UNDERREPRESENTATION of Natural Textures!!

[Deja9]

I posted on CurlyNikki.com an issue that strikes many AA. The reason being for some AA not always feeling comfortable with rocking natural is the idea that coaser textures are not deemed appropriate nor desirable enough.

It appears that it's mainstream to have natural hair with a FINER and LOOSER CURL pattern hair-although it's beautiful indeed, it is believed by many that natural hair should be "easily managable" or "less time consuming", or "simmer-wash-and go- like" in order to work. Should this be the case?

I have a cuzzo who recently permed her hair after being natural all her life. Her mom is bi-racial. But since she does not have hair such as her mom's, it just wasn't good enough left in it's natural state. After pressing frequently she decided to relax it. It pained me because my cousin's hair was already beautiful as it was. No it wasn't the same curly, wavy pattern as her mother's-but it was stunning and thick. But she didn't feel the same way. Don't get me wrong-her hair is doing well with her relaxer, as she does not over-process her hair Fortunately, it will never be too late for my cuz to transition (she's already talking about it and I'm happy for her). I cannot criticize her reasons to relax it in the first place-after all, I'm not the one who has to do her hair everyday. It's not my place to bash relaxed hair either-to each his own.

But what makes natural hair unique is that it varies in textures and curl patterns. Unfortunately the representation is lacking. Most AA do not have finer hair which is probably why most feel as if going natural is too hard to manage since they cannot achieve a sleek mound of curls that "pop". I want to see a better representation of all kinds of natural hair. I can imagine how some may feel discouraged to transition. While skimming fotkis, everyone's hair idols are not realistically possible to achieve when one does not and will not have smooth ringlets -if that's not their hair type. They may feel, "my hair can never do that, they must have that "good hair" or be mixed." We love Myas hair, Bree form ANTM, Mel B, Sydney Poitier, Tracee Ellis Ross and so on..But this does NOT represent the entirety of the natural hair community. There IS MORE variety than this.

I'm not hating on the celebs I mentioned above b/c I love their hair too!! I just wish there was a better representation of all kinds of natural that we don't always see in the media.

So what is consider beautiful natural hair? Personally, I say all natural hair I just wanted to touch on the uniqueness of various textures and coils that are not in the limelight all the time. I would like to see ppl of all ages embrace their own and discover methods that work for ANY type of natural hair they have

 

[luvn_life]

I think its just the way we, as people (not just black) were programmed to think. The closest to white is right. I am tranistioning and I really don't know how my texture is gonna be since I have been relaxing before I was cognizant of hair textures. I just thought of hair white(straight), black(nappy), and biracial(curly). Not all the beautiful textures between.

Also, sometimes the thought of natural hair can be overwhelming. I always said that it wouldn't go with my style. But, now I am eager to see my textures and the changes that it brings.

So basically it all chalks up to the fact that we have been programmed to think a certain way but the thank the LORD for this hair forums and youtube to slowly de program ourselves. Can't let it upset you just look at it as an opportunity to educate

 

[tatiana]

You are not going to see it in the media until we ourselves find all natural textures to be beautiful.

When 3s BC they get more love than 4s BC on this forum.

3s Twist-n-Curl get more love than 4s Twist -n - Curl on CurlyNikki site. That is not media; that is us favoring one over the other.

If we do not love our hair, do not expect others to?

 

[Neith]

You are not going to see it in the media until we ourselves find all natural textures to be beautiful.

When 3s BC they get more love than 4s BC on this forum.

3s Twist-n-Curl get more love than 4s Twist -n - Curl on CurlyNikki site. That is not media; that is us favoring one over the other.

If we do not love our hair, do not expect others to?

I'm going to have to agree with the bolded.

The rest of your post... I dunno... maybe I just don't pay attention. On hair boards, I don't really see "more love" given to looser textures.

We DO talk about the hair type issue, but in normal, day to day hair talk, I don't see it.

IRL it's a different story. Not as many people are hair enlightened.

 

[Deja9]

You are not going to see it in the media until we ourselves find all natural textures to be beautiful.

When 3s BC they get more love than 4s BC on this forum.

3s Twist-n-Curl get more love than 4s Twist -n - Curl on CurlyNikki site. That is not media; that is us favoring one over the other.

If we do not love our hair, do not expect others to?

The CurlyNikki site is popular and a form of media-but not responsible for the black community's ideology. I find it informative

There may be some truth to the raves of 3s vs 4s-I'm not aware, but wouldn't doubt it either. I used the "media" as an exmaple because it plays a pivotal role of influence. Chris Rock's "Good Hair" movie is even creating it's own opinions. Many naturals are hoping it will be enlightening. Media is power.
But I definitely agree with the bolded. Individuals will always have preferences and that's fine. But things don't have to remain the way they are, thank goodness.

