As I was perusing through the usual natural hair blogs I follow, I came across this video, “Weave vs. Natural: The Politics of Afro Hair”. Now I know that this is a subject that has been done to death, but the video approaches this debate from a different angle: it’s a panel discussion between women with both natural and weaved hair and they all give their opinions on black hair and what it represents. Here it is below.
The title of this video holds true; perhaps not so much the ‘Weave vs. Natural’, at least from my own experiences, but there are politics involved with hair, especially with black hair. The fact that there are negative connotations associated with the natural texture of hair, that we are often told, or made to feel like we have to ‘tame’ it, is ludicrous. But it exists. Now, I’m still a student and have yet to experience the workplace, so I don’t know, yet, how my decision to go natural will affect my employability. Without a doubt, my hair will be in braids, just for my ease, rather than anything else, but it is surprising that in this day and age, I would have to think about the ramifications of wearing my hair out one day at work. Now, let me not get ahead of myself, things could change by the time I arrive at my first 9 to 5; things are changing now, in fields such as media and fashion, afro hair is not a problem, in some instances, welcomed (though this could be due to its novelty than anything else). Still, how I wear my hair will undoubtedly have an effect on me one way or another. What if I want to loc my hair, for example? There is obviously a lot more to this topic than I have discussed, but that’s it for now. What are your thoughts on this subject? Is the politics of black hair something we should be focusing on? Let us know in the comments box.
Sidenote: Just because I’m natural doesn’t mean I judge other people’s decisions with their hair. If you’re rocking a weave and it looks good, more power to you. I personally feel the division into camps (natural vs. not natural) and judging whether a person has chosen to relax their hair is childish and doesn’t do anything to move the issue of black hair forward from some of the negative drama that surrounds it.
You're Just Jealous of my Afro Comb 