Natural hair is not a trend. "going natural", that's the trend.
Right now, alot of women go "natural" because they feel it's okay to now. They see lots of other women doing it so now if they do it, they won't be the only one and won't feel so out of place. And also they see more and more acceptance of it in the workplace and public sphere.
But ALOT of women are going back to either having relaxed or straighten their natural hair. Because after awhile for them it is not what they thought it would be. This by the very nature is a "trend", something that mainstream begins to follow for a limited amount of time because at that time, it's the thing to do.
Having "natural hair" for some women is becoming a trend. Looking back at history, it turned out to be a trend in the late 60's - 70's too when everybody was wearing Afros. And they too thought back then that how your hair was growing out of your scalp, you should wear it that way, and they did.
And then in 81, the relaxers came back with a vengence. And everybody accepted it. Please, let's not delude ourselves, most people are not as serious about hair care as LHCF, so for some natural hair or "going natural" is a trend.
But at the same time, you CANNOT compare the 60s and the 70s to now. Being natural has become more than just wearing afros, with black women everywhere creating bold new and innovative styles for the 21st century natural haired woman. Research is even being done on historic African hairstyles and care and incorporating such practices in our modern lives.
Yes, people have always been natural. But never before have we had numerous forums devoting to learning more about HEALTHY African American hair. What about the plethora of new blogs popping up everyday and very influential ones like "Black Girl with Long Hair" and "Curly Nikki." We are now seeing an EXPLOSION of women on YOUTUBE explore their journeys with their natural hair, which in my opinion, is the most potent force in the Natural Hair Community/trend we see now.
Natural Hair has now opened up more discussions on black w omen's health in general, and not just aesthetics. More people are interested in the chemical ingredients and formulas found in our hair products; learning about the effects of natural products vs synthetic chemicals. More black women are turning towards stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joes to purchase hair products beyond the corner BSS.
Many Black women are now seeing natural hair as the option get grow longer hair they never thought they could. This natural hair trend is by no means happening during a time of Black Consciousness like during the 60s and 70s but smack dab in the middle of "Yaki World" where straight hair reigns supreme in both the media and our normative society.
It's very different which is why I believe "going natural" right at this moment is not merely a trend like before, but more of a conscious effort to not only learn about what is growing from our heads, but how we could encourage such a legacy (hair practices, styles, natural hair eduction) in generations to come.
erplexed.
She obviously has an issue with believing that some women look better than her. Instead of congratulating sistas, she's tearing them down. Sometimes, our people can be our worst enemy.
