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Is the Natural Hair Movement Just for Black Women?
You are literally witnessing a paradigm shift within black beauty today, where black women are increasingly embracing their natural curls and letting go of chemically-processed treatments and styles. The shift has become such a powerful movement that various hair product companies are updating their lines, creating specific products to cater to naturally curly hair, and companies and businesses that are used to major profits from selling relaxers have recently seen a major slump in sales.
That said, is the natural hair movement just for black women? The question sounds a bit silly, but it is worth asking. While perming and relaxing black tresses is riddled with complex societal, cultural and historical significance, the natural hair paradigm shift may very well reach beyond race. I see more and more white and hispanic women rocking their curls, and I've seen an increasing number of hair product advertisements featuring curly hair on women from various racial backgrounds (including white and black women).
It may be a great idea to view the natural hair movement on a much larger scale, where women of all racial groups are rethinking their addiction to their blowdryers and flat irons in order to have straight hair. There are plenty of non-black women who spend hours every morning flat ironing their hair, and are now choosing to put the heat appliances down in order to rock their natural curls.
Perhaps the natural hair movement is specifically addressing the black woman's departure from relaxers and other types of chemical or heat-infused methods to achieve straighter stresses. Perhaps it is specifically addressing the black woman's interest in mentally and physically detaching herself from Eurocentric standards of beauty in favor of curls and kinks that grow and flow naturally through her scalp.
What then can be said for non-black women who are tired of chemical and heat processing of their hair and opting for natural, low-maintenance hairstyles?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
-Written by: Cafe Belle's Society and Culture Barista
Comment
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Comment by Lauren Kaye Clark on August 28, 2012 at 11:05am -
Well, I will say that Black women have given birth to all races of women. Unfortunately, because we were so removed from traditional beauty norms, especially, as it pertains to our hair (and we can even say lips, hips, buttocks, skin, and noses), mainstream beauty standards too often placed us as the bottom of the beauty hierarchy. I would say that our courage and presence of embrace our natural hair, even inspired other non-Black women to embrace their curls, and even see us as beautiful. Seeing the African/Black woman (since these women have come from our image) in themselves can be something really wonderful to write about. Simultaneously, I do notice that the following described features become considered beautiful in the mainstream perspective, when such features are not on us. And that really needs to change, as it continues to support this hierarchy of color in womanhood!
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Comment by Kris on August 27, 2012 at 8:19pm -
I see it from both angles. On one side, the natural hair movement is uniquely a "woman of color" experience if you specifically look at particular racial and cultural elements that are attached to what it means to be black with natural/non straightened hair. At the same time, women of all racial backgrounds go through painstaking means to straighten/press their hair, and many do so in order conform to a certain standard of beauty acceptance. Regardless of racial background, the idea of embracing one's "natural" transcends race/culture/ethnicity.
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Comment by Anya on August 27, 2012 at 1:32pm -
I like the fact that this article is written from an objective view point. In my opinion it gives us a fresh perspective on how the beauty standard is being challenged on every end. As women of color we've had to fight up hill in order to fit into a euro-centric standard of beauty. But its not just us who have been trying to find our place within his crazy barbie doll standard. Women of all colors have been told that their curls are a bad thing and that their skin was too brown or too pale for them to be beautiful. We as women are shunned because of our weight, our shapes and overall the people who have an interest in maintaining these false beauty standards are the farthest from the barbie doll that they push as perfection. Most of the major beauty magazines and fashion designers are either old women who've never fit the standard or gay men who hire models that are built like preteen boys. So yes I'm glad it was written objectively because we're all fighting for the world to see us all as beautiful despite our differences. The euro-centric beauty standard is being torn down brick by brick from all different angles and I'm glad its happening because we are all beautiful and unique in our own ways.
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Comment by Linda Harding-Bond on August 27, 2012 at 7:47am -
I have a very difficult time caring about the reasons that white women choose to rock their curls. I would love to have seen this article address this issue solely from the perspective of women of color. The beauty industry still uses a European ideal for training, so I feel as though this article is mixing apples and oranges. Just sayin.
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