Each day you meet people with all kind of different hairstyles imagined,yet others would have never even crossed your mind!Factors like what is vogue at the moment,financial standing,peer pressure and a myriad of other reasons come into play when considering what style to rock.
What really drives a person to prefer to,for example cut their hair as opposed to having it long or braiding it,weaving it,straightening it with chemicals or curl and do all that pertains to that arena.Even considerations in terms of coloring your hair or dyeing is also part of the what in hairstyling.
There is debate that this is common among Africans or African Americans as hair among the white is considered "good hair" which may explain why many black women and men go to extra lengths to straighten it and make it look presentable either with chemical processing or through weaving.
A glance at a number of Facebook pages on hair like 'Black women with short hair and lovein it ,'DarkSkinned women' are all about encouraging African ladies to value their natural beauty and embrace it all the way...skin,hair or otherwise.
Kids as they grow up are bombarded with all the variety of hairstyles that are on the offing and may be a bit confused,especially the black for the world stirred by the media and all its hullabaloo has created the notion that kinky hair is not the way to go.I once watched Tyra Banks show talking about this very topic and even had a mother on set talking of how she perms her daughter's hair despite the fact that the young and very beautiful girl said she doesn't want to do it anymore because it burns her.
I am not one to judge but like they say each one to their own as a hairstyle is all about personal taste and has little to do with what other thinks...but wait...really?Is this all desire to have the 'perfect hairdo' a pointer to underlying issues within a person like say self esteem or the endless need to please someone like a spouse or one just doesn't want to be the odd one out with natural hair when all their friends are donning hot weaves or vice vice versa.
this push and pull of the topic on hair runs both ways as people have an expectation of how you should dress and appear before society so that when you do the opposite you are an 'outcast' per say.Its not just the issue of whether natural or processed,short or long,braided or weaved,the underlying issue is what makes you feel beautiful and comfortable.Some feel most soulful and downright beautiful when they go bald,others feel mpst pretty when they have a nice weave,preferably human hair as they can wash it and style it differently and play with colors for a new look every time.
The whole rush to have dreadlocks or style hair in other natural ways should not be impressed on any one as anything new for the style has been there from time immemorial.One should do what works for them and what is convinient but just making sure that it is not attemted with extremes that bring with it hair loss,scalp irritation,hair thinning and any other misshap that come with the need to look good.
Indi arie says it right in her song 'I Am Not My Hair' so be you and do what you love after all its your hair!haha
