Natural Hair Trend Amoung Celebrities: My thoughts - May 31, 2013

[ Tracee Ellis Ross - natural hair icon from the beginning ]

I don't know about all the other millions of females who have gone natural and I definitely can't speak for them, but I chose to embrace my natural hair texture as a symbol of change. I stopped relaxing my hair because I wanted to embrace my true self, save time and money and I fell in love with my curls. I know that there are many reasons for someone to want to change their hair or go natural. I know that most females feel more confident nowadays going natural because there is such a huge following and immense support. There are multiple natural hair communities! I also know how girls with naturally, long hair always want to show it off and even prove that they (black females) can have long hair; I once did it too.

However, I don't agree with people suddenly taking off their masks, aka exposing their natural hair, just because everyone else is doing so. It has become a trend for black and mixed celebrities to prove that they have naturally, long hair underneath the wigs and weaves. They claim that they are "natural girls" but being a true natural girl is a lifestyle not a hairstyle. Celebrities have been posting pictures of their natural hair and booking interviews with natural hair blogs but then wear wigs or weaves 11 months of the year. What are you hiding and why? If you have waist length, naturally curly hair, why do you choose shoulder length, silky straight strands??? There are so many celebrities that are rocking their natural curls, like Janelle Monae, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jordin Sparks, Solange, Alicia Keys and more. They haven't suddenly become less popular or lost their jobs because they wear their natural hair. If anything, they have become role models for us! Celebrities change their hair ALL the time. A hairstyle or texture doesn't make you less of a person. If you are black or mixed and have naturally, straight hair, then cool but if not, who are you trying to be?

People always say, straight hair, wigs and weaves are easier to deal with and style. What's easier than a wash and go curly afro?! It took me less than half an hour to do my hair this morning! I wet my hair in the shower, applied leave-in conditioner, finger combed my curls, applied gel and oil, and I was out the door. No overload of products or tools needed. When my hair was relaxed, I would have to wash my hair, relax it, apply treatment, blowdry and straighten it, etc. With wigs or weaves, you have to braid your real hair underneath and wash it and rebraid it every few weeks so that's still alot of work! Time, money and lots of different products and tools needed. Many celebrities have also said, "I want to protect my natural from all the heat damage and styling done on set". If you wore your hair natural, you wouldn't NEED to apply heat or even style it! Wash and go's are the easiest and fastest style! I've always said that curly hair looks best when it's just doing it's messy, wild and free thang.
Natural hair has just a huge trend among celebrities that doesn't seem very genuine. That urks me! It all seems fake. If you don't wear your hair natural all the time then you clearly don't love it enough to show the world and you're obviously not living the natural hair lifestyle of embracing all of you, so don't claim to be! Ameriie is no more beautiful than Elle Varner because of her hair texture. We, as a society and as a black community, have to care about other things and put emphasis on more important things like talent and education. Sigh! Thanks for reading, y'all :-)