As a natural hair blogger, I take care of my hair and style it for a broader audience than myself. The way I "play" with my hair is important as it will define the way people perceive it and get inspired by it.
It’s interesting to see that my blogging situation makes people more attached to my hair than I actually am. Mentioning that I want to have a haircut on social media will automatically lead to followers messaging me, trying to convince me not to do it!
Since I big chopped I am way less attached to my hair and now see it as a fun accessory. However, people’s reactions following my big chop were very negative.
Some asked me for the reasons behind my decision, mentioning that hair is the characteristic that makes women beautiful; while others were scared that it wouldn’t grow back (if hair grows back after you shaved your legs, what type of nonsense is this?)
All these reactions made me realise that there are still a lot of misconceptions in regards to black hair. I believe that a lack of knowledge and representation are the ones to blame. Representation is a strong issue in the cosmetic industry and beyond.
I remember messaging a styling tools company once after noticing that no one looking ‘like me’ was modeling for them. Their response was anything but satisfactory and their marketing approach was (and still is) sending a very strong message: black women are not using hairdryers.
If this is not living in a bubble, I don’t know what that is…