I have been natural for four years now. Only twice have I worn weave (braids); however, I have worn protective styles often. I don’t have anything against using weave and or wigs to give oneself a break; however, I am seeing a new trend of weave dependency taking place in the natural hair community.
Women are foregoing the creamy crack and going straight to the weave. It’s a new dependency that we are creating. We are calling this “protective styling” but what is weave really protecting us from? Weave is protecting our egos.We don’t have to get the stares or questions as to why we went natural when we put weave on. We don’t have to be worried about being told we look boyish in our natural. We don’t have to worry about being dismissed because some shallow guy doesn’t like our natural hair. Or worst of all being called and or feeling ugly. Weave is a great shield to one’s ego.
Ladies you may find weave “convenient” but why not challenge these ideologies? Why not show others all of the beauty we manifest as women of color? Why not dispel the myth that black women with natural are not beautiful? Why not learn how to take care of what grows out of our scalp?
This is what the natural hair movement was once about. We can foster a nation of girls who love their hair and know how to take care of it, or we can continue down this path of teaching self hate and dependency. I would love to see the first for our future generation. I don’t want my daughter’s to grow up questioning their beauty. I don’t want my daughters to feel inadequate because of what grows out of their scalp. I don’t want them to feel ugly without the use of weave because I know what that feel like. I was once their.
I say NO MORE!! If you don’t feel your most beautiful with your natural hair, I would encourage you to sit down and meditate on why that is and than work on dispelling the lies you were told. Darling you are fearfully and wonderfully made. No amount of perm and or weave will ever change or enhance that.
“If you have no confidence in self. You are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence you have won even before you have started.” Marcus Garvey
nappyflychick 