Black Hair and The Black Lives Matter Movement

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As a young teen, I begged to get a relaxer so I could have straight hair like my white classmates. I immediately noticed a difference in how boys talked to me. Also, the compliments I got on my hair from my teachers. However, after a few too many trips to that salon, I completely destroyed what was left of my kinky curls, damaging my hair from root to tip. I was essentially bald.

Black Hair and The Black Lives Matter Movement

Throughout history, hair has been perceived as a crowning achievement of femininity. But what automatically comes to mind when you envision a beautiful woman? You’re most likely picturing someone with long, flowy locks and not a woman with tightly coiled, 4C hair. As someone who suffered from major hair loss, I turned to any “protective style” I could like weaves and braids so I wouldn’t have to reveal just how short my hair was or answer a million questions from white people about the “political statement” I was making (but mostly because I’m just lazy lol). Even now, I struggled with uploading this video because of the patches I’m still working on growing in my edges.

The evolution of black hair acceptance in America is easily paired with the civil rights movement. This is fros were synonymous with black activists in the 60s and 70s. But thanks to social media it’s resurging in popularity once again. And yes, natural hair representation is getting better! There are thousands of beauty influencers with videos dedicated to styling hair without the need to straighten it. Also, a solid amount of hair care brands to choose from in stores. But in the same way that dismantling a racist system will take some time, so will our approach to beauty standards that are inclusive of Black hair.

We want to see Black women as love interests in media without having the “acceptable type” of curly hair.

We want salons who are educated on how to care for our beautiful coils without the extensive image gallery search for black women. So, we want our workplaces, sports teams, schools, and more to abolish discriminatory rules against our texture and styles under the guise of “professionalism”.

There is a privilege in being able to see yourself represented and affirmed as beautiful. After years of being told what was growing out of my scalp wasn’t good enough, I’m proud of my curls.  To some people, hair discrimination may seem like something small. But Black hair discrimination IS racial discrimination. And by recognizing and pushing for change, we continue to demand that everyone deserves a seat at the table regardless of what they look like.