nytimes.com:
SILKY straight hair has long been considered by many black women to be their crowning glory. So what if getting that look meant enduring the itchy burning that's a hallmark of many chemical straighteners. Or a pricey dependence on "creamy crack" as relaxers are sometimes jokingly called.
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what shall we have the first lady to do?????????????????
dye her hair blond as half of america does???? for what
race is a part of everything in this country.. and there are a lot of good decent white americans that are finally realizing it...... you thought racial profiling was a myth.... just stop and listen tomorrow as some of your co-workers talk about the president.
Stupid righties! Europeans would be shocked to hear their reaction to Maliah's hair. I found Europeans to be mcuh more open minded. In Italy and France they adore black women. I know. I had to leave the States to feel like a whole woman. I'm very dark. I do not have long flowing hair. My social life sucked. Went to Europe and had a great time. It did a lot for my self esteem just being my little ole "african" self.
Look at most of the "stupid righties" you speak of. Most wouldn't know class or style if it walked over and slapped their face.
I LOVE Malia's corkscrews
As someone who has extremely thick, curly hair I know the horrors of humidity and bad weather. Conditioner and curling gel are a curly girls best friends.
Those girls look absolutely adorable. Their mom (and grandma) have them wearing a variety of styles and I love it. I have no doubt that Michele has maintenance done on her hair regularly by a pro. it has body and sheen that you really can't accomplish on your own and she also does sweaty workouts - which makes you sweaty and gets your hair wooly at the roots (because its growing! and that's healthy). However, the rule for black women is straight hair is conservative hair - or cut it so short that it does not become an issue. We still have to deal with the cultural politics of style. It's the hair, the hips, the size, the lips...(si
I'm aware of the politics of black women's hair, although as a white woman, I wouldn't presume to tell any black woman what she should or shouldn't do with her hair.
As the owner of blonde, curly hair that demands so many conditioning and smoothing products that I've sometimes wondered if I ought to go to a salon specializing in black hair to get the best advice on how to manage it, however, I do know a thing or two about being reliant on expensive products to get a hairstyle which is socially acceptable. This isn't just about ethnicity, it's about feminism too - the fact that so many women of all ethnicities feel their genuinely natural hair isn't acceptable says a lot.
I will say that I love the 'natural' look on black women's hair (how natural is it, by the way, can anyone here tell me? Does it in reality demand as many products as straightened hair?). If my curls looked like that naturally, I'd never do anything else to them!
By all means check out black beauticians. Black women's hair is so wide ranging in texture they can serve you with little or no problem. We have been caring for white women's hair for centuries. (smile) Can't say the reverse is true most times. I moved to a nearly all white town and had a time finding some one who wasn't scared to touch my hair. Mission accomplished though. Many stylist are getting a broader range of training and there are integrated salons open to all clientele. The amount of product you choose depends on the kind of hair style you want, your lifestyle and occupational culture. There was a time (and still so) when braids were totally out in the corporate culture. But Europeans still set the beauty standard even though the trend is to tolerate diversity. But still women and men of color have to be aware of how they are perceived by the majority in orders to make it in this society and ironically for black women, the conservative path is, wear it straight. So if your hair is real woolly, it means high maintenance: relaxer touch-ups, moisturing/ conditioning and a good hair cut. it can run you a few bucks unless you can find ways to cut corners. You can see Michele has a stylist. Those roots are always straight and the "finish" on her straight style shows she has a pro working on her.
I wish Michelle felt secure enough to let her hair be done in a more natural way. These up-tight attorney doos are not very warm looking or flattering.
How do you know she doesn't feel secure about her hair? Maybe she just likes it that way, you wear you hair the way you want and let others do what they want. Her hair is warm and flattering and she looks happy and confident, don't project imagined issues on to her. I wish that we could just let the hair thing go and stop judging other women based on what they choose to do with THEIR hair. Btw- I wear a close cropped natural hair cut.
Her hair looks preppy white is what I am saying. I don't think she would wear it that way if she was not afriad of being judged. That is just my opinion.
I don't involve myself in attempts to "police" or "meddle with" someone else's hairstyle. On a daily basis, I see everything from dreadlocks to silky-straight styles and they all look just fine. I have no doubt whatever that Michelle Obama is a very secure lady who doesn't need to "prove" anything.
Isn't it amazing how crazy the wingnuts get over a childs hairstyle? I love that Michelle isn't raising stepford daughters. (The pictures showed her wearing a T-Shirt with heaven forbid a Peace Sign too, this really put them over the edge)!!
I don't know of any women who love their natural hair - at least not when they get older. We are all trying to change whatever nature has in store for us.
I love my natural hair.
I made the mistake of putting a perm in my daughters hair because it was to entangled. Now I have to put more work into making sure that it can last.
All women consider their hair their crowning glory regardless of the texture.
I was not aware these right-wngers were criticizing the Obama's children's hairstyles. What happened to children being off-limits? This is bad even for them.
I applaud the FLOTUS for letting the girls wear natural styles. She's not being influenced by outsiders of any race.
And for the record, most black women straighten their hair for convenience, or perhaps a straight style is more flattering for their face. These are personal choices and no one should search for ulterior motives.
