’s an experience like no other. And for better or for worse, knowing all that I know now, I wouldn’t want to be anything else.
That being said (and this may sound like a terrible tangent), is anyone surprised at the heroics of Antoinnette Tuff? I’m not. Black girls rock! They try to break us, but they only make us stronger. Just the day in the life of a strong, beautiful, powerful black woman. Her words are stronger than any machine gun could ever be. Power to the black ladies of earth! Don’t let the hate get you down. K. That’s all, lovelies. Have a great day!
I really appreciated reading your post and words of encouragement. Also, thanks for telling me about Antoinnette Tuff. What an amazing woman indeed!
Have a good day ladies!
I definitely loved, *ahem, ahem* mahoganycurls’ hair. But while doing my research prior to bc’ing, I made sure to research a wide variety of YT natural ladies. I loved what i saw. Each hair type can and will look good and be healthy with proper care. I’d abused my super fine strands with chemicals and heat long enough and i was thrilled to just love my hair for what it is. Kinky, nappy, frizzy, coily it is MINE and i love it.
Meh. I had a lot of mixed friends growing up so I was very aware of how difficult caring for mixed hair can be. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
It’s good people are honest…my shock was that I expected 4c hair but have mixture of 4a/b and was surprised as I looked at my pictures when a child and it looked 4c but I love my hair and have no issues with it besides the shrinkage lol which can catch me off guard.
I can relate. I expected 4c because of the hair dressers I’ve been to for the years I was relaxing. They always felt the need to use the strongest relaxer which led me to believe I had bad hair. Looking at pictures of when I was a kid I’d notice I had beautiful hair. Honestly because I was getting relaxers I thought my hair texture changed as I got older. I cut my relaxed hair April 2013 and I absolutely love my natural hair. I love how it’s growing in and I love my poppin curls. I went into this journey not expecting my texture but whatever God gave me I was ready to work with it.
look at your language. You thought your hair was “bad” because it needed a strong relaxer to get it straight. But then you looked at pictures of your youth and realized it was a looser curl than you’d previously thought, so “beautiful”…it’s great you love yourself but all of this is so sad. we are so brainwashed as women and the natural hair movement is same shit different day.
I still can’t believe we say we can’t place one hair type above another, and yet they are labled that way. So the nappiest girls are graded a Fourth Place and a C? And the straightest hair ones are First Place A plus? Pitiful.
I see what NappyBuzz is saying when I see comments like this, that language needs to change.
Her language doesn’t need to change, YOUR insecurities along with other black women need to change and stop getting our feelings hurt so easily. The truth of the matter is why is it when some feels good about their 4a/3c hair and call it beautiful you 4c women throw a pity party and get upset?? Also thee brutal truth (i know its hard to believe) but the word nappy will always exist just like good hair/bad hair will always exist! I’ve been natural my whole 17 years of living, the truth of the matter is Some people are blessed with ‘good hair’ in my definition meaning easier to manage and less time just like some people are blessed with amazing bodies, good teeth that’s life! There will always be a bias in life !
This was my experience too. I assumed I would have 4b hair (which I wanted) didn’t know what 4c hair was at the time and came to realise I have a mix of 4a/4b/4c.
Which has its own set of demands and makes my hair grow in a mullet type of shape, because some parts grow up and out and some parts have grown out and down. Don’t get me started on trimming, thinking I trimmed all my hair then finding a shrunken section that is unbelievably longer than the rest uncoiled because I trim my hair wet and it has managed to hide itself all this time lol.
I love my hair and it constantly surprises me, if people would take the time to learn what they could do with their hair instead of focusing on what it couldn’t do – the appreciation would come with the fascination of understanding.
There is some truth in the paragraphs especially about naturals themselves often fuelling the curl hierarchy but that’s to be expected and proved in the comments of people like Maxine. We cannot deny that it doesn’t exist. It’s also true that a lot of women went/go natural with the image of having type 3 hair or 4a hair that shows defined curls rather than undefinable kinks. Youtube comments and even icon comments here reveal how much people want other people’s hair consciously or subconsciously. I don’t feel it’s good to hone in on girls with looser textured hair when you don’t share their hair type as you will never feel satisfied with your own. How can you religiously watch someone who has a hair life and regimen that is the polar opposite of your own? If it takes a day to wash your hair, you’ll get nothing from surrounding yourself with imagery of girls that have a wash day that lasts up to an hour and use very simple product regimens when your hair needs more everything.
