Yes, I still to this day get this question. I really just wanna say, ‘Do what?’, but what’s the point when I obviously know they mean how am I making my hair curl. My standard answer is:
“My hair naturally curls and I merely use products that keep the curly moisturized and healthy.”
I must say that I am getting tired of being asked this question and feeling the need to answer.
I’m tired of getting asked this question because would anyone go up to a white woman and ASK why her hair is curly or red or short or long or WHATEVER??? No, one would not. Most would assume it was natural or dyed or cut or she just wanted it that way. So, why can’t people assume my hair is Natural and I like it this way? Maybe it’s still too early in this Natural hair movement for me to expect that.
What do I mean? Well….I ‘get it’ that this movement is relatively new. No, wearing our hair naturally isn’t new, but the numbers of Black women embracing our Naturals tresses and leaving the creamy crack alone has skyrocketed. I was in Sally’s yesterday when the clerk asked me how did I get my hair to ‘do that’. She was white and it took me a second to remember my line and say it. It annoyed me somewhat since a worker in the hair industry should have known better.
We did get to talking and she mentioned how Sally’s Beauty Supply noticed the slack in chemical product sales and was combating with more Natural tresses products. I was actually there purchasing Curlformers to do Meg’s hair but I did see a ton of ‘for Natural hair’ items throughout the store.
All in all, I guess I shouldn’t be bothered with the interest our hair generates but rather flattered. Well, I’m not. My hair is my hair and it does what it wants to do and I merely allow it to do it beautifully as opposed to chemically. Should I wear a banner stating this so I wouldn’t get asked this question anymore? No, that would be silly and arrogant to think that there were so many people actually caring what and why my hair is Natural but the question does make me wonder when this Natural hair movement will no longer be a movement and just…
‘BE’…
I’m ready for it to ‘be’ today. I guess I’ll need to be more patient because I’m sure this won’t be the last time I hear that question. So, it’s my turn to ask a question Naturals. Do you get asked a similar question and if so, does it bother you?
Just wanna know Naturals,
Sabrina
The thing is many people just don't realize how black women's hair naturally looks. So they think it must be something special you do for it to not be straight.
Good point. I sometimes have to step back and think about things or have someone give another angle to the situation. Still annoying since so many of us are Natural. Would have thought they would figured it out!
Sabrina/seriouslynatural.org
My daughter wears her hair natural and she flat irons it straight. She comes home with THE craziest stories from her peers. She says the one that annoys her the most is when people touch it and say… "it's soft,"
1- Why did you just touch my hair?
2- How is it suppose to feel?
My hair is short. I usually get (from black people) "What type of texturizer did you use." A beautician gave me a great answer… "DNA brand" Lol!
The hurtful words some of us continue to use, now embracing with affection are partially to blame. When one thinks of "naps" or "coarse" or "kinks", those words were originally intended to be denigrating, a way to distinguish our hair from the better hair of others. To consider that many black women actually have curly hair is a foreign concept. So, the natural inclination is curiosity and the likely assumption is chemical processing. I only get the question sometimes when my hair is especially curly.
This happens to me and for some reason this does not annoy me. I realize that many times white women are truly fascinated that our hair can easily go from curly to straight. It also shows that finding black women wearing there hair natural is still not the norm. As more and more of us where our hair natural,it will no longer be considered a novel thing. But I am all for choice, so I can not say I will never press or flat iron my hair again. No creamy crack for sure, but I like variety, so on occasion I will change it up.
I definitely understand your viewpoint. It is almost similar to random people wanting to touch my locs. I'm not walking up to people touching their hair–why must they feel compelled to touch mine, and on top of that, get insulted when I tell them I don't want their hands in my hair.