How Natural Hair Made Me a Better Feminist
Even in 2012 the word “feminist” is still considered a dirty word by some. Quick vocabulary lesson: Merriam-Webster defines feminism as “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.” That’s it; there’s nothing there about emasculating men, for those who equate feminist with man-hater.
There’s also an assumption that feminists scoff at women who take pride in their appearance. I can’t speak for all feminists, obviously, but I am a girl who wants to look good. As a feminist, however, I try to always be thoughtful about the fashion and beauty choices that I make. Am I wearing these clothes and putting on this makeup because I truly want to or because I feel like I have to in order to be accepted or loved? Those are the kinds of questions I ask myself to keep my motives in check, but those are questions I didn’t start asking until I went natural. Let me explain.
One of the points of contention in the natural hair community is whether or not you can still call yourself natural if you occasionally flat iron your hair straight. Some say no. I understand the sentiment. As I’ve said before on this blog, it’s like being an X-Men and hiding your powers. (Sorry for the analogy, but I’m a superhero nerd). But I define being natural as not using caustic chemicals to permanently alter your hair texture. And when I straighten my hair a few times a year I use heat, not a relaxer, and my curls usually come peeking out in a few days because they love to be the center of attention.
But this debate did make me ask myself: “Why do you occasionally straighten your curls?”
When I was younger I straightened my hair because I had been taught that beautiful hair was straight hair. Period. No exceptions. So I constantly wrestled my curls into submission. And that’s why when I did stop getting occasional relaxers in 2002, I also stopped straightening my hair altogether. I didn’t apply any heat to my hair (no flat irons, no blow dryers) for three years.
But nowadays things are different. When I straighten my hair these days it’s usually because I’m bored and want a different look for a couple of weeks or because I want to wear a cute hat that won’t fit over my curly coif. I know it’s not coming from a dark place of self-hate.
Putting thought into why I wear my hair a certain way pushed me to be thoughtful about all my fashion and beauty choices, which is why I always say going natural made me a better feminist.
Naturalistas, what positive changes in your life have been inspired by going natural?
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