I remember in the early days of the natural community when no one knew their hair type, many women were going natural and wanting Rachel True, Tracee E, Amel Larrieux and Cree Summer hair. To me it was really no different to growing up when girls coveted Chili and Tatyana Ali’s hair. It was just that then, the words ‘good hair’ were replaced with ‘curls’. The meme is the nail on the head for that time. It took a few 4bs and later Cs a long time to work out that their hair would not magically transform from kinks to curls like Miss Jessie’s promised and that shingling turned the hair into a gel ridden mess when you had nothing to define. I think Nappturality was created for women with kinky hair to counter the curl obsessed culture.
These days the same kinds of women are popular, girls with the curls or looser hair. Every time I go to a 4c or b video, that YTber will barely have any views or a lower subscriber count compared to those with looser textures. It is sad that women without the loose curled hair type will religiously watch a Nap85 or Mahoghany Curls and ignore the people who could aid them in their journey then wonder why being natural can be so frustrating.
Hair envy won’t go away too soon, it’s tied up in complex, unresolved hair issues that are very slowly working their way out of the community. However, we owe it to ourselves to lift up our hair types as tighter coiled type 4s. I refuse to believe there are as low a number of type 4b and c out there as the YT viewing numbers suggest.
P.S I understand that some women loved what they had right out of the gate, not targeting you.
I agree with many of the things you said. All types of hair should be lifted up and highlighted, that is why I love BGLH features. Overall I dislike hair typing because its pretty useless in helping determine a hair regimen. Styling sure it kind of helps but when it comes to product selection porosity and other aspects of hair is way more important and it is almost impossible to know how similar your hair is to a YouTube person through the screen.
I will have to disagree that there are not tightly coiled hair youtubers that are very popular. A few:
Whoissugar
Chime (haircrush)
African export
My natural sistas
Naptural85 (you listed her as looser textured but she is 4ab, as her hair has gotten longer her curls seem looser from the weight)
Denimpixie
Kimmaytube
With all due respect those are 3c, 4a/4b and 4a girls who have curly hair. While one with their hair type can watch them and gain a lot from them, if you are a straight 4c or 4b, it is unrealistic to watch any of those girls and expect your hair to be the same. I know that a lot of the people on this list choose to wear their hair undefined and that can throw people when they are looking at someone’s hair into thinking it is like theirs I.e 4b/4c but it’s been manipulated to look undefined.
Jouelzy should be more popular than she is, 4chairchick and Kulchic Beauty Nyla K but I don’t see them with the subscriber and view count of the girls in your list.
I’m really appealing to 4b/cs who watch the people in your list religiously to think about watching hair closer to their own. This categorisation of hair types does work as long as you don’t place one above the other. It’s only as complicated as we are willing to make it. I find it helpful to watch people whose hair is very similar to my own rather than women who have hair that is nothing like my own. That is why some naturals are dissatisfied with their hair because they are watching girls with hair that can achieve styles that theirs can’t.
Not every one is the same I guess but I get nothing from watching a lot of those girls (bar Kimmaytube in the days when she was informative) whereas I do from the girls with hair like mine. I think that’s pretty simple to understand.
Memes like this wouldn’t exist if people paid more attention to what the hair on their head was really like and those who shared that type (with YT it is to the best of your knowledge as you will obviously not feel the texture of their hair through a screen but we can see curl or lack of sizes.)
Why does it feel like women with 4c hair are ALWAYS complaining? It’s like 4c hair is an exclusive club that nobody can even comment on unless they have 4c hair. Why can’t someone with tighter curls watch Naptural85 or anyone else for that matter? There are plenty of hair techniques that transcend ALL hair types. Curl pattern is useful in knowing that your styles will not turn out the same way. However, products, techniques (washing in sections, finger detangling), and many style (buns, braidouts, twist-outs) are used by all techniques! PLEASE stop complaining about your 4c hair.
