I just watched “Good Hair” Chris Rock’s movie Saturday! I never knew how many (especially famous) black women had weaves let alone relaxers. A girlfriend of mine in San Francisco used to get it relaxed but quit doing it a few years back. Now it’s ultra short!
No black woman has naturally straight hair, but I too was surprised how many black women had weaves. I thought there was something wrong with my because my hair doesn’t grow, as one extremely helpful white colleague pointed out (“Oh my god! Your hair is only that long after shaving it off 6 months ago? My hair would be shoulder-length in that time!”).
I transferred from an all-white school district to a more integrated school in 9th grade and I remember being so shocked when I saw Jackie who had thick braids down to her butt on the first day of school come to school with her hair just to her shoulders a few months later. “Why on earth did you cut your hair?!” I asked her. She gave me a really strange look and told me it was extensions, duh. My aunts started getting extensions in their hair and like they say in the movie, it really is a secret club. I am also a bit obtuse so I thought their hair had grown, again wondering what was wrong with mine that it never did and hating it. Especially on days when we had to go out in the rain for school so my hair looked like crap all day.
My grandmother talked my mom into letting her put a texturizer into my hair when I was 7 years old, convincing her it wasn’t as harsh as relaxers and would loosen my curls, but it ruined my little baby curls so she had to use a relaxer to finish the job. I didn’t go without relaxing for almost 8 years straight (so to speak :roflmao: ) until I lost all my hair to chemotherapy in the spring of 9th grade. My mother was so happy when it finally started to grow back to see the same curls she thought I had lost forever. Soon it grew too long to be cute little curls but not long enough to relax (longer natural hair was not even a viable option in 1994) so a family friend offered to put in braids to help it grow in the meantime. I had synthetic hair with 1/2 inch-thick braids, the ends burned to keep them together. I had my first extensions, “kanekelon” synthetic hair, when I was 15 years old. That’s actually pretty late compared to when many other girls got theirs. Some as young as 8. I kept relaxing until the beginning of my senior year in college, but after graduation, I was coming to Taiwan and knew that I would be more accepted if I had straightened hair so I relaxed it again before I left, packing a few more kits to keep me until I could come home.
I am not ashamed to admit that I love the sensation when you go to rinse the relaxing cream from your hair and it falls forward in front of your eyes, thinner, straight, and moving with the flow of the water. I used to get off on that sensation, especially when I was bleaching my hair seven years ago because relaxing also strips pigmentation from your hair, enhancing the desired effect from the dyes and bleach I put into it. I finally went natural for good about 5-1/2 years ago.
Sometimes, I am tempted to put it in again, but I know how poisonous it is and only have to remember the large bald spot my mother has developed on her crown after relaxing her hair for over 30 years. She has to wear weaves to cover it. I don’t want that for myself. Besides, for the first time in my life since my grandmother hooked me on the “creamy crack”, I love my natural hair.
[quote=“Namahottie”]
I suppose. I’m not “black” in some circles of the US, though for different reasons![/quote]
Youse a “geek” is that why…join the club. Blackness is a state of mind… 
[/quote]
Among other things. The other day I learned that I was stealing the inheritance of “long-term” blacks! I’ve been skipping the line or some such thing… lol!
Err you’re wrong about that one…
[quote=“naijeru”][quote=“Namahottie”]
I suppose. I’m not “black” in some circles of the US, though for different reasons!
Youse a “geek” is that why…join the club. Blackness is a state of mind… [/quote]
Among other things. The other day I learned that I was stealing the inheritance of “long-term” blacks! I’ve been skipping the line or some such thing… lol![/quote]
What the hell is that suppose to mean? LOL. I could do my rant about what I think that means, but I’ve got have a break tonight. LOL
This Nigerian mate of mine at boarding school in 1979 told me his little brother had ginger hair. Yah some black people have ginger hair so straight hair should not be surprising! Perhaps they were the ones that built the pyramids!
I never believed him until I saw his little brother. We both got expelled in the end and I never saw him again 
I’ve never seen a black person with ginger hair since then though
Quite a few black people with ginger hair where I live. One black woman with blond hair where I work but she colors it, of course. It’s scalp short and very curly, and looks great on her, I think. She’s very dark skinned and it makes a nice contrast. Of course, she always dresses beautifully and looks very well put together, too.
These days, the color and texture of a woman’s hair means nothing! You want it, there’s a bottle that can give it to you.
Err you’re wrong about that one…[/quote]
My son’s got this tinted brown hair…and not one person in both our families have anything ut black Ditto with eyes, the dermatologist calls it mutation 
Show me a black woman with 1a hair and I’ll show you the canister of Dark and Lovely she’s trying to hide behind her.
