No Bad Hair - Tumblr Posts

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I'm blackish (mixed) and I grew up in a place where there were almost ZERO people of color. Any color. So I didn't enjoy my childhood to say the least. And I grew up hating my hair so much because it was the one thing that made me stand out among my white classmates, and later on, when I moved away, it was the thing that made me stand out among all the black folks in my neighborhood. Suddenly, I had the "good hair," but it was just another way to make us all hate ourselves. If you want to know if representation matters, I can tell you that it does. I'm from the boonies and the first time I ever saw a commercial for black hair care products (I was 16), I burst into tears, because I didn't even know they existed. I didn't know anyone had made anything for me. It changed how I viewed myself. It took me so many years to learn to love myself and my hair. To stop trying to "tame" my frizz and "control" my curls. To stop smoothing myself over until I was more European and palatable for the world at large. Fuck all the noise. Fuck the good hair bullshit. Fuck the nonsense of people who play stupid about what appropriation is. My hair is a wayward, wild creature that doesn't look the same twice. It follows no rules and cannot be grounded. It must be free and loved just as it is and when it is loved, it thrives. Just like the rest of me.

There is NO. GOOD. HAIR. There is only hair (or lack there of) and it's ALL GOOD.

The Magic In Our Hair Is Its Versatility.

Black Hair Things:

Wigs were not invented by white people. Whenever a discussion about cultural appropriation arises the first thing said is that wigs on black women are also appropriation. Unlearn that. Wigs have long existed in Africa, and some have been found in tombs alongside our black queens in Ancient Egipt. Look it up.

Black hair grows at the same rate and speed as any other race. But our hair is sensitive and needs care, so you need to enforce a haircare routine so it won't break. If they tell you black hair does not grow, don't believe them.

"Good hair" is an invention. You decide what is good or bad simply by changing your mind on what good looks like. If it is hard to see the beauty in your hair simply change the content you consume. Follow black people on social media who wear their natural hair, see more black movies, and read about black hair history and hairstyle meanings.

Most self-hate issues can be helped (not fixed) by positive representation. You will first see, second love and third copy.