I take issue with criticism of the remarks made on Don Imus' radio show as an insult. Yes, to call the wonderful women of the Rutgers basketball team "hos" is denigrating, shameful, sexist, misogynist, and classless.
But "nappy-headed" as an insult? Uh...no! I refuse to accept this. Because nappy hair is GOOD!
Not unprofessional. Not unruly. Not unattractive.
It is versatile.
It is beautiful.
It is pure.
It is GOOD.
Maybe Imus thought he was criticizing the appearance of the women on the basketball team in a negative way, but that just shows his ignorance.
Because there is nothing wrong with "nappy" hair. "Nappy" hair is good!
Let's demystify Black hair:
My nappy hair, your straight hair, another person's curly hair, are all the same.
There is no chemical difference in the makeup of African-American hair in comparison with any other hair type. It has a cuticle (the outer layer), a cortex (the middle layer, composed primarily of keratin and moisture, plus melanin, which gives our hair its color), and a medulla (the center of the hair shaft). All these parts are identical to those of Caucasian hair. What is different is our wave and bonding pattern. (Bonding relates to the structure of hair: the tighter the bond, the curlier the hair.)
Taken from What Makes Our Hair So Unique
My hair is extremely curly. So much so that when I stretch out a strand of my hair, it's about six or seven inches long. But when I let it go, it rebounds to within two inches of my head.
Once in college, I stayed with a friend in her dorm room at Cornell. She showed me this Nexus shampoo, and said how great it was and that I should use it. Then she caught herself and said, "Oh, I forgot, you have special hair."
No, my hair is not "special," in that way. Does my hair require different styling products from other people? Yes. Just like there are different styling products for people with curly hair, for people with fine hair, oily hair, damaged hair, etc.
Indeed, I find that most people of a nonnappy persuasion covet my hair for the endless styling possibilities as well as its distinction.
There are cornrows.
Twists.
Locs.
Comb coils.
Afros.
Braids.
And endlesscombinationsof all of the above.
How else is my hair different from others of a nonnappy persuasion? Well, for most of you reading, your hair probably grows down toward the floor. My hair grows out and up. For so very long, I wanted long hair that stretched toward the floor, that cascaded around my shoulders and that made me attractive to the opposite sex. My Black, nappy hair was a very bad thing that had to be beaten back into submission with hot combs and caustic lye relaxers that caused scalp burning and quite often open sores.
Hair that grows upward requires a different hair care regimen than downward growing hair. When your hair falls toward the floor, the natural oils released from your scalp travel down the shaft. If the shaft of your hair is straight, the oil travels that much easier. This is why people with curly hair that grows toward the floor is frequently drier than straight hair. Similarly, my hair that is extremely curly and grows upwards becomes dry very quickly.
I used to think that I was cursed with this dry, crispy, unruly bush on top of my head. Until one day, thanks to the Internet, I learned something about caring for Black hair. And that is when you use products meant for people whose hair grows downward, you are not going to get a good result. Think Pantene, styling mousses, alcohol sprays, etc.
"Nappy" hair requires moisturizing and pampering. I have found that the more natural the product, the better it is for my hair. Eventually I got to where I am now, where the only products I use on my hair are water and unrefined shea butter from the local African market.
Because that's where it all began. In Western African cultures, hairstyles denoted a person's status:
To be socially acceptable is to be well groomed, paying special attention to one's behavior, clothes, and hair. This accounts for the emphasis on appearance in Yoruba culture. It is believed that taking good care of one's hair is an indirect way of currying favor with one's Ori Inu. Thus, the Yoruba have created a wide range of hairstyles that not only reflect the primacy of the head but also communicate taste, status, occupation, and power, both temporal and spiritual. The richness of the tradition can be gleaned from Yoruba masks and figure sculptures that will be used to illustrate the major styles, though they are often idealized in art for aesthetic reasons.
From Tribal Arts
So the next time you think, or hear a person criticizing, Black people's penchant to always have their hair and nails done despite their economic difficulties, try to put it in some cultural context. Because we do have a culture. Unfortunately, I am so far removed from that culture, and my beautiful nappy head is frequently the only connection, and certainly the closest connection to me, physically and spiritually.
The days of me wanting shiny straight hair cascading down my back are long gone. My hair grows ever upward, towards the heavens, a salute to God, the Almighty, the universe, or whatever it is you believe in.
At the least, it is a halo encircling my head and being like the queen that I am -- not a nappy headed ho.
For more information:
Napptural.com
A Nappy Hair Affair
Book: Hair Story
Pam Spaulding's excellent post, and another excellent post by Pam.