 

[Naturallong81]

there's more money to be made in perms than naturals. and you cant look for validation outside of yourself, cause you'll never find it. look how the media acted when solonge cut her hair. it is what it is.
our hair is always gonna be the topic of conversation. not matter if its permed natural if your a 4q or a 3g, if we rock braids or weaves.

 

[Deja9]

there's more money to be made in perms than naturals. and you cant look for validation outside of yourself, cause you'll never find it. look how the media acted when solonge cut her hair. it is what it is.
our hair is always gonna be the topic of conversation. not matter if its permed natural if your a 4q or a 3g, if we rock braids or weaves.

Of course! This thread was in reference to a topic on CurlyNikki.com that cited more naturals being used in advertisements (I should have stated this in the OP). I'm not saying more naturals have to be advertised-but the scope of natural hair is not met. You see the same thing over and over in Gap ads, black people used in television etc. It's lovely, but can also give a misconception of what natural is "supposed" to look like and what looks cute and photo-worthy since the trend is the same.

 

[laurend]

This has been going on forever in the Black community even with relaxed hair. I live in Chicago which was once the mecca for the AA hair industry and when I was 25(in the 1980's) I questioned the practices of well known AA company. They told me they utilize models who don't need relaxers for their hair ads. Straight hair always been the standard with AA and it will take a revolution to change that.

 

[Deja9]

^^Although this originally wasn't a "straight vs. coily" thread...I will say that I absolutely love straight hair. I've always been natural and love how flattering my hair looks straight as well as coily-especially since it's long and healthy. I wasn't trying to make a point about why naturals need to be advertised more-it was NEVER about that. I was only pointing out an observation of how society portrays our hair in the mainstream. I just didn't want naturals or transitioners to be discouraged throughout their hair journey-especially since many are learning about a texture they've never had to care for before. I'm glad we're advancing and taking pride in our uniqueness.

 

[laurend]

^^Although this originally wasn't a "straight vs. coily" thread...I will say that I absolutely love straight hair. I've always been natural and love how flattering my hair looks straight as well as coily-especially since it's long and healthy. I wasn't trying to make a point about why naturals need to be advertised more-it was NEVER about that. I was only pointing out an observation of how society portrays our hair in the mainstream. I just didn't want naturals or transitioners to be discouraged throughout their hair journey-especially since many are learning about a texture they've never had to care for before. I'm glad we're advancing and taking pride in our uniqueness.

That wasn't my point either. I was just stating how a certain texture of hair is what is considered beautiful. Instead of using women with beautiful relaxed hair in their ads, they sought out models with straight hair and passed them off having a relaxer. I sorry I just don't see the majority of our people accepting 4a and 4b as beautiful as 3a to 3c any time soon. As a long time natural, I really don't care what others think because if I did I wouldn't have gone natural in the 80s.

 

[LovinLea]

to the point where as a transitioner, you have to steel yourself to the fact that even though your hair looks all wavy with the relaxed ends weighing it down.. you have to mentally transition. i think that there are a good number of transitioners who go natural and expect to have the curly hair that we always see.

the only naturals i usually see are the ones with that curly hair, but i don't think i ever had that as a child. i WISH there was more representation so i'd have a better idea of what MY hair might look like.

 

[Deja9]

That wasn't my point either. I was just stating how a certain texture of hair is what is considered beautiful. Instead of using women with beautiful relaxed hair in their ads, they sought out models with straight hair and passed them off having a relaxer. I sorry I just don't see the majority of our people accepting 4a and 4b as beautiful as 3a to 3c any time soon. As a long time natural, I really don't care what others think because if I did I wouldn't have gone natural in the 80s.

Ok, I see what you mean.. You're probably right-looser curly hair will be preferred for awhile. Maybe this observation is just brand new to me-I never paid any attention to natural hair variations until recently. This natural movement is becoming quite popular now. We have come a long way and it does not matter what others think, as long as we don't buy into the myths. I'm glad you followed the beat of your own drum back then-when natural probably wasn't popular, I'm guessing.

 

[Skiggle]

I noticed that people
have a slight preference
for curls.. in real life and on
LHCF. * I use too, but I'm
embracing my texture now*
For example I have a friend
who had a loose 3 c texture hair,
she gets many ooos and ahhs and
the "good hair comment"....
people always tell her that
she should never perm her
hair,
on the other hand I have *transitioning*a 4b, Thick, cottony
and no curl pattern texture. No oohs and ahhs here...lol
People are begging me to relax..........
Lets just say people around me are not
supportive of my decision.

I really believe that some
people have a strong
preference/tolerance for certain natural textures.

 

[Deja9]

to the point where as a transitioner, you have to steel yourself to the fact that even though your hair looks all wavy with the relaxed ends weighing it down.. you have to mentally transition. i think that there are a good number of transitioners who go natural and expect to have the curly hair that we always see.

the only naturals i usually see are the ones with that curly hair, but i don't think i ever had that as a child. i WISH there was more representation so i'd have a better idea of what MY hair might look like.

