The first time I ever wore my hair like this somebody called me...
Militant. In fact, I found a photo from those early natural days and I remember feeling so conspicuous and vulnerable.
What made this the worst thing someone ever said about my hair was that it was by a Black man my own age and I remember thinking, "If this is what you believe, what it everyone else thinking?"
As a Black woman, the status of my hair is so central to my identity.
That’s one of the reasons I'm so obsessed with authenticity and helping Black women show up on social media as they are. Because for some of us, just arriving the way you look, feels like an act of revolution.
Here's another one...
All my life I was taught to be afraid of the rain when my hair loves to be wet! Am I alone in this?
What does a lifetime of these lies do to our sense of self worth?
We actually helped our client Racial trauma therapist, Share Farmer get her first T.V. spot with this very subject in mind.
Here’s her take on it:
"Whether we like it or not, the underlying conversations around our hair is attached to our attractiveness. It is attached to what is assumed as attractive in our society according to how white people judge our hair and how I judge myself against them. To be able to have those conversations now out loud that says, no, I'm still enough.
I've always been enough!
And regardless of if I'm loc’d, straight, wig, or bald, I'm still enough as I am."
When I say I specialize in Black women, this is the type of subject I can address that other coaches cannot.
And this is also the reason people resonate with my clients' content without the over the top dancing and hardcore editing. We talk about real issues that touch our souls like what it's like to be diagnosed with alopecia in childhood by our client Dr. Renee.
One of my favorites is when Dr. Samara roamed the halls as the school psychologist and overheard a little girl say, "She looks just like me," because they were both wearing braids.
For some, hair is trivial for others it is a symbol of self expression. If you want to learn more about living unapologetically in public, book a consult now. We'd love to see you out here shining just the way you are.
Comments