The way some 4c girls talk about their own hair reinforces that idea that it is harder or more “difficult”; in essence they still think that they have bad hair. They’re just using different language to describe it. I have 4c hair and I cringe every time I read a comment like yours. My hair rocks!! I love my fro.
However, products, techniques (washing in sections, finger detangling), and many style (buns, braidouts, twist-outs) are used by all hair types***!
I don’t think she meant harm IMHO. I agree with you on the idea that certain techniques are used by all hair types, but I also agree that “This categorisation of hair types does work as long as you don’t place one above the other.” I think when women transition, it IS helpful to find women on Youtube and in the media with the same texture as them. It’s comparable to why it’s important for little black girls to see Michelle Obama and Kerry Washington when they turn on the TV; we’ve all seen what happens when young girls of color only see women with blue eyes and blond hair on Disney…Many (not all) start to doubt their beauty. For that new natural who isn’t so confident just yet in the appearance of her kinks, seeing women on YT rocking 4c hair sort of sets the example of how versatile and beautiful it is…There are a few 4c’s on youtube, but they aren’t as well represented as some other textures to be completely honest; I’m happy that more and more 4c channels are popping up, though.
Also, in terms of technique, density and hair texture (in terms of fineness or coarseness) are the most useful, BUT…one area I really needed to see someone with my specific texture on YT was detangling…Sure all curly textures require gentle handling, but if detangling was truly and completely independent of hair type, then Type 1 heads (i.e. straight hair) would use the same detangling method as Type 4c…and we all know that’s just not the case.
YES TIRED OF 4C GIRLS ACTING LIKE THEY THEIR TEXTURE IS THE KISS OF DEATH WHEN IT’S NOT
Nevermind, Stephanieb put it more succinctly than I could below. I wasn’t talking about complaining or giving any reason for you to cringe. I also said p.s not talking about the girls who loved their hair from the word go. I was talking about the people who felt like the article above describes. Sometimes things can get lost in translation here. It’s ok, we all have different opinions and that’s why we just do what works best for us.
well said, and i think it’s also worth mentioning that people with looser hair types can learn a lot from 4b/c hair gurus. I learned the art of finger detangling from my 4c roommate, who went natural a year after we met. She grew her hair out to bra strap length, and i’d never seen anyone handle their hair as gently as she handled hers. She also recommended two of my staple products that i swear by to this day- mane n tail conditioner and aussie moist.
i found that even though my curls are very loose my texture is on the coarse side, and therefore it behooved me to finger detangle, as she did. there’s a lot of knowledge that can pass in either direction. it never has to be stagnant unless someone is dead set on making it so.
My hair isn’t 4c but I LOVE Jouelzy and GlamFun videos! I think you can learn a little something from everyone.
All you 4c girls might want to check out NaturalMe4c on YT. I’m not a 4c, but I watch her regularly. She is a sweet lady, who gives very helpful to tips (via tutorials) to other naturals with that hair type. Also, her whole family appears on her vlogs from time to time. The whole family is entertaining as hell! 🙂
I’ve never watched a YT video and had my hair turn out like the person’s I’m viewing…whether their texture was like mine or not. But I, for the most part, always ended up with something I liked. I learned very early on that expectations are the true enemy. You simply try different products and techniques, keep what you like and stay away from what you don’t. Simple as that. If you only watch videos of people with hair closer to your own, you’re still doing yourself a disservice when you expect your hair to turn out like theirs…and possibly missing out on some good tips from those that you’re ignoring. Now when I watch videos, it’s all about how the information is organized and presented. I watched a video recently of a girl advising 4b’s and 4c’s not to purchase the product she was raving about because it probably wouldn’t suit their texture…I bought the product anyway and loved it! I just didn’t use it the same way she did. If there are youtubers out there who’s channels are not where you think they need to be, maybe it has more to do with their presentation than their texture.
That’s a good point. You’re 100% right. I have NEVER had my hair turn out like someone else’s even when I SWORE that their hair texture looked identical to mine. So true. Everybody is really different.
@tina (her comment had no reply button 🙁 ) there you go again hollin at errbody with the caps. chill, chica!
this time i agree with you though.
