By Daniella Djiogan
I have tried to hide my fro for the longest time. I always had it relaxed. And now that I think about it, perhaps I hated my fro…or rather I felt like I didn’t look good with it.
Short relaxed hair was easy to maintain, it worked with my look…it was just too perfect in my eyes.
I got to a point where I always felt like it had to be cut and relaxed. It almost became an addiction for me.
Have you ever found yourself cutting your hair just because you happen to have a scissor on your hand?
Well that was me. And as I think about it, I was in a cage for so long….too long.
Just thinking about how big my fro would have been if I hadn’t spent so much time cutting and damaging it with a relaxer…makes me wanna slap myself (but not too hard).
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like what you watch on TV impacts how you view yourself.
For the longest time, I have enjoyed watching shows from other cultures since that’s a hobby of mine…I am kinda obsessed with cultures. Anything cultural is my jam (if it’s not too weird).
But I was so focused on others’ cultures and that I forgot about mine. A culture that should have defined me. A culture I loved but one that was slowly fading from me. And because it was fading within me, I felt insecure about myself…my face, my body shape, my hair (especially), etc. I was so in-secured.
However, things slowly began to change once I started appreciating more and more black cultures as well as my African roots which definitely is helping me love myself….especially my natural hair.
Hair is by far the number #1 thing most, if not all black women struggle or have struggled with.
With our kinky hair or afro, you almost have to come to this point of acceptance where you say…”this is my hair…it’s who am…it’s mine…I love it…if you don’t, then who cares…it ain’t yours”
I personally had to have that inner mini speech with myself a couple of time (even before I shot these pictures with my fro).
I mean we are the only race on earth that have this fro…natural afro (I think) and that’s dope no matter how you think about it. It’s unique and special.
And I just wanna give a high-five to the awesome women out there that are embracing their hair and inspiring all to love it. It keeps people like me who for a long time didn’t feel quite right about wearing our hair to finally come to a realization that it’s part of us.
Just to clarify a fact, I do not condemn wigs, relaxer, weave or braids…I love them all.
I always say “do you boo” for a reason.
I just am happy that I have grown to love my fro and other hair styles that make us black women, us.
Well if there is something to get out from this, it would be to love all parts of you, especially that hair. And also know, everyone struggles with some sort of insecurity, so don’t be ashamed …I am currently in that process of acceptance and I am loving it.
OpinionHuis 