Is "Weave" A Dirty Word?

Friday, September 4, 2009

<-- Jessica Simpson's Clip-In Hair Extensions

As much as I support any woman who wants to have fun with their hair and diversify their look with hair extensions, I can't help but wonder: Is the word "weave" a dirty word? And if so, why?

I know that some women with naturally long hair take offense when another person accuses them of having fake hair, when the hair is completely natural. I also know that many women who do wear extensions take offense when someone points it out and teases them about it. However, considering the popularity of hair extensions over the ages, why do people freely accuse others of having a weave and then joke about it? For example, people continuously love to point out the fact that Beyonce, Tyra Banks, and Naomi Campbell all wear extensions. Many people even joke about it, to the degree where they have published videos on YouTube providing proof that they wear extensions. I have even heard women blatantly accuse another woman with long hair of having a weave, as if it were a bad thing (the statement is usually a variation of the following quote: "That isn't her real hair - she has a weave!"). One particular YouTube video attempts to make a convincing argument that "Weaves make [black women] look bad." Several black women with naturally long hair have also published videos on YouTube about their frustration with people accusing them of having weaves, when their hair is actually their own.

The degree of scrutiny over fake hair has led me to this question: Is the word "weave" a dirty word? Specifically, is "weave" a dirty word when talking about a black women's hair? To be honest, I really don't know, but I do know that many people of all races and ethnicities wear hair extensions hoping that people would make the assumption that it is their own hair. There are also people who feel a strange obligation to point out that a woman is wearing extensions, as if to discover a beauty flaw or insinuate that the person is not as beautiful because that hair supposedly does not naturally belong to the woman's body. They have gone so far as to tug on women's hair at public gatherings (e.g. at nightclubs) or quickly tap the back of the woman's head to test whether or not the woman is wearing a wig and/or can feel weave track lines on the back of the head. A lot of black women have had to deal with this issue, particularly in light of the fact that some people have a hard time digesting the fact that black women can naturally have long hair. An unnecessary and ridiculous situation? Yes. But does it happen? All the time.

I personally think people need to leave others alone when it comes to their hairstyle choices. I also think that it is silly to automatically assume that a black woman has hair extensions if she has long hair flowing down her back. And if you happen to like wearing hair extensions, keep rocking your look. If people have an issue with it, they'll get over it. If they don't, it is their issue, and not yours.

Michelle Obama's Hair - A Mainstream Media Topic?

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Michelle Obama is the First Lady, so it is understandable that people feel free to critique her fashion, her makeup, and her hair on a daily basis. However, her hair has increasingly become a focus of discussion in the mainstream media. As I was randomly surfing the web tonight, I did not take long for me to see Michelle's face on the main page of Yahoo.com, attached to an article entitled, "Why Michelle Obama's Hair Matters" (written by Jenee Desmond-Harris) - I very much encourage you to read it when you get a moment.

I wouldn't be shocked if I saw this article on Blacksnob.com (I adore that website) or Essence.com, but my mouth dropped when I saw that it was the headline story on Yahoo.com. Why? Well, black hair has never really been a mainstream topic at all. People may refer to it on occasion when talking about Oprah, Tyra Banks, or Beyonce, but for the most part, the discussion has been limited, and for the most part, myopic in scope. Black hair has primarily remained a topic within black media, dissected and deconstructed in every possible way. While I am not upset that mainstream media has not taken it upon themselves to deeply understand the cultural and historical underpinnings of the controversy surrounding different "black hairstyles," I have always secretly desired some sort of basic mass media education on black hair, simply because of the ignorant statements made about black women in the media regarding their hair, in addition to the fact that I have personally been approached by people who were very inquisitive about black hair (how it is maintained, done, etc) and didn't understand it at all.

So I guess Michelle Obama has indirectly become the catalyst for a discussion about black hair in the mainstream media. Chris Rock's new documentary coming out called "Good Hair" (seeYoutube video below) will also contribute more dialogue to the discussion. My only remaining question is - is mainstream media ready to understand black hair? My answer: We shall see!

"Good Hair" ... Does It Exist?

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

I just recently tripped on some video recaps of the Tyra Banks Show on the topic of "good hair" (see example above), and I only needed to watch a few minutes of the show before jumping into writing this blog post. I want to start off by stating that I am quite happy that Tyra Banks has decided to discuss some closeted issues in the black community (issues and conversation topics that many people unfamiliar with "black culture" do not understand or know about). That said, I honestly don't care to go into any deep discussion on the topic of what is or isn't good hair or why so many people in the black community still believe in the idea of "good hair" because the whole idea is based on the false and ridiculous belief that straighter hair is better than "nappy" or "really curly" hair. We live in the 21st century, and yet a good number of black women (like some of the ones on the Tyra Show) still seem to cling to the idea that looser curl patterns are better than "nappier" curl patterns. In my opinion, hair is hair - and curls are curls - no matter what curl pattern, length or style it is in. The whole concept of "good hair" has led many people into a complex about their natural beauty, and I think that is such a waste of self-confidence and esteem. I have seen plenty of black women rock AMAZING natural styles, from afros to sisterlocks to dreadlocks (among the PLENTY of other STUNNING styles that look WONDERFUL on natural hair).

I personally choose to straighten ("perm"/"relax") my hair, like this style: 

Contrary to some people's opinions about "relaxing" hair, my decision to "relax" my hair has nothing to do with any form of "self-hate" - it is simply an option that I choose to exercise because I have never really worn my hair any other way (besides straight) since I was a child. Do I think that my hair looks better straight? Not necessarily - it is simply a choice that I exercise through habit, and I am used to styling my hair when it is "relaxed."  I personally think I also look great in braids, from very curly styles to "Brandy-like" straight micro-braids. I also loved trying out a cute cornrow hairstyle during my years in college, which definitely received a lot of compliments. I simply love "choice" - and I have never seen a problem with exercising it when it comes to my hair.

My sister and I have two different curl patterns - she has a much looser curl (e.g. Tatiana Ali's hair), while I have a slightly tighter curl pattern. Using "good hair" logic, her hair would qualify as being "better" than mine because of the looseness of her curls compared to mine, but did that ever bother me? Not at all - we both choose to wear our hair in different styles (she relaxes her hair and wears her hair VERY long down her back (past her waist), and I also relax my hair but choose to stick to a more shoulder-length/midback-length hair cut, and I have also worn my hair in various braid/cornrow styles as well. In addition, due to our different curl patterns and hair types overall, we take care of our hair in slightly different ways. I love my hair just as much as she loves her hair, and society's perception of "good hair" versus "bad hair" do not play into our self-confidence with the beauty of our different types of hair.

Overall, we all need to get over this false notion of a certain type of "good hair" and truly appreciate ALL hair types - not just naturally straighter types. In other words: ALL hair is GOOD hair. Any other definition of "good" can be thrown back into the nineteenth century, never to be resurrected again.