A Hairy Topic May Seem Too Thick to Comb Through

The diaspora of black women in America exemplifies a body of women with different coils, styles and shades of hair. It is in the black women's culture to often embrace their opportunity to creative self-expression of who they are by the ways they styles of their hair. When it comes to a black woman’s hair, there are many ways it can be styled. Whether it’s natural, relaxed or weaved.

I found it very fascinating when my former roommate, of a different race, questioned my sew-in when I returned back to school from Winter Break. With the most puzzling look on her face she uttered, “…but is it sewed on your scalp? That must hurt.” To my dismay, I was saddened that she would even think such a crazy thing. Nonetheless, I was more than excited to break it down to her the process of a sew in. I explained that a sew-in basically consisted of tracks of hair that was sewed onto my braided hair. 


Sherly Denis

In the past school year, my friend Sherly Denis has had almost ten different hairstyles. You name it, and she has done it. The short golden brown bob, the deep brown Brazilian hair to what she has in now, box plats. For a young woman whose culture is not properly represented at our university, she seems to always get the infamous question along with the bewildering stare, “Oooh you cut your hair?” Or check this one out, “Oh wow, how does your hair grow so fast?”

Nonetheless, exploring the strands that black women spend endless hours cultivating into masterpieces is ultimately defines why black women take pride in their hair. In early Africa, your hair represented your social status and stratification. It is inevitable in the African American culture to have not have good-looking hair. That is exactly what many pressing combs, flat irons, relaxers, curling gels amongst other hair products achieve for black women.

For many women, the creativity of styling their hair may define who they are and what they believing as well. Some naturalistas may say rocking their natural hair is rooted from them wanting to embrace their culture and the skin they are in. Other naturalistas may say they are just natural because their hair was damaged or they love the natural look. Black woman with relaxed hair may say they relax their hair because it is more acceptable to the society we live in or it is just right plain more manageable. I believe whatever your reasons for wearing natural or relaxed hair, just remember you are not your hair. Your hair is just a minor addition to who you are. Let your personality, pride and character define who you are rather than how you look.

Below is one of my favorite songs by India Arie, I hope you enjoy and embrace who you are because you are more than your hair.

Globetrotter

Globe-trot-ter
noun
A person who travels to different places around the world often.

@psheerwood twitter

VISA 2014 Fashion Show

University of Florida students are using fashion and entertainment to spread diversity at the 2014 Volunteers for International Student Affairs (VISA) Fashion Show.

The purpose of VISA is to bring awareness of culture on campus with twenty different cultural organizations under it's umbrella. According to UF's Multicultural & Diversity Affairs, in the year 2013 it's student body was comprised of sixteen percent of Hispanics, 7 percent of African-Americans and 7 percent of Asian Americans. 

Tina Brown, Director of VISA Fashion Show, says, “VISA shows how diverse our school is and it is something we often forget.”

From attending this fashion show, I  had the opportunity to travel the world through fashion and experience how beautiful different cultures are in their own special way. 

Over 50 Shades of Beauty

Within our skin there is beauty.

Livia Agyekem

For many black women in America the idea of beauty can range from various factors. These factors may include how loose the coils of their hair are to the lightness of your skin complexion. Nevertheless, society has lead black women to false ideologies on what is considered beauty in America. These ideas may have been collated from the days of slavery in the 1600’s America. It is believed that, Mulatto, biracial, women generally received favorable treatment from the Masters family. Not because of lineage inheritance, rather, they were considered more pleasing to look at. These women were the ones to adhere to duties within the home rather to agriculture in the blazing sun.

These ideas continued to evolve well into the 1900’s where blacks of a lighter complexion in society where educated and given priority leadership roles. Women with families of lighter complexion were considered the elite in black communities. One study explains how they reigned at the top of the hierarchy pole within the black social class and status.

The perspective of black beauty has emerged into the minds of children in today's society . When a doll test was conducted among young children in America two dolls very much alike except their skin color was placed in front of the children. When ask who is the pretties and kindest the children pointed to the doll that resembled the European descent. When asked which doll is the ugliest and bad, most of them pointed to the doll of African descent. Ultimately, each of these events and beliefs has given lighter skin women mobility to move up the social stratification hierarchy ladder and favoritism in black America. 

The issue of colorism is a global issue that moves far beyond the shade of a black woman’s skin, but the idea of beauty that lies within.

An Encounter Like No Other

One Brazilian woman's encounter with a homeless man, unfolds a beautiful story.

São Paulo says, "Dammed is a man who abandon himself. These six words show that the worse the situation is never, ever should a man consider it lost. The conditioned."

I live for stories like this.

Yummm... The Sweet Taste of Lollicup