Years ago, I stopped chemically treating my hair after it became weak and broken out. Instead, I opted to either wear it a curly natural, or braid it up with long, human hair extensions. I liked my "curly" style, but it wasn't considered "professional" enough for some of the jobs I was interested in. And lets be real: long, straight hair is more appealing to the public majority. I got more job offers, more compliments, more attention with longer, straighter hair.
I preferred braids because I could still sport a "straight" style, and lots of other diverse looks, without worrying about damaging my own hair. Plus, keeping it braided, not having to comb through it every day, encourages thicker growth. It took a while, but after years of braiding and deep conditioning, my hair became as strong and healthy as it was when I was a little girl.
Five months ago, I put a relaxer on my hair for the first time in about five years. A month later, it began to fall out. In clumps. Every time I scratched my head. And like that, years worth of care went down the drain (literally
I guess I've learned my lesson.
that's terrible. It's hard when you lose your hair especially when you've put so much work into growing it out.
I have natural hair and when I want the straight look I just have it pressed. Did you consider getting it pressed before you went back to the relaxer?
When I get my hair cut...usua
I chemically straightened my hair twice...fi
I love both styles, but I feel more free when I go curly. I guess I"m lucky that I can have the best of both worlds.:)
You have to condition your hair before you put a relaxer in it or you will likely damage it. I don't know if you did it yourself or not, but I know any competent stylist who works with black hair would have asked you about it and determined whether you needed to wait or not. Also they know what product strength to use. Also, you know you should wait two weeks after you get your hair straighened to add color because you weaken your hair when you straighten it and if you add color right away you'll get damage. So if you have virgin wooly hair and want to go straight, don't cut corners and do it yourself the first time. Have a pro do it and do little touch ups as the roots grow. My hair is relaxed, but because I exercise a lot and shampoo, I use a mousse that gives me a curly style that I wear close cropped. But if you see me coming out of a salon I'm wearing it straight and occasionally straighen it myself with a curling or flat iron, but too often, I just don't have the time.
I colour my hair to hide the greys: I see the agesism in the politics of beauty. I fall for it and consistently cause environmental damage doing my roots.
Natural / unnatural, colour / texture - All are symbols and representations. Care and cleanliness is also culturally relative.
The only way we can recuperate is to decide that it is about choice and self definition, not oppression. It is empowering. Currently, that's how we decenter those ideologies. Else, we have nothing.
Along the way, some mutual admiration helps to spread lurve.... :-)
Beautiful women are just beautiful women. America - move past this because it's silly. Michelle used to wear a TWA and looked gorgeous' now she has it straightened, and she looks gorgeous. End of concern. As a white woman, on the best day with my hair not making me crazy, I will never be half that lovely - it's all about her presence and humanity anyway.
I find it impossible to date black women with chemical hair. I wear my hair in an afro and consider hair and the head and scalp to be part of the natural play of intimacy. Artificially relaxed and straightened black hair is either so oily, you get greasy hands from stroking it, or so dry it is crusty and full of dandruff..
it is impossible for me to look upon such women, Michelle Obama included and not see souls bound very tightly in the shackles of mental slavery...
I also know of women who have been encouraged at work, not to wear dreads or braids, because said styles were unproffesional. And this is tragic.
get over yourself. Who are you to judge a woman just because of how she chooses to wear her hair??
I don't know how long your afro is, but if they're more than 3inches long, they're incredibly hard to take care of.
I would love to wear my hair naturally, although it's very thick and healthy, I have that in between hair,not straight enough to wash and go, but not kinky enough to wear a fro.Year ago, i put dippity doo on it thinking I could wear it in an afro, when I took the curlors out, I looked like someone yard who had been toilet papered on holloween night, a disaster. I get tons of compliments on it now because I just wash it blow dry it, curl with electric curler or roll it for a fer hours and style and go. I have a lot of body to it because I don't weigh it down with a lot of oil. We women of color have the luxury of wearing our hair in many styles, it,s a lot of work and very expensivei, but I love that we can have such diverse hair styles.
The greasy haired girls need to have a product makeover. You can have straight hair if you want now that doesnt have that greasy film like "Dixie Peach". Don't assume that because a woman wears her hair straight she has a shackled mind. Yeah Euro still dominates the cultural scene, but you see black women exercising options - like most women-all over the African Diaspora. Women are going to find a style that works for them. Some people find relaxed hair easier to maintian than their afro. Some people like me, relax their hair and 'fro it. You are absolutely correct about the delimma of looking professional and finding the look that looks good on you, reflects your uniqueness and is admirable. Genetics has caused my sister to loose all the hair on the top of her head. She wears a weave and wigs. She looks nice, but I wish she would shave it all off and go bald. She has beautiful African features. But she's not comfortable doing that and that's all right with her husband and me.
No-one comments on the stepford republican women, with their bleached, buffonned hair-dos and their plastic fake grins.
It's become so easy to pick a republican woman out of a crowd by just looking at their hair and their overdone make up.
Wow, you just described corporate america.
Wow not, they described just the truly pathetic segment of corporate America. Probably your segment. lol.....
"SILKY straight hair has long been considered by many black women to be their crowning glory." "...creamy crack.." WTH? I don't think this article was written by one who is familiar with black hair.
LOL I thinki you are right!
Why do you use a photo of our First Lady?.I find it offesive..
my hair is past my arse.. it ain't a picnic to care for but I "do"..
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First Posted: 08-27-09 08:03 AM | Updated: 09-27-09 05:12 AM