Comments on: The lowdown on ‘HAIR’piness

By: Vangi

Vangi — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:01:48 +0000

I loved reading this! Ja ne! Hair will be a topic of discussion for as long as we can separate our personal choice/preference from the dehumanising effects of colonisation and the wide-spread globalisation of what is BEAUTY.

Just do YOU!!

By: Madi

Madi — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 10:21:14 +0000

Wow gal,

That is so insightful and a well structured piece. A little humor here, a little lamentation on how shallow brother’s are today. This means that as an African female, one has to stoop to the weave level in order to be noticed. Even my boyfriend who claims to prefer natural hair was up in arms once I showed up with the weave one day. He was extremely protective. I am now questioning if he trully likes natural locks or prefers it to eliminate attention and competion? Mmmmhhhhh…a bone to chew for me

What bother’s me the most is that we put so much premium on material beauty like “inwele ze mali – weaves” as sisters. We have such an inferior perception about our natural beauty, so what do we expect? We teach people how to treat us, we teach males that false hair is prettier, unnatural is supreme that is how they project then we get suprised by their actions and utterances towards natural look.

This comes from way back, as far back as the slave treade. Rayda Jacobs makes a mentions in her book SLAVE TRADE of the premium and second class treatment towards the female slaves based on the skin tone and hair texture.

We were taught that Kinkie is bad, afro hair is horrible as slaves that had these physical attributes were bound to hard work if selected to work in a household or destined to remain in farm working hard with little to eat.

We have learned this resourcefulness and negative re-enforcement to a point of making a song and thinking it is cute….Tswang, tswang, tswang leboneng ngwana o tshwana le lecoloured” We sing that at our weddings with a beaming smile. What is wrong with gotshwana le MoAfrica?

It a fact that we never emancipated our minds.Yes, it is a sad thing that we do not accept what and who we are but rather embrace what we want to be because someone else said so and we not only believed it but we internalised it.

I had my fair share in experiencing the wrath of “mental deaf and blindness” where natural look is concerned. I was personally chucked out of a Senegalese hairdresser BECAUSE I WAS REFUSING TO RELAX MY HAIR before they could plait it. Jan neh, the question still remains, Have we adversely moved towards emancipating our minds towards self acceptance?

Kagi

By: Khaya

Khaya — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 08:47:09 +0000

LL Cool J says never judge a woman by the texture of her hair.there was a time in our history when the tempering with our hair had links with aspirations of white aesthetics.perhaps in some respects its still the case,but i prefer to give the person with a hair do other than the natural one the benefit of the doubt that they did the hair do by choice and not as an extension of inferiority.

By: NcumisaMbusi

NcumisaMbusi — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 06:04:30 +0000

Thank you all so much for your comments. Truth is, it is a personal choice what we choose, weaves, braids, locks, etc. But we shouldn’t forget that these just enhance the real beauty we have when raw, and we shouldn’t feel less beautiful when the hair is gone or feel like we are only beautiful when our hair can turn heads. It is not the hair that makes the beauty, its always there even without it!!!

By: ntibi

ntibi — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:26:47 +0000

most ppl think i grew locks cos my boo has them too..but the truth is i have tryd them all chemicals braid,afro,chiscop u name it and locks i must i feel more cmftble with..the point is we all hve dffent ideas bout hair but nobody is their hair i know m not….

By: shishi

shishi — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 06:53:29 +0000

as chris rock would say tht as afrcan ladies we should be proud of wht we have as kienkie as it is we have an advantage if doing different hairstyle eg relax,perm,braids,plating etc i can go on and on he also said whn a man wants to feel the woman scalp there are so many distructions fingers cant slide thru lol, but this is son true nhe ala in all its all wht makes u happy at the end of da day being real or artificial!!!!!!!!

By: George

George — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:14:50 +0000

It seems here the reference is to Black women. As for White ill say I prefer long. It tends to soften their harsher features. As for Women of Color as we say sometimes in the US, and perhaps including Latinos, I find natural more attractive. With the more alluring jaw lines they have fewer flaws to hide, the bigger eyes are expanded and the whole face is framed. Yes I like straighter, perhaps to my denigration, but well it’s all in sassy and being impudent to the max. Exhibit one: Halle Berry… Case closed.

By: Karabo Mkhabela

Karabo Mkhabela — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:13:54 +0000

i prefer women with natural hairstyles – and minimum or no make up at all..

and i really don’t agree with the notion that Afrikan hair in it’s natural state is hard to manage or doesn’t allow for creativity with fresh hairdos…

and i have female family members who have permanently destroyed hairlines and hair that won’t grow back because of chemicals…

By: Washie Banda

Washie Banda — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:20:44 +0000

its well known fact.tho most women miss it that its not rily bout da make up the hairstyle dat counts.but its mo bout how u look naturally coz we myt jus get inticed by da hottt new weave u got.but itl be ol bad after we realise n look at da ril u.unless u cud sey u gon rock dat same weave for a lifetym.keep it real…

By: Bongi Mzamane

Bongi Mzamane — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 09:08:42 +0000

I also think its different strokes for different folks. I personally prefer braids not that i can’t rock weave, natural or short hair. Its just a matter of choice. I think beauty comes from within…..I’m certainly not my hair:)