Well, in truth, regardless of curl type — 4a,b,or c… none of those matter in how to maintain & grow healthy hair.
what matters is: texture- course or fine & porosity – High porosity , low porosity, regular porosity.
Then density comes into play at some point; which determines how much product you’ll need.
Other than that curl pattern is a wash unless you’re looking to styling options.
demipixie not tightly curled though
Tina Smith you seriously make me laught…The past few post you became much more positive!!
#she has a personality of her own#
i wanna add naturallycandy to the list. she’s not famous aaass much for her hair as she is for her personality, but she’s about 4b i believe. she easily gets like 30-80 thousand views per video or so.
I so agree NappyBuzz, regardless of hair type, we have to embrace with the good Lord gave us. I am definitely a 4b/c and when I went natural I too thought that I could find the right product and turn my hair into 4a all over, but I was totally wrong. There are products that make my hair more manageable and help keep it from breaking off as much, but there’s nothing to change the type of your hair permanently except some type of chemical or heat and we have to face the facts and stop frontin’. There is beauty in every texture of hair, we just have to be willing to look for it 🙂
TRUTH!
Good hair, bad hair, it’s all good especially when it is YOURS! #numberonehaircrushisme
I think it applies to women with type 4 hair ,mainly 4c where that hair is hard to maintain,one man friend described his natural 4c girlfriends type as fingers going through a brillo pad~harsh.
Pathetic!
So rude and insesnsitive! I wonder what his texture is?
4c hair is not hard to maintain when you know the right ways to handle it. Feed a plant with the right food and it will grow!
I know,he was less educated because he has always went out with girls that had soft/wavy hair -hes half Asian..so that should explain it lol
sadly there are women that think like too. not sure why you got the thumbs down. when it’s true hence the point of this article
Yes sometimes people perceive things the wrong way,
I have too heard, women say similar things but I think slowly but surely many women are coming round to embracing their natural hair,its just getting the acceptance from the outside world may be harder.
well that might have been the case for her head of hair, but please don’t think that is the norm or has to be the norm for 4c hair. if 4b/c is defined as hair that has no definition, then that describes my son’s hair to a tee. no clumping whatsoever, but with the right products his hair becomes infinitely softer than my 3b/c. this is a false stereotype of type 4 hair and i would love if we put that bit to rest. if you show the hair- any hair type- love, it will flourish.
I realize that now , I think that all hair comes with issues and every day is different to the next like many others I hate that women with 4 type C hair often get stigmatized when I have seen many women with this type rock some wonderful styles..
This was a nice article to read. Before I saw my natural hair grow out, I just knew that I wanted big hair. So, now that my 4c hair can do big fluffy fro’s to wavy braidouts and everything in between or up(do), I’m just pleased with this whole natural hair journey. There were definitely times where I was confused about what exactly to do with my hair, but in the end you just have to make it work. Work what you have! That is why I like this campaign and this article. Confidence wins the day, everyday. So work what you have with confidence.
On a side note, that meme is hilarious.
I didn’t see the meme so deeply when I first read it. I didn’t read the meme as a dark black girl wishing she were less black. I saw it as a person who is starting their hair journey and is just lost. EVERYONE has been there. You chop off all of your hair and you expect to just wake up with gorgeous hair. In the meme, replace “Tracie Elise” with any of the amazing youtubers on the internet with all types of hair (Naptural85, The Gabe Fix, Fusion of Curls, Taren Guy) and I’d still laugh. Because when you start your hair journey, and before you realize how to work your own hair, you do just expect to wake up with awesome hair. All of those youtubers and Tracie learned about their hair over time. It just took patience.
Yes child!!!! Watch too any of them YouTube videos and you be strung out on blogs/vlogs buying every dang hair product tool kit box what have you. Shoot when I first started out I had to try every brand that was recommended by natural/beauty bloggers until I realized all of those products give their specific heads their results. I just had to persevere and find what works for me and this head in terms of cleansing conditioning styling and detangling. Even those naturals who share my same hair texture/porosity levels have different results. I just respect vlogs for pure entertainment and to keep up on the hair up and up.
yes, those vlogs are pure ENTERTAINMENT
This was a great read. I was one of those who envied and aspired to be like my looser-curled sistren (Tracee, Lisa Nicole Carson, Amel Larrieux, Cree Summer, etc). I went natural in college and for several years, I was trying every product and technique under the sun to get my 4c hair to look more like 3c (I even did the Miss Jessie’s “silkener” that I didn’t maintain very well so my hair became brittle and I had to cut it all off).
