This is what I was talking about yesterday in regards to what this 'movement' has become. I myself don't think of it as a movement. I see it as a group of women who have decided that they are not going to live their lives by a eurocentric beauty model that does not fit us. Now, I'm not totally chemical free, and there are those within the 'natural hair community' that poo-poo any chemicals at all. I'm not one of those 'sistah's'. I still color my hair, and probably always will. But being able to style my hair in different ways, when I couldn't do that when it was straight, is LIBERATING. The following quote is taking from the article "IS NATURAL HAIR THE END OF BLACK BEAUTY CULTURE?"
"Yes, there are salons for natural hair, especially in major metropolitan areas, like Atlanta, D.C., and New York. But the natural journey is not salon focused. In fact, natural hair allows for a certain amount of freedom from salons, which is good because many natural salons cost significantly more than traditional ones. For some who are natural the cost of certain curly salons is prohibitive. In addition, there are regions where natural hair salons are few and far between. The focal point of the natural hair community seems to be online message boards and YouTube, rather than beauty shops." Click Here for the full article.
So how is transitioning to YouTube rather than beauty shops an end to the culture exactly? I have bonded with many women, whom I might not have otherwise met personally, through YouTube. Many are 'Guru's', and MUA's (Make-Up Artists). This is because I live in a state where there aren't a lot of African American's, and the women that do are decidely relaxed and resistent. To the point where you have no idea where a meet up is. My sister is natural and has been for a while, and she has pointed me in the direction of many a product and website. But one person is NOT a community, and quite frankly, had it not been for YouTube I would not have discovered Alex Butler, Coloured Beautiful, Naptural85, SimplYounique and a host of others. I've been able to share in their journey.
Like I said yesterday on my Facebook page, the AA community in the Pacific Northwest where I live, is sad lacking when it comes to this area. The sense of community we once had has been replaced by people who think you're hating or a snitch if you even try to give someone a better way to go. Don't even get me started on the assimilation that's taken place.
I didn't want to turn this into a rant about the lack of black business support in the Seattle/Tacoma area, but it is true. We don't support our own here - natural food, hair, clothes, beauty......It's all met with the same 'Well, I don't know. Are you sure you want to?' mentaility and dooms us to failure, and articles like this that continue to make us question our own beauty and self worth.
The culture's not dead, it's changing.
Isn't that the point?
Robin
CurlPantry President and Resident Diva
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