Naturals: Where you ever EMBARASSED of your hair or TEXTURE?

[tinkat]

I have never been embarrassed by my hair texture. I was actually amazed by it bc I have been relaxed most of my life. But I was nervous when I decided to go natural bc I did not know how I would take care of it.

 

[Bigghair]

I was never embarassed of my natural texture. At first I was concerned about comments my parents might make, but it turns out that my family really doesn't have much to say about it. Occasionally, my Dad might pop off with some kinda off comment, but I love my natural hair so much that it really doesn't matter what ever he says.

 

[delitefulmane]

1.
Kudos to you LADY.
This is a nice thread.
Seriously.

Well...I'm merely transitioning but I have a lot of ng.
I never really completely bought into the 'good hair' thing. On some levels I figure maybe I'm just not conscious of it because I've never been tested...know what I mean? That being said...I'm sure some remnants of it will make rear it's ugly head when I BC....and I'll have to talk myself through it.
LOL

2.
Overall I don't feel any sort of way about my hair or natural hair in general. I'd be embarrassed if I looked a mess because I didn't know what to do with my hair. ....and I would't go out with my head all over my head while relaxed so I won't go out with it all over my head as a natural.
Since this site I tend to view all black hair as being 'varying types of curly-ness' no matter if it's a 3c or a 4c.
The reason why I didn't go natural before? I was afraid that I wouldn't know how to maintain it. I didn't know how I'd look. I had this image in my head that every natural had a fro and I didn't want to be stuck in one style.
I like versatility.

....and I never even factored other ppl into it because to be perfectly honest I'm borderline self-absorbed. LOL
Hey--at least I'm admitting.
Honestly it's about me and how I feel. I don't care what this, that and the other person thinks. Like an aunt of mine found out that I was transitioning and she just up and says she doesn't 'like no nappy hair'.
My response: "Well I do--because I don't have a problem being black... and why should I be ashamed of the hair that God gave me? Why should I be ashamed of ME? What's so wrong with it. Huh? My hair is beautiful. ...and besides...I don't think I even asked..."

That shut her down.
Hell naw I ain't 'shamed! Family or not. If you can dish it out....
You know the rest.
To me--that's like saying you don't like me because I'm brown-skinned. And I was conscious of the fact that she launched into her 'nappy hair tirade' in front of my pre-teen FEMALE cousins...and I wasn't having it!
I am past the age where I have the time to sit up and deal with unnecesarily rude a** people. And I have even LESS patience for black folks coming at me with 'Coon Logic'.
That being said, if someone had an issue with my hair I'd think there was something wrong with THEM, before I'd think anything was wrong with me.
....cause nappy or not--my hair is beautiful. I mean that.
....and when I say 'black is beautiful' I mean that sh*t too.
So if you have a problem with my head, like my little fast-tailed 12 yr old cousin would say, "don't hate me--take notes and GET like me!"
>>Pheonixx purses her lips, and snaps with her fingers while in a full neck roll<<
LOL
When I go natchal ppl ain't gon be able to tell me nathan'!

3.
Most ppl LOVE natural hair are you kidding? Especially nonblacks.
"I wish I had cool hair"
"Can I touch your hair?"
"It's so healthy..."
The only ones who have 'the complex' are black folks really--and that's usually because they don't know any better.
So I usually don't understand these naturals who seemingly have so many negative experiences concerning how other view their hair.
Ppl fawn all over my hair with all it's ng and I'm just transitioning. I dunno.... Different ppl have different experiences I guess.

As far as 'good hair' is concerned, lemme tell you something: Ppl loved my relaxed hair.
My hair is commonly mistaken for 'good hair' and it isn't THAT type of hair. I don't have that curly Wave Nouveau type hair. (lol) I'm not a 3 type. I'm a 4. or maybe in between, I dunno. But it's not!
Still-ppl say I 'got good hair'...
>>>shrugs<<<
....and that just goes to show you that MOST black ppl don't know what the hell they're looking at or what the hell they mean when they consider someone's hair to be 'good hair'.
It's like Brotha's who talk about how much they hate weave--but every entertainer they lust after from Gabreille Union to Beyonce to Halle has a head full of it...
As I told my male friend. "Pls shut up....brothas always tryna holla bout what they 'don't like' and half of ya'll too dumb to know what the hell you looking at to tell the diff'rence in the first place..."

Same situation.
I've found that the saying 'healthy hair is good hair' makes wayyyy more sense than I'd even realized.
...and I always make it a point to express to sistas that MY hair looks just like theirs. (because it usually does)
The only diff is maintenance.

4.
I don't like 'beady-beads' but it's not a texture thing as much as it is the fact that I just don't believe in looking 'any kind of way'. I don't like the appearance of any hair that is unkept and unmanageable. Or doesn't appear 'presentable'. My cousin has a thick head of 3C spiral curls and I don't like her hair either because it's a mess. Not to say all 3Cs look a mess but she dies. Tangled All over her head. She has a lion's mane. I don't care what your hair-type your hair needs to be on point.
Overall, I think it's good that you can be honest with yourself. It is the only way that you can overcome the attitude. It's good that we can talk about these things as well on LHCF.

1. Great post OP!!

2. PhoEnixx I think that out of most of the post in this thread that I have read you are the ONLY one who really gets down to the issue!!

3. Why can't people accept that they ARE sometimes ashamed of their texture. I mean the first step in progress is acknowledging the issue and then posing solutions. As a race, we need to learn to accept
ourselves FIRST and then maybe we can embrace each other's differences and similarities!!

4. I will admit that I have been embarassed by my texture at times, but the reason for this is because I rarely see anyone else with it. Anytime I go anywhere I stand out like a sore thumb. I love my race and my hair but I do not understand why my own people choose to chastize those who wear their hair as God gave it to them!!