The true evolution came when I embraced my natural texture AS IS, loving it in its most organic, tightly-packed, shrunken state as much as I do when its stretched.
Honey, I don’t think Amel Larrieux has the hair you think she has. Sure its long, but I remember her stating in an interview that if she does not braid (no twisting for her) every night, it will mat up. Does that sound like someone with loose, curly hair to you? Don’t get me wrong, her hair is gorgeous! But, it may be a braid-out, rather her natural curl pattern you’re seeing!
I am mixed and not all of us have that ‘good’ or ‘easy’ kind of hair. Yes it has little defined ringlets but it isn’t easy (or I haven’t found the right products)for me to manage. Maybe I’m just ignorant of how to take care of it or wear it but I try my best. It can’t hold a fro and it’s not white hair for sure (which btw is fine with me!)but some strange hybrid that doesn’t seem to want to retain length easily. So please, PLEASE let’s not think there is anything to envy about anyone’s hair or anything about others in general! Like my mom always says ‘we always want what we can’t/don’t have’ and you know what? That’s a crying shame because who we all are naturally is beautiful and I truly believe that with all my heart. P.S. No it’s no longer blonde!! 🙂
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I really wish there was a platform to reach the world and put certain stereotypes to rest! Like let me interrupt this Scandal episode for a special black announcement LOL. But I agree with you & to comment further, I really don’t feel there is a such thing as “mixed girls hair” or stereotyped “white people features”. The blue eye began in Africa, originally with one african woman that can be traced back directly to her 10 descendents that scattered throughout Africa and Europe. It is a mutation just like red heads/red hair. What’s funny is its actually more of a norm there to have black people with blue eyes than it is in America or South America, with chocolate dark skin! I have seen it many times now. Also, many African women with no European descent have type 2, and type 3 hair, and no its not just North Africans (Ethiopia, Eritrea). As a matter of fact, the most indigenous African descent (non mixed) people are the Aborigines and the Negritos in Asia, they have been the only groups that remained the most isolated and the closest to the original blk people that walked the earth. Yes there are original inhabitants of Asia, still there, that are black. They have type 2 and type 3 hair, with some type 4 hair among them as well…A HUGE range of hair. That said, stop the stereotypes. Black people have all hair types, and to be honest black people in America are all mixed up. The average black american is 29% white anyways, and it has nothing to do with looks, its all genetic makeup. When you get your DNA traced, there are many documentaries on this, you will find some of the most beautifully brown and dark chocolate people have a larger amount of genetics tracing back to somewhere like Ireland. Then you will have someone visually seen as “biracial” and they will trace most of their genetics to East Africa somewhere, and smaller trace to Sweden for example. But their genetics selected physically just so happened to show you differently. It has nothing to do with looks! One could look one way and most of the time have an unexpected makeup. Whats funny is most caucasian americans also have a percentage of black makeup as well, outside of everyone coming from Africa long ago. Their are documentaries showing their traced back ancestry and many of them are related to historical black figures, yet they know nothing about it. All of us are mixed up!
Excellent comment.
Of course all blacks/ africans do not have the features conventionally associated with the continent as a whole. However, that does take away from the fact that the blacks who do have this phenotype may experience a distinct social and material outcome because of it. I can appreciate this argument, however, I think in 2013 most people understand that there is very little biological basis to race. We also know that some africans look like Alek Wek and some look like Iman and some look like Hota Kotb. The problem is that, even in 2013, a different social status would be assigned to each of these women.
That’s so true!! I heard Chris Rock found out he was 25% white genetically on one of those shows.
True…Black People from South America, Caribbean and the West Indies are also mixed up.(Due to slavery)….;(.There you have over 30 ways of calling someone Black/Mixed Mulatto etc…
Out of many, one people.This is the motto for Jamaica.We have long accepted our mixed ancestry and has been proud of it. You line up a group of Jamaicans from Colin Powell, Usain Bolt and Tyson Beckford. Every single one of them has a different shaped nose, different coloured skin and different texture of hair. And yet when you talk to some black people about their mixed ancestry, some people have said this is is black people in denial of their african roots.
