I think that the natural hair movement in the 70’s represented black power, and not assimilating into western ideals of beauty it was a political stand. The movement is gaining power in 2016 however I think the representation has shifted. Natural hair is now a symbol of self acceptance, self love and cultural connections. I chose to no longer receive chemical straightening treatments and damage my hair with heat because I am choosing to accept myself and change my own ideas of what beauty is.
The natural hair movement community is divided. Some people believe that only girls with coily hair can become a part of this movement. They even want to exclude biracial women and light skinned women from this movement. I think that anyone who decides to embrace their hair can be part of this movement. Black, white, Spanish, dark skinned, light skinned , it doesn’t really matter. If you are choosing to love your outer self and accept your hair for how it is, damage free then join this movement and claim it. My argument for this is that natural hair stands for something different then it did in the 70’s.
This is a personal choice to go natural with your hair. The key word is choice, you can choose to go natural or you can choose to continue to alter your hairs texture. Some women in the natural hair community online like to bash non naturals for not embracing their curls and coils. Going natural costs a lot more and takes more time then getting a new perm every few weeks. I am aware that this is not a priority to some people and if its not and you are happy with chemically straightened hair that’s fine too. There is no need to bash each other. We need to eliminate the terms “good hair” and “bad hair” from our conversations. Although I still want to know who Becky is and what constitutes her having “good hair.” I dislike this distinguishing modifier used to identify a person. It adds to the illusion that there is one right hair type.