Younger, my main goal was to have beautiful long, straight hair. But after losing most of it because of repetitive relaxing and straightening procedures (most of the time combined) I decided to take this burden off my shoulders 5 years ago.
I cut my hair short and started my natural hair journey. No one in my family really understood the motivation behind this decision.
I would hear remarks such as ‘you’re ugly like that’, ‘you won’t attract anyone’… But it didn’t stop me.
I was 6 when I had my hair relaxed for the first time. My mother told me that my entire scalp was burnt, with my relaxed hair stuck to it.
Seeing my sister with beautiful relaxed hair while I was struggling with my kinky hair encouraged me to try again when I got older, with softer versions.
Interestingly enough, I don’t feel like I suffered from having this hair type even though I was the only black kid in school, even though my hair frustrated me so much that I wanted its nature altered.
I am now very aware of the importance of representation and I am glad that we now live in a world where social media allow us to represent ourselves.
It’s important to see women who look like us and remind us that we are also worthy, that we are enough!
If the mainstream media don’t want to do it, we can do it ourselves, we can challenge beauty standards.