When I worked in the haematology labs you would occasionally get white people with the sickle trait which means some where along the line they have african ancestry and yet the patient involved had no idea about their history.
To me what I find interesting, is then what do we call ourselves? I’m British, so I call myself Black British, not so much because of skin colour but more because of culture. A few years ago, a guy from the carribean traced his roots back to Germany,so is he still black?
MichelleS, your hair looks and sounds a lot like mine. Try Shea Mousture Coconut and Hibiscus (orange label) products. Length retention is hard because your individual strands are probably very fine. To combat that you need to wear styles with your ends tucked in most days. You may want to check out Teri LaFlesh’s book, “Curly Like Me” or her website. She’s the only “hair guru” i found whose hair looks like mine.
Thank you Christina. I actually do have her book 🙂 and I use shea moisture products for both me and my two boys. My hair is longer now (that pic was taken about a year ago). Most days I do wear it in a protective style for the sake of the ends but it is still flat ironed once a week and I am ashamed of that. I hate doing that and I know my hair would be a lot longer now if I didn’t but it seems like wearing it natural and keeping it looking good for longer than a day eludes me. Very embarrassing to admit. Reading it in her (Teri’s) book and translating it into my own hair seems to take more time than I have with all that’s going on in my life at the moment. But I won’t give up. And I’m blessed to have the support from my fiance’ and my fam when it comes to wearing it natural so I am thankful. What would be even better would be to have a sister in person to help me figure it all out! Lol but I’m glad I have this site.
I think there are those women who covet “mixed hair” because its seems easier to manage and many more who desire it because a higher social status is conferred upon it. That’s an important dynamic to keep in mind.
I understand Nneka. Truly. I just know even mixed girls like me are/have been been guilty of the same with others up until recently. And being on this site has helped me to embrace and love myself-all of myself-more fully. I just wish the same for everyone 🙂
Sad but truth is in every paragraph. My biggest issue is the women who will hold onto that make a wish permed to the crisp ponytail talknbout “I’m afraid to big chop I would look ugly without hair” Bish you barely holding on to the two follicles you have….the mindset is so engrained its not called creamy crack for nothing. Folks be strung out and uneno it. Better off just making what comes out if your head look good.
Lmfao…you’re so wrong (yet so right) for that!
Ok seriously, am i the only one who was fantasizing about having a big, kinky fro-like hair before going natural?
You’re not haha. I’ve always loved fros (and was therefore pleasantly surprised to see my 4c new growth) but I feel like this mindset still prevails in many people’s minds.. I hear people talking about “pease” and “naps” constantly, to which I reply, “My entire head of hair is comprised of naps :)”
Lol. No! I always wanted to wear my hair in huge pigtail afro puffs high on my head…but my mother would never let me do it because she said I liked look a picaninny. ::Sigh:: I love that I went natural and was able to love my curls and kinks, but I think more parents need to realize self hate starts at home.
I can totally emphasise on that.
Yea I didn’t want to always wear my hair in cornrows, I just wanted to wear it out. I was told no its going to get dry and tangled. Sad face. Once I combed my little cousins hair is several small puffs with a few two strand twists and our grandmother complained and said the same thing. As if the pound of grease already in the hair was just going to evaporate.
Thats not necessarily the hair I wanted before going natural, I wanted some easy wash and go hair (didnt have to be ‘loose’ textured or what not but just EASY *didnt happen*) NOW, I rock the roughest toughest biggest braidouts that look like an afro with some hang and some frizzy coil definition. AKA nothing like Ms. Ross but I wouldnt want anything else! I mean the hair is fierce and I’m so proud of it!! 🙂
No you weren’t the only one. I dreamt about that too and I’m very close to it
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🙂
No, you’re not alone. I was natural back in my youth and thought I’d have the same big ‘fro now. But now my hair is thinner, and doesn’t hold a big afro anymore. I’ve been so disappointed but now I’m just trying to adapt and enjoy whatever my hair can do now. Every day is something different.