Comments on: Celebrate Black History Month by Relaxing Your Hair

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:00:00 +0000

There not trying to force people to change their hair, they’re highlighting products marketed to black women anyways.

By: pollo

pollo — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 17:58:25 +0000

this is a bullshit advertisement .. RACIIISSSTT

By: Keesha

Keesha — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:46:38 +0000

Aside from the fact that it can burn if you use it wrong. The question was…is it detering people from they’re racial heritage to use relaxers.

No. Because A) they can go and get a straightner or a hot-comb depending on the preferance/race

B) Some people enjoy styling they’re hair for a variety of looks to go out in. It’s not going away from your heritage because every race does it when they have curly hair that they want to straighter.
Even if your say…polish and have really curly hair it’s not throwing off your heritage if you want to get an anti-perm.

Sure this stuff can be damangeing and a lot of people prefer not to do it because it takes time/energy/money to do it.
But it doesn’t take away from he fundamental background and past generations of the person.

By: penda peace

penda peace — Sat, 15 May 2010 08:32:54 +0000

Dear Anne, just because you don’t know something doesn’t mean it’s not real. Thus even though you don’t know that your hair connects with Universal energy or emits energy doesn’t mean that it’s not happening. Do a little research, dig a little deeper and you’ll find that the cute hairstyle on your head is not dead protein, otherwise it would not grow. Hair that comes out in your comb or brush is dead, making way for new growth. Find other sources of information or simply use logic. And hopefully this time natural hair would not just be in style but stay for good – after all natural IS.

By: Anne

Anne — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:12:19 +0000

I wear my hair natural and Penda, you sound kind of crazy right now. My hair does not have universal energy, it’s just a cute hairstyle that looks good with my face. It’s really not that deep, IT IS dead protein. I haven’t noticed anybody being freaked out, people tell me my hair is cute all the time. Natural hair is coming back in style, its really not that big of deal anymore.

By: penda peace

penda peace — Mon, 10 May 2010 04:01:52 +0000

Andrew, you talk about “dead protein fibers atop one’s head…” maybe those blue spikes that ran down the middle of your head” were dead, I’d say yeah, blue dye and straightening cream would kill any hair! I think you may need to do further research on what you’ve learned, cause my curly, kinky, fro that proudly stands up is definitely alive, I feel the life through my fingers and Afro comb every morning – ain’t nothing dead there. But like a tree some of the hair dies, ends up in my comb and in the garbage, making way for new life on top of my head. You see this in all nature. In fact when untampered by chemicals, hair grows and grows full of life! Besides, if you were to do a little more research, you would find out that the curl/nap represents the 9-ether energy. The curl (or circle of a nap) has metaphysical properties through its ability to connect with universal energy. Kinetic energy (if you remember grade 9 Physics) operates best through a coil instead of straight line. I think this is why people are so freaked out by a huge afro, or African/black hair that stands on top of a head – the energy emmited is so much that people just don’t know what to do! LOL… Where do you think lines represented on a life support machine/monitor comes from? – Wavy curly lines mean life! – if you see a straight flatliner, oh oh your in trouble – that means your dead! Things are not what they appear to be. One just needs to think a little deeper and differently from how one’s been conditioned. Peace
Penda

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 06 May 2010 11:11:34 +0000

A conspiracy of people with a fairly inessential product to make you feel inferior unless you have it? Well, you can call this oppression if you like, but I call it marketing.

And of course I won’t disagree that the feeling that we’d be more attractive if we altered our natural selves is overwhelmingly constructed by this industry. Why are untold millions persuaded to eliminate or alter their natural human scent with deodorants, perfumes, breath mints? To alter the natural tones and textures of their skin with cosmetics and lotions? To remove their natural body hair with razors and creams and wax? We don’t even have to go into plastic surgery and tanning beds and botox and fad diets; chances are, all of you regularly use at least some of these more mundane products, even though they’re completely unnatural and often far more toxic than we realize. And, of course, the notion that we need them to be attractive is purely a construct manufactured for profit, as there’s no money to be made from leaving well enough alone.

With this in mind, I really don’t see the logic investing such lofty notions of pride and self-respect in the dead protein fibers atop one’s head but not, say, the stink of one’s armpits or mouth. But why let a little hypocrisy get in the way of a trendy excuse to be arrogant? ;)

Personally, I haven’t even had any hair to straighten since I was a teenager keeping a row of pointy blue spikes down the middle of my head. Not the result they advertise on the box, for sure, but it worked just the same. Some people enjoy whining about beauty ideals, others enjoy perverting them. Takes all kinds, I guess. But if you have to go around with dead useless crap on your scalp, you might as well enjoy it…

By: penda peacely

penda peacely — Thu, 06 May 2010 04:04:32 +0000

Andrew, as you know, an Afro is not the only natural black hairstyle….it’s just the hairstyle that seems to be feared the most. Maybe because it’s associated with a time when black/African people on this planet seemed to have the most courage,pride, self-love and self-respect – and unfortunately that’s scary to many people for a myriad of reasons.

Maybe the only F you should give yourself is not in blackness but rather for the inability of being completely honest. But I understand why you say what you say – after all the naturally straight hair people have spent billions of dollars and tons of energy to make sure that we hate what we got and love what they have even better. Your response has been successfuly cultivated for generations.

