I was thinking about my hair. I have very nappy, kinky, unruly hair. There isn’t much I can do with it but have it braided or cut off. Personally, I don’t mind either option, but currently, I would rather have it than cut it. However, many people, especially women, presume to make that decision for me. They usually tell me to cut it. These are their arguments for cutting my hair: It will make me look more pleasing to the eye – It will make me look more professional – a low-cut or shaved head is a sign of maturity – and several variations thereof.
As I said before, I do not have a problem with cutting my hair – but I’m not ready to do it yet. I have that particular action saved for a specific event;) What troubles me about the above-mentioned reasoning is this: I am not my hair, nor am I the person that would cut my hair to please others. I don’t have much of it, but I LOVE my nappy ass head. I like that I have natural, kinky, black hair. I like the clouds that it forms above my thoughts.
No matter what my hair looks like, whether it’s there or not…I am still me. My hair is naturally beautiful to me in its raw untouched form. Anything else is artificial. Well, not artificial per se, I don’t mind having something done to my hair and I certainly appreciate a nice hairdo on others, but some people take it to the extreme. Anything you do with your hair should be a personal choice and not to please another human being (unless that is your occupation or something). It bothers me that someone would fail to get a job, lose out on love, or even become some sort of outcast just off how their hair looks.
People are always looking for an excuse to judge, the shit is sickening. Everybody wants everybody else to conform to what they personally believe to be some imagined norm. My pops spit me out the tube and my moms pushed me out the womb, this is the hair I came with. I might wanna do things to it now and then, but I’ll be damned if I do it to please YOU!
Yea, sometimes it looks a lil crazy, but it’s okay by me:)
Here’s Neil Gaiman’s poem on the subject:
3 comments
I love your hair! LOL
Right on, man! It’s good that you like what you have. A lot of people struggle with that, including me. I started finding grey hairs at 18 and by the time I was in my 30s I was almost totally grey. It screwed with my head a little bit – every time I’d walk by a mirror I’d get a little shock: who’s that old fucker following me… oh wait. : ( I actually went through a 5 or 6 year phase where I dyed it back to my original color, but that was a pain in the ass to maintain and I got less and less comfortable with having to do it. So earlier this year, I let it grow out to the steel grey it has now become. I can’t say as I’m more comfortable with it, but sooner or later I have to get used to the fact that I’m becoming an old dude. Might as well get started. lol
N8! Ya old bastard! How are ya?!?!
The funny thing about that is, gray is a very distinguishing color, especially when it’s a full head of gray. I think somewhere along the line, hair become a symbol for everything we think is beautiful about ourselves. Instead of gray hair meaning time and wisdom (which is beautiful in and of itself), it became a sign of decrepit old age…which it isn’t.
Kinda weird really. You should learn to love it and embrace. Your hair should not be that stranger that’s just…there and you tolerate em. It should be the good friend that let’s other people know that you’re comfortable with who you are…if you see what I’m trying to say with these hobbled metaphors.