Does it hurt, even just a little, when you hear someone make the claim that black females relax their hair because of mental enslavement, trying to be white or even buying into white standards of beauty?
I grew up with a headful of relaxed hair and stopped relaxing at age 22 (it's been 2.5 years for me). And I remember it driving me crazy when I would hear some natural headed sister tell me about my degree of self-acceptance and self-esteem as far as black sister because I had relaxed hair (meanwhile she's talking to me with hazel contacts on...but anywhoo). Now that I'm "natural" (HAHA...and sometimes wondering why the heck I decided to do this "transition" and other times glad I did) - I've had those some natural sisters come down on me for defending one's right to relax. The debate used to bother me and it still does.
Personally - a sister learning to love and accept herself, regardless of the form, is beautiful in my eyes. I'm just wondering when some of us lost site of that concept of "live and let live".
Note: Any of the above does not apply to all or even a majority of natural sisters... I actually was reading someone's blog and this thought came to my mind. But c'mon - we've all met at least ONE.
I grew up with a headful of relaxed hair and stopped relaxing at age 22 (it's been 2.5 years for me). And I remember it driving me crazy when I would hear some natural headed sister tell me about my degree of self-acceptance and self-esteem as far as black sister because I had relaxed hair (meanwhile she's talking to me with hazel contacts on...but anywhoo). Now that I'm "natural" (HAHA...and sometimes wondering why the heck I decided to do this "transition" and other times glad I did) - I've had those some natural sisters come down on me for defending one's right to relax. The debate used to bother me and it still does.
Personally - a sister learning to love and accept herself, regardless of the form, is beautiful in my eyes. I'm just wondering when some of us lost site of that concept of "live and let live".
Note: Any of the above does not apply to all or even a majority of natural sisters... I actually was reading someone's blog and this thought came to my mind. But c'mon - we've all met at least ONE.