Scope out this video and song called “Black Barbie” – awesome song and the brother expresses this issue in a clever, fun and eloquent way. Peace Andrew

Penda

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfEMNNt0sU

By: Nique

Nique — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 23:16:08 +0000

nobody said anything about taking your “black card” away just because you don’t want a fro. good for you that you’ve managed to escape the scrutiny that others face, but you seem to be aware that it exists when you called penda’s response “old hat”. this isn’t new to you. you’ve heard it before. so maybe there is a reason for that?
to add to angie’s response, if you go on any natural hair forums or blogs, there is a lot of talk of how to deal with family and friends who don’t approve. we shouldn’t have to worry about people approving of us wearing our hair the way it grows out of our heads. but sadly, that’s an issue. in many of the black cultures i’m aware of, if you have really kinky hair, you’re expected to relax it to be considered a presentable young lady or woman. i remember when i first went natural and realized i was going to keep it that way, i had family members asking if i’d straighten it for major life events, like graduation or my wedding. they were shocked when i said i had no intention of doing so. my graduation is coming up, and i’m hoping that my natural hair can look professional enough for them that they don’t feel the need to bring it up like, “when are you going to do something about your hair?”

By: angie

angie — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 21:04:21 +0000

sigh, you obviously don’t truly understand what penda peace is trying to say. you claim to relax your hair because of personal preference, & that may be true for you. but this is NOT the case for the majority of blacks who get relaxers as a whole, & that’s who we’re talking about here. if you’re black with natural hair, and you walk past a traditional black hair salon (packed with women armed with relaxers, hot combs, oil sheen, etc), more than likely you’d get pointed at, stared at, and receive comments saying you need to step into their shop. you can be certain that they wouldn’t have such strong reactions because of their “personal preferences”, but because they’ve believed since they’ve been raised that black hair in it’s natural state is unruly, unwanted, ugly, and in need of being “fixed”, & that’s the problem. if this was all truly about personal preference, then not nearly as many black people who choose to wear their hair natural would be so harshly criticized by their FELLOW black peers. since so many of them do show this sort of hatred for THEIR OWN natural hair type, then YES, they must have a warped sense of beauty, & a lack of acceptance of their own traits, influenced by europeans (this may also explain why many black men prefer “yellow bones”, or lighter skin black women). you could compare this all to a white woman getting a tan just because she wants to. but then do you see her getting ridiculed & pointed at by other white people if she chooses NOT to get a tan? most likely not. however, that’s not the case with us blacks & our hair.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:08:26 +0000

Wow. I’m really glad you said that, because I was way off on the wrong track.

You know, every now and then, I make the mistake of thinking that, despite being black, I also happen to be an individual, with tastes and preferences and whims that are informed by a whole other range of experiences in my life. I make the mistake of seeing myself not just as a victim of racial oppression, but as a person who is often empowered to recapture the images and tools of racism (including hair products) and give them entirely new meaning. Sometimes – and you’ll find this really hilarious – I even let myself believe that there is not just one “correct” way to experience and express my racial identity, to wear my hair, to be at home in my skin.

In these confusing times, I completely forget that every facet of the life and aesthetic of a Negro is, in fact all about race; there’s really nothing to us but that! Just as so many wise white people have tried to impress on me before, the minute some aspect of my life diverges from a stereotyped idea of what a black person is, I’m merely “acting white”; it’s refreshing to know that other people of color are just as happy to police each other’s personal choices as the master race is to restrict them.

But you know what? Despite its “creative” grammar, every line of your rant was completely old hat to me, and I still don’t want a fucking afro. Guess I get an F in blackness!

By: penda peace

penda peace — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:31:12 +0000

But of course it does Andrew – “relaxing” ones hair (actually it’s more of stressing it out when you break down what chemicals to the hair, scalp and eventually blood stream) – has to do with seeing that straight hair is better, “eaiser (a.k.a. better), “more creative (a.k.a. better). Every ethnic group on this planet except for Afrikan/black people for the most part has the curl to their hair. THat simple fact made that group a special people. And that simple fact made that hair the “persecuted hair.” We bought the lie that our hair is hard, inferior, “unmanageable” There’s no truth in that, but the projection of inferiority by the “other” became our reality. We alter our natural hair because we believe straighter is better. Simple. Whether we want to admit it or couch it in a myriad of excuses. If white/Asian women were to go around wearing Afros, or really kinking their hair en mass – one would have to logically conclude that they prefer wearing other peoples hair instead of their own natural hair. ANd we’re talking the collective number hair, not the rare individual. If you want to talk about “repertoire of outlandish, unique otherwise pleasing works of art….” whewwww imagine what strong hair that proudly stands up instead of falling down on ones head can do!!! It is about race Andrew. It;s about one race (the “straight hair people”_ projecting their beauty on another, and that group (the curly hair people”) – buying into it hook line and sinker.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 08:29:52 +0000

Actually I strongly disagree. Relaxing the hair does not make a black person look white, and it’s quite insulting to the many proud black people who use this product to imply that they must be seeking to emulate “white beauty” in some way.

You’ll find that a lot of creative black stylists use relaxer as a tool to expand their repertoire of outlandish, unique, or otherwise pleasing works of art, and that a lot of people of any heritage have their own reasons – from the purely tactical to the aesthetic – for wishing to alter the texture of their hair. Why automatically assume that they must be about race?

By: penda peacely

penda peacely — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 03:29:32 +0000

Well, Relaxing your hair has really more to do with celebrating white beauty – whether it be in the month of February or the rest of the year.

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