I came across this lovely article below on CNN
talking about Ivorian women embracing their natural hair.
Ode to hair: Ivorian women champion afros - By Nosmot Gbadamosi
and Earl Nurse, CNN
“Growing up with afro hair can be a harrowing experience,
especially if forced to chemically straighten it. "Once you are eight, all
hairdressers say, oh you have to relax your hair... we can't manage your hair,
you have to relax it, it will be beautiful," says Mariam Diaby, a
hairdresser and founder of Nappys de
Babi,
an online community focused on promoting natural hair. Read more HERE…”
What I found interesting in this article is that it took living in Paris
for the subject matter an African woman from Ivory Coast to embrace her natural
hair. Interesting because most African women for the longest time had been
subjected to unrealistic standards of “neat hair” like having long silky
straight hair for it to be considered neat and it took this black African lady
living in a European capital where long silky straight hair was the norm to
embrace her natural hair. In hindsight the whole long silky straight hair is a
product of the 80s and 90s if you ask me because I remember looking at photos
of the older women in my family and circle and they all had natural hair back
in the 70s, 60s and beyond. Nine out ten photos featured women with large Afros
and hair braided in beautiful patterns or threaded (African threading) and woven. The few who did not have Afros or
braided hair wore wigs. It is only in photos from the 80s and 90s that the
relaxer revolution was seen in full effect.
