This was not evident from your original post, especially if read by some unenlightened members of the board.
You stated:
I think it depends on what your purpose for going natural is. For me, I have a nice grain of hair so I didn't understand why my mother permed my hair. Well I actually do, she just got tired of dealing with it. When I was natural I would get my hair pressed as a little girl and it was always healthy. When I do perm my hair it is always a mild perm. I fiqure why get a mild perm when it appears I really don't need a relaxer that bad. I want to also be able to color my hair. My hair can't handle two chemicals.
If someone says that they have a nice grain of hair it is usually in relation to the opposite of that. If someone belives that all textures of hair are equal in goodness then they wouldn't usually point out their texture in opposition to anyone else's hair.
I, too do not believe in the good hair/bad hair ideology and I'm glad you've been trying to spread some knowledge to other family members. And yes you're right I wanted to go natural in the first place to get a better understanding of your natural hair unprocessed and I can say it's given me a great amount of patience and a whole different perspective of my hair both relaxed and natural. /images/graemlins/smile.gif I wish you the same happiness in your natural journey.
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sbaker said:
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ms_kenesha said:
I have no problem with anyone wanting to perm, press, texturize, fro it out, dred it up, etc.
BUT...
Everybody and they momma know, that when someone says they have a good grade or grain of hair they are talking about it in opposition to someone else's "bad" hair and for someone to not just say they have a good grade, but to add that because they have a good grade & they don't know why their mom permed it means, that they believe some people NEED perms *those with a "bad" grade* and some people don't NEED perms *people with a good grade/grain*!
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out that it's just a rehashing of the good hair/bad hair syndrome!
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It doesn't take a rocket scientist for me to know what word I should or should not use. The way that I describe my hair doesn't mean I think there is such a thing as bad and good hair in relation to texture and length. To me no hair is bad in which the term was originally used. In my personal life I flipped the connotation of the word to mean something different than it's orininal meaning. I think everyone has the potential of having "good hair" becasue to me "good hair" is healthy hair. Bad hair is poorly treated hair, split ends, etc. It ain't got nothing to do with length or wave pattern. A girlfriend of mine was talking about she didn't know if she should go natural because she had a bad grade of hair. I told her that she has nice grade of hair. I tell that to everyone becasue for so long we have associated tightly coiled hair as "bad hair". My little baby cousin cut her baby sister's hair to get rid of the beaty beads. /images/graemlins/confused.gif I told my cousin (their mother) to stop talking negatively about their hair, they have a good grade of hair period. People need to think positively about their hair and need to embrace it. If you think your hair is bad or unmanageable, then you are going to treat it that way. I don't beleive in subscribing to a self defeatist attitude.
In response to my statement My hair doesn't need to be permed. I don't think anyone hair needs to be permed. As black women we think the solution to have more manageable hair is a perm. When really maybe all it takes is more research and patience. For me, growing up my hair was always thick and healthy. It was pressed for special occasions and braided up most of the time. So for me, I don't understand why my mother felt the need to perm my hair. The only thing I can think of was that it was just easier and faster for her to do it if it was relaxed. I'm sure you have asked yourself the same question too. Isn't that why you wanted to go natural in the first place to get a better understanding of your natural hair un processed?
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