As for black kids with ginger hair, I can believe that because my niece has red hair and gray-green eyes, although she’s only 3/16 black.
[quote=“ImaniOU”]Show me a black woman with 1a hair and I’ll show you the canister of Dark and Lovely she’s trying to hide behind her.
As for black kids with ginger hair, I can believe that because my niece has red hair and gray-green eyes, although she’s only 3/16 black.[/quote]
Cool
[quote=“ImaniOU”]Show me a black woman with 1a hair and I’ll show you the canister of Dark and Lovely she’s trying to hide behind her.
As for black kids with ginger hair, I can believe that because my niece has red hair and gray-green eyes, although she’s only 3/16 black.[/quote]
3/16 black? Err, I love you like a sister, but…
Well, as for the black chicas with the “good” hair, let’s go to Ethiopia… 
.
As for America, you got Ciara 
Although that may be extensions(for the sake of protection of the real deal), but it moves to well not to be her hair.
Jasmine Guy (Different World) 
Lena Horne (That ain’t no press 'n curl :roflmao: )
“Love” the fact that thread has gone the typical route of discussing a black woman’s value/worth when it comes to love.
That last pic is gorgeous!!!
[quote=“Namahottie”][quote=“ImaniOU”]Show me a black woman with 1a hair and I’ll show you the canister of Dark and Lovely she’s trying to hide behind her.
As for black kids with ginger hair, I can believe that because my niece has red hair and gray-green eyes, although she’s only 3/16 black.[/quote]
3/16 black? Err, I love you like a sister, but…
Well, as for the black chicas with the “good” hair, let’s go to Ethiopia… .
As for America, you got Ciara Although that may be extensions(for the sake of protection of the real deal), but it moves to well not to be her hair.
Jasmine Guy (Different World)
Lena Horne (That ain’t no press 'n curl :roflmao: )
“Love” the fact that thread has gone the typical route of discussing a black woman’s value/worth when it comes to love.[/quote]
… Yeah, those may be their NATURAL hair color and texture…
… Anyways… I hate to be a jerk… but… It’s a moot point.
How much white is in Lena Horne? I mean… she looks more white than black in that pic. Same goes for Ciarra. That Ethiopian women has to have more than a few Arab ancestors…
[quote=“KaiXi333”]
… Yeah, those may be their NATURAL hair color and texture…
… Anyways… I hate to be a jerk… but… It’s a moot point.
How much white is in Lena Horne? I mean… she looks more white than black in that pic. Same goes for Ciarra. That Ethiopian women has to have more than a few Arab ancestors…[/quote]
Well if it’s a moot point, what’s your point in pointing out that’s a moot point? :ohreally:
[quote=“Namahottie”]
What the hell is that suppose to mean? LOL. I could do my rant about what I think that means, but I’ve got have a break tonight. LOL[/quote]
Something to do with not having ancestors who were slaves in America yet achieving success that was meant for their children. Or something like that. Literally laughed out loud when I heard it.
Lovely. Ethiopians aren’t black now? You know that paper bag thing went out with the poodle skirt.
Not quite…Why do you think Gabriella Sidbe was getting such a hard time…it not because she’s fat… 
Not quite…Why do you think Gabriella Sidbe was getting such a hard time…it not because she’s fat… [/quote]
Just because a bunch of people use it doesn’t mean it isn’t an archaic concept. In her case, being dark and fat is like a quadruple sin. Each one multiplies the negative effects of the other.
you can’t beat this for African sexiness you really can’t. Don’t say you can cause you can’t
Forget Queen Elizabeth I want her as queen
I’m not going to repost the pictures for space and bandwidth sake.
Picture 1 has a relaxer and a weave. Look at the difference in texture between the hair on her head and the ponytail.
Picture 2 - definitely relaxed and tracked.
Picture 3 - Jasmine Guy had curly hair back when on A Different World… now it’s “naturally” straight?
Picture 4 - Lena’s Horne’s hair is so processed it’s not even funny.
I’m not saying these women have nappy hair that breaks combs or that they all have weaves, but they certainly did not get that perfectly straight hair from their genes.
Not quite…Why do you think Gabriella Sidbe was getting such a hard time…it not because she’s fat… [/quote]
Just because a bunch of people use it doesn’t mean it isn’t an archaic concept. In her case, being dark and fat is like a quadruple sin. Each one multiplies the negative effects of the other.[/quote]
Right about that…It is archaic like a lot of things…