Sunday 9 May 2010

Hair Length and Natural Tresses



This post is going to be all over the place but hopefully it will come full circle in the end. I am currently sitting under my inflatable hair dryer as I attempt my first roller set on my nearly year old locs, OMG how time flies. I usually wouldn't be arsed to curl my hair but I am in a wedding in a few weeks and I have to sort out a hairstyle. If I had my length that I had with my traditional locs the updo would be easy for sheezy, but hair at this length in sisterlocs that are not sealed at the ends is proving to be a challenge.


Last night on the night bus home, I caught a glimpse of myself in the reflection of a window, and I really wondered if having longer locs would be easier or even better. I then imagined getting loc extensions, just for the wedding, after entertaining that train of thought for 2 bus stops I decided against it.
Imma just have to do what I do best and look cute. Hook it up as they say and make it happen with my hair the way it is now, and if it isnt formal looking for some people, they can just kick rocks.
So this always makes me think about society's attitude towards hair length, straightness and percieved managability. I am also driven to write today as I found out today that my uncle's wife, who is from the Philipines decided to put a perm in their biracial daughter's hair. She is not even 10 years old, but I digress. I am, to put it lightly, annoyed. The woman has taken no effort to learn HOW to manage her daughter's hair and has believed the lie, like many Black mothers, that perming it will make it easier to "control". Now I would hate to be there after the first wash and her hair reverts to the kink and coils she has grown to fear and loath. The WTF look on her face surely shall be priceless. Yes chick, you now have to touch it and apply heat, curl maybe and then even wrap it at night and oh yeah pay some chick on a regualr basis to touch that up. You still have to do "something". But this time this version of "something" could cause irreversable damage to the hair shaft, scalp and esteem of your child.
Now anyone that knows me, knows I am not anti-perm, everyone seriously has the right to do whatever they want with their hair. I am not a nappy crusader who searches the land for permies and shake my higher than thou finger of shame at them. But what does annoy me is putting perm in children's hair, not taking an effort to learn about your child's hair, and constant berating of your child's hair texture. It pisses me off.

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