Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Once you go natural you can't go back???
Recently I told a friend I am considering straightening my hair, but not with chemicals just a simple flat iron. She told me she doesn't think this would be a good idea because it goes against everything I believe in. This statement suggests that how you wear your hair reflects a person's worldview and is also a lifestyle choice. I agree that a person's hairstyle preference may also relate to their lifestyle choice. For instance, some African-American women don't leave the house on rainy days because of water's threat of returning their relaxed hair to its natural state. But, I don't consider my choice to wear my hair natural as a worldview. I think my friend's statement implies that if I wear my hair straight I will be saying that "I want to look white" and by wearing my hair natural I am rebelling against the system. BUT SHE WEARS HER HAIR STRAIGHT... I guess she's letting me know we believe in different things also:) I think my intentions have been misunderstood by a lot of people. I do not think there is anything wrong with a person choosing to wear their hair straight, because as India Arie sang "I AM NOT MY HAIR." A reiteration my initial purpose: Black hair should not be stigmatized. I believe the stigmatization of black hair makes black hair political. Telling little girls that they need straight hair in order to succeed in the world and that their "nappy" hair is inferior to straight flowing hair is what makes hair political. The history of denying black women the right to even reveal their natural hair, being forced to conceal their "naps" beneath "Aunt Jemima scarves" is what makes hair political. Choosing to straighten my hair one day for "something different" in no way goes against the idea that black hair is JUST BLACK HAIR, nothing more nothing less. By using a flat iron in order to wear my hair straight for a couple of days is like deciding to wear a tank top over a graphic tee, just another way to accessorize for the day.
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This is a good point to discuss, of course, and I'm glad you've gotten into it. You might give the subheading to it of: Hair as Stable Political Identity Symbol vs. Variable Style Accessory.
ReplyDeleteBut the fact that this friend responded this way is revealing: it shows that black hair has a symbolic meaning in her mind, and if we look at certain hair changes elsewhere, it's the same issue. Youtube or google the Crosby Stills and Nash song "Almost Cut My Hair" and you'll see an example of the meaning of long "hippy" hair. In the sixties it was obviously tied to anti-war and anti-establishment thinking. Wasn't just a style accessory, that's for sure.
This is something that you could explore in subsequent interviews. You could ask what they think someone's natural or straightened hair might tell them about the way that person thinks about race, or about being different from other people, or about that person's political views. They might say it says nothing, and that it's just accessorizing a different way, but they'll likely say it says something about that person's attitudes about deviance and conformity.
You could start getting to that issue by asking what kinds of attitudes or people they associate with straight or natural hair. You could even through out words and ask them to give their first reaction to it as it relates to hair, e.g., a person's education, a person's politics, a person's respect for their elders, etc.
I don't know, though. Do whatever feels good for you to get into the issue. I bet you'll get some terrific quotes on what it means!