Thursday, December 30, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Oh Hip Hop!
Oh, Hip Hop! The things you do to my soul is indescribable. There is simply nothing like hearing the most perfect beat with an intelligently written, completely original verse delivered with impeccable mic presence. That "ewwww-weee", head-nodding, "hold on I gotta hear this again" moment...... Its like discovering love for the first time, over and over again. Hit "Play". Hit "Repeat".
How I wish people in the world who are "avid hip hop lovers" would take the time to really listen.....How I wish they would take a few minutes and request amazing local music be played the radio. Instead, they take all the time in the world to complain about how much they dislike rap music. How they cannot stand the fact that music doesn't mean anything anymore. How they hate Soulja Boy. They update their Facebook statuses full of verbiage about how Hip Hop is dying.......Not only is that completely false, but if the complainers put the smallest ounce of that negative energy into supporting local artists, their complaints could be relieved.
Hip Hop breathes. It lies underground, compelling the people who are really searching for it to come back and visit. It slithers from person to person on burned CD-Rs and free downloads that not enough people take the time to click on.....Oh- but of course those people miss Hip Hop.....They can't seem to see the smoke that lies behind the eyes of an artist that probably works right next to them, his heart smoldering until he can afford to get back into the studio and let the consuming fire out in the form of a track so hot the sun is somehow dimmer......
Maybe if those oblivious people who long for their souls to be somehow mended just stopped.....Stopped and listened to the kid who wants to hand them a free flyer.......Stopped at a little club just down the street to see a show with some guys they have never heard of before......Stopped standing on the ground and put their ears to it..........
Oh Hip Hop! You have the power to magnetized the world....If only people's backs weren't facing you. If only their eyes weren't focused up at the stars to see what everyone else was looking at......Sometimes you've got to look down. Hit "Play".
How I wish people in the world who are "avid hip hop lovers" would take the time to really listen.....How I wish they would take a few minutes and request amazing local music be played the radio. Instead, they take all the time in the world to complain about how much they dislike rap music. How they cannot stand the fact that music doesn't mean anything anymore. How they hate Soulja Boy. They update their Facebook statuses full of verbiage about how Hip Hop is dying.......Not only is that completely false, but if the complainers put the smallest ounce of that negative energy into supporting local artists, their complaints could be relieved.
Hip Hop breathes. It lies underground, compelling the people who are really searching for it to come back and visit. It slithers from person to person on burned CD-Rs and free downloads that not enough people take the time to click on.....Oh- but of course those people miss Hip Hop.....They can't seem to see the smoke that lies behind the eyes of an artist that probably works right next to them, his heart smoldering until he can afford to get back into the studio and let the consuming fire out in the form of a track so hot the sun is somehow dimmer......
Maybe if those oblivious people who long for their souls to be somehow mended just stopped.....Stopped and listened to the kid who wants to hand them a free flyer.......Stopped at a little club just down the street to see a show with some guys they have never heard of before......Stopped standing on the ground and put their ears to it..........
Oh Hip Hop! You have the power to magnetized the world....If only people's backs weren't facing you. If only their eyes weren't focused up at the stars to see what everyone else was looking at......Sometimes you've got to look down. Hit "Play".
Friday, December 10, 2010
Second Week Without Flat Iron
Today marks the end of my second week without flat ironing my hair.......I've had mixed comments and mixed emotions. When I'm at home, I'm beyond comfortable. My wonderful husband keeps remarking about how beautiful I look and how much he digs my hair. He's being honest, and it means so much that he can accept and support my journey towards becoming fully natural. The girls at school are also mostly supportive. They are wonderful people who, even though they may not quite understand what's going on with my hair, take the time to tell me how different and awesome they think it is.....Then comes reality of living in the suburbs. I've also been told its unprofessional. That I should straighten it immediately if I expect clients to allow me to do their hair. I "should have a look that they want if I want to be taken seriously". I've been told my hair is "too big" and I need a relaxer because I "don't have the hair type to be able to go natural"....Really? Sigh....
My journey isn't for anyone else but me. However, I'm not going to pretend like the negative feedback doesn't irk me. It does! The fact that people can think they aren't stereotypical, they don't discriminate, and aren't racist, but can look at me in my face and say (without saying) that in order for me to look presentable, my hair has to be straight, is almost a contradiction. Is this the reason why black women are scared to give up relaxers? Is Society really is saying "You can be a strong, fierce, black woman.....but your hair better not be too ethnic."
