Staff Writer: Wjuanae McPherson, ’19
Black hair. So many images come to mind when thinking of it. From braids, to twists, to pressed and relaxed hair, to roller sets, to locs, and even the curly fro. Along with every other aspect of society, hairstyles for black women are ever changing.
Madame CJ Walker’s invention of the hot comb brought along an era of pressed hair for kinky haired women. Even though afros were worn through the 60s and 70s, straight hair seemed to be favored by black women. During this time, societal norms depicted long, relaxed hair as beautiful.
In recent years, the embrace of natural hair among black women has become more and more widespread. Many black celebrities including singer Solange, model and actress YaYa DaCosta, and reality TV star Dutchess are natural and show off their curls and locs in the media. In addition, it isn’t uncommon to see an everyday black woman proudly rocking her natural hair.
This movement is popular on the internet and somewhat controversial. Naturalistas, like myself, have access to a whole cyber, natural hair community. Popular natural hair video bloggers, such as NaturalNeiicey, lend advice on how to maintain your natural hair and speak on their favorite natural hair products and styles. There are several Instagram and Facebook pages plus websites that exist solely to promote natural hair and its versatility. Pages to follow are @naturalhairdaily, @mynaturalsistas, and http://www.curlynikki.com.
On campus, you are sure to run into at least one natural-haired girl every day. One on-campus organization, Natural Girls Discuss Natural Curls (NGDNC) allows natural girls to come together and share their tips and experiences with natural hair. Being natural takes a lot of time and effort, and this group is a support system for UNC’s natural community.
Shout out to all of my natural sisters here at UNC and beyond.
