Go on Instagram and search for photos with the hashtag #TeamNatural or #Naturalista or #NaturalHair or #ProtectiveStyles and you're sure to see tons and tons of women who have natural hair. That's good, right? Right. However, if you look closely, a good number of the photos are of kinky weaves, marley twists, crochet braids and more.
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| Source: Curl Sistas |
Some hardcore naturalistas would say that these women aren't truly repping natural hair, because of the use of extensions. Others would disagree, because we have come to a time where there are extensions that mimic or at least look like natural hair - and that in itself, is to be celebrated and doesn't make their hair any less natural.
I personally have come across two or three women who I've noticed ONLY rock their own natural hair, and have given me slightly judgmental looks for occasionally wearing wigs or using extensions for crochet braids and the like.
I wanted to pose this question to you. Does wearing wigs, crochet braids, marley hair etc make someone less #TeamNatural? Yes? No? Neither agree or nor disagree? Tell me what you think in the comments.
Chai!!!! We can like to give ourselves too much headache. First, its relaxed hair or not, now its extensions or real natural hair... Sigh!!
ReplyDeleteReally, whatever works for anyone because some people (even with their natural hair) have thin hair and want to have a feel of wanting the full hair and they use extension does it make them less natural? -___- No!
And isn't using extensions part of the protective styling we recommend sometimes?
Sigh! We have too much time honestly! Too much!
Okay, so is the argument that one can't claim to have natural hair is one is wearing weaves and braids or that one can't claim to be team natural (whoever invented that term sef)? People have different reasons why they wear their hair the way they do. For years, I didn't use extensions cos that is what I wanted. As we speak, I am on kinky braids in order to give my ends a break. There is a reason for all these, but no one owes anyone an explanation. Let everyone do what they like, abeg. All the lovely naturalistas that have lost their lives (may their souls RIP) didn't take their hair away from this world. So let us have arguments about important things like how we can move the world forward and reduce terrorism, than about whether natural ladies should wear weaves and braids.
ReplyDeleteI think people sometimes take dis black identity thing too far. Point is to each his own. Love urself nd love ur hair in whatever form.
ReplyDeleteNO... IT doesn't make u less team natural... trust pple to take tins so far..
ReplyDeleteWearing wigs is part of protective styling. But seriously, is there now streotyping among the Naturals? Nawa o. Its a good thing that there are wigs that look like natural hair, and people are willing to wear it.
ReplyDeletewww.ethniques.blogspot.com
Yep. There's a division among black women on natural hair on.
ReplyDeleteFirst it was hair type palaver, next it was straight hair mentality, now it's wigs and extentions.
I read about a lot of this attitude on black girl long hair. I even forgot about how the #teamnatural nazis attack other ladies on not being black enough.
At the end. Na GOD WIN.
But women or people should love themselves and forget about the society.
Xoxo.
First of all I wouldn't care that a group of snooty women are sitting around, having some kind of opinion as to whether or not I'm truly natural. Who appointed them to write all these rules?
ReplyDeleteWear your hair how you want to. Part of going natural is the freedom right? These women's imposed standards are no better than the "white standards of beauty" they speak against if they're going to be judging women based on how they choose to wear their natural hair.
Whose business anyway some people just take this black hair natural hair thing too far. Wear your hair however you want. Period
ReplyDeleteIf it grows out of your head as God created it and you leave it like that, texturise it, flatiron it, thread it, or alter its curl pattern in any way, IT IS NATURAL. Because it came out your head. Pure 100% organic. If it came out of a packet, IT IS NOT natural. If you attach the packet hair to your own hair, IT IS NATURAL BECAUSE YOU ARE CHOOSING TO PROTECTIVE STYLE. THAT'S 100% YOU UDNER THERE, ISN'T IT?
ReplyDeleteI have been wigging, weaving and braiding for the last 2 years, and I am just about fed up. I miss my sexy short hair, so I'm getting a cut!
Why do we women feel the need to cut each other down like this all the time? If its not someone telling you you're supposed to look a certain way because that's all she sees on the MTV video vixens, its someone else projecting her insecurities onto you and what grows out of your head.
I know a woman who lost all her hair to chemotherapy, doesn't make her less beautiful. I was once approached by a total stranger at the market (I was between protective styles and my twa was out), who starts giving me this long-winded speech about how natural hair is a political statement and how African women are enslaved by "Western patriarchal paradigms". I quietly shifted sideways and ran out of the shop!
My hair is my business and no one else's. Why do we feel free to comment on people's hair when its not on our heads? When I leave my hair out, women ask why can't I get a weave? When I braid, they ask why can't I leave my natural hair out? HOW IS IT THEIR BUSINESS, BIKO?! Na dem get the hair?
Pardon the rant. I just get so riled up when people start talking ish about hair and/or weight issues.