Its a good thing I am comfortable being who I am, that my husband's love for me is true, and that I don't cater to how other's feel I should look.....Otherwise, this whole process would be shot. Kudos to all the women who have done this before me, and to those who are doing it now. Apparently, you don't have to just be patient while your hair is growing out, you also have to be tolerant of other people's reactions. Weak.
My journey isn't for anyone else but me. However, I'm not going to pretend like the negative feedback doesn't irk me. It does! The fact that people can think they aren't stereotypical, they don't discriminate, and aren't racist, but can look at me in my face and say (without saying) that in order for me to look presentable, my hair has to be straight, is almost a contradiction. Is this the reason why black women are scared to give up relaxers? Is Society really is saying "You can be a strong, fierce, black woman.....but your hair better not be too ethnic."
Its a good thing I am comfortable being who I am, that my husband's love for me is true, and that I don't cater to how other's feel I should look.....Otherwise, this whole process would be shot. Kudos to all the women who have done this before me, and to those who are doing it now. Apparently, you don't have to just be patient while your hair is growing out, you also have to be tolerant of other people's reactions. Weak.
Monday, November 29, 2010
No More Relaxers.....
I woke up one day and realized I really needed a relaxer....My roots were too long. Wait. Did I really just think that? "My roots are too long." If that doesn't sound like an oxymoron of sorts, then I don't understand the definition of the word. Why do I want to change my roots? Why have I been for SO long? I know why.
I was raised in the suburbs. The white to black ratio in my old elementary school was probably about 15:1, easy. My mom would braid my hair, and the kids would call me Coolio. They weren't being mean, but it was the only person they could identify my hair style with. I didn't blame them. My hair got longer, and thicker. My mother got sick of dealing with it. I saw all the celebrities with straight hair. SWV, Halle Berry, Aaliyah, etc. This is before India Arie and Jill Scott. It was just "normal" where I grew up and in society for black women to have straight hair. I wanted that look, too. My mom started relaxing my hair when I was about 12. I remember it clearly; my grandma doing the back section, with my mom and my aunt at each side. I am now almost 28 years old and every 6-8 weeks I've had to put a harsh chemical that is also used for drain cleaning directly on my new growth and scalp. Yeah, it doesn't feel good either. The longer you leave it on, burning your scalp, the straighter your hair will be.....and the more chemical burns you will have, but hey- pain is beauty......right......(sarcasm, anyone?) Then comes the blow-drying and flat ironing. 4 1/2 hours later, I look like "myself" again.....WHAT?
I am not saying anything against anyone who wants to relax their hair. That would be entirely too hypocritical. Its what is right for each individual. I am just shedding the "old me"....the one who had to literally run from rain (it'd be funnier if it weren't true). The one who felt my hair had to look a certain way in order to be accepted. The little girl who thought her hair was "nappy" and any shot at getting a job in a professional environment meant I better look something like Angela Basset and not Erykah Badu. Its only been 3 1/2 months since my last relaxer, but the longer I go, the better I feel about my decision......See you around, Conformity.....
I was raised in the suburbs. The white to black ratio in my old elementary school was probably about 15:1, easy. My mom would braid my hair, and the kids would call me Coolio. They weren't being mean, but it was the only person they could identify my hair style with. I didn't blame them. My hair got longer, and thicker. My mother got sick of dealing with it. I saw all the celebrities with straight hair. SWV, Halle Berry, Aaliyah, etc. This is before India Arie and Jill Scott. It was just "normal" where I grew up and in society for black women to have straight hair. I wanted that look, too. My mom started relaxing my hair when I was about 12. I remember it clearly; my grandma doing the back section, with my mom and my aunt at each side. I am now almost 28 years old and every 6-8 weeks I've had to put a harsh chemical that is also used for drain cleaning directly on my new growth and scalp. Yeah, it doesn't feel good either. The longer you leave it on, burning your scalp, the straighter your hair will be.....and the more chemical burns you will have, but hey- pain is beauty......right......(sarcasm, anyone?) Then comes the blow-drying and flat ironing. 4 1/2 hours later, I look like "myself" again.....WHAT?
I am not saying anything against anyone who wants to relax their hair. That would be entirely too hypocritical. Its what is right for each individual. I am just shedding the "old me"....the one who had to literally run from rain (it'd be funnier if it weren't true). The one who felt my hair had to look a certain way in order to be accepted. The little girl who thought her hair was "nappy" and any shot at getting a job in a professional environment meant I better look something like Angela Basset and not Erykah Badu. Its only been 3 1/2 months since my last relaxer, but the longer I go, the better I feel about my decision......See you around, Conformity.....
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