AphroChic Magazine: Issue No. 1

HOT TOPIC
depending on the day and my mood. I
don’t look like anyone but me, and I love it.
My mother’s fears were not
unfounded. It was important for me
to realize that the image of beauty that
she presented to me wasn’t just about
aesthetics - it was rooted in a larger
question of survival. Education and
experience were great, as far as they
went, but if I wasn’t “acceptable”, she
knew, I could easily find myself un-hirable.
And it wasn’t just a question for
me, but for many Black women, both
here and abroad, both then and now.
We are now almost 20 years into
the 21st century, and the public acceptability
of Black women’s hair continues
to be a contested issue. In most states,
Black hair is ruled by outside forces.
It’s banned from offices and fast food
chains; a child can even be dismissed
from school for the crime of wearing
her own hair in the way that it naturally
grows. The Supreme Court has failed to
address such discrimination. In most
states our hair is subject to approval,
the oppression thinly veiled by appeals
to workplace and school dress codes.
Conformity remains the priority, and
somehow locks and afros never seem to
fit the desired look. But a movement is
afoot to create change.
In South Africa, young girls have
marched to demand the right to “be
naturally who we are.” In the UK, people
like fashion blogger Freddie Harrel are
empowering Black women through
education and shining light on the lack
of natural hair salons and products in
England. And in the United States, discrimination
against natural hair is being
challenged through new laws in California
and New York. California recently
became the first state to ban discrimination
based on natural hair. The newly
passed Crown Act bans employers
and schools from enforcing grooming
policies that disproportionately impact
people of color. New York has followed
suit and even the US military has
retracted its ban on twists, locks, afros,
and braids for female soldiers.
In 2016, Solange sang, “Don’t touch
my hair.” The words became an anthem
for Black women who know all too well
the pressures of fighting on this front -
whether to conform to the norms that
are imposed on us or to subvert them.
For those of us who enjoy our natural
hair and see it more commonly on celebrities
and athletes, this seems like an
outdated argument - and it is. But for
many more of us, the fear of our hair
being “too Black,” and the fact of being
denied entry into jobs and educational
opportunities is all too current. It has
caused many Black women, like myself,
to endure painful exercises in assimilation
- to get things straight. But around
the world, anthems like it are inspiring
movements to remove the ability of
outside observers to dictate what is acceptable,
presentable or beautiful in us.
It feels like a wake up call and an
opportunity to experience our hair as
an exercise in personal freedom, as
more states, schools, and workplaces
are compelled to follow suit.
Photo opposite by Bryan Mason
aphrochic