Excellent point! This was my concern for transitioners and those contemplating going natural. I just want to say "be encouraged"! Your hair will do it's own unique thing-how exciting to find out

 

[Renovating]

" Good hair means curls and waves. Bad hair means you look like a slave, but at the turn of the century, it's time for us to re-define who we be." India Arie, song -I Am Not My Hair remix

 

[Deja9]

I noticed that people
have a slight preference
for curls.. in real life and on
LHCF. * I use too, but I'm
embracing my texture now*
For example I have a friend
who had a loose 3 c texture hair,
she gets many ooos and ahhs and
the "good hair comment"....
people always tell her that
she should never perm her
hair,
on the other hand I have *transitioning*a 4b, Thick, cottony
and no curl pattern texture. No oohs and ahhs here...lol
People are begging me to relax..........
Lets just say people around me are not
supportive of my decision.

I really believe that some
people have a strong
preference/tolerance for certain natural textures.

Thanks for being so candid skiggle. You're so right about ppl's strong preferences/tolerance. Although I've been natural all my life-I still wore my hair pressed more than coily. It just seemed practical to press my hair so I never explored the versatility until recently. It's great! I wish I realized this sooner. Now I can still go back and forth whenever I get bored. I'm happy to know you are embracing your hair despite the opposition you have around you-that takes guts

 

[Naturallong81]

I get what your Getting at. I did think i was doing my hair wrong for a min cuse my curls didn't look as defined as other people. man i thought what am i doing wrong and it just clicked one day that no amount of gel is gonna make me a 3c. While i still apreciate advice in all its forms i more look at what my hair likes and how it can work for me.

Yeah its funny like natural is in style nowadays but only in some degrees. i do still think that you gotta walk around when your natural like your the ish cause if you don't believe it noone will. i've stood in the perm ill touching the boxes before.
Your friend was probably tired of all the "when you gonna do somethig with your hair" comments and looks. Black people views on hair is still stuck in the 1800's, i mean you got people who still think that dreads are only for rasta's.

 

[nomoweavesfome]

ahhh good thread - coarser texteures very much underepresented indeed. This is why I struggled the first go round transitioning. I saw nobody like me and when I needed advice and I had no one to help me. I also have no curl pattern at all what so ever. I am 4 almost 5 months post and not a wave or coil in sight. Oh well - guess I'm on my own. Somebody asked me tonite once I get my hair natural, how would I wear it. I looked at her and said I don't know. *sigh*

 

[Afrobuttafly]

I agree...about 3's and nem generally getting more daps and hugs. *shrugs*

 

[ladylibra]

Well OP, that's why regardless of how some people here may or may not feel about them... sites like Nappturality exist. It's not enough to just demand to see more 4's... someone has to go out and make it happen.

Also, I personally feel there is an underrepresentation, because fewer women with type 4 hair are willing to go natural... and the ones that do, often go back to relaxing because their hair is harder to handle than they envisioned, or pressure from other people made them relax.

Sad, but true...

 

[AfroKink]

Please note that "coarse" and "fine" have to with strand diameter. If you look at this thread, you'll see that most type 4s have fine or medium hair strands. In truth people of African descent have the finest hair (smallest strand diameter) and Asain people have the coarsest hair (largest strand diameter).


On topic. Certain textures are still under appreciated both within out communities and on the boards. Think about the complements that type 4s, especially 4b naturals get on this board. Their hair is usually noted for its thickness, the length, or the style. People do not complement the actual texture very often. Where as in a thread about a type 3, people will rave about the texture, talking about how cute the coilies or curls are. The same goes for fotkis. You may not have noticed before, but keep your eyes open and you will see.

Lys

 

[ajargon02]

Well OP, that's why regardless of how some people here may or may not feel about them... sites like Nappturality exist. It's not enough to just demand to see more 4's... someone has to go out and make it happen.

Also, I personally feel there is an underrepresentation, because fewer women with type 4 hair are willing to go natural.

ITA with you Ladylibra! Nappturality is (for me and many others) a haven where it's ok to rock whatever kind of hair you have, reguardless of your god given texture. www.nappturality.com

It's sad, but I feel like the more of us naturals that represent ALL the textures that are out there, and rock our styles and hair with graceful pride, I think that alone will plant positive seeds for others w/o having to say a word.

Bottom line, I LOVE my hair! I didn't happen for me overnight either. It's a journey and a process for many of us reguardless of our hair type. However it's a journey that's WELL WORTH IT!

 

[Deja9]

Well OP, that's why regardless of how some people here may or may not feel about them... sites like Nappturality exist. It's not enough to just demand to see more 4's... someone has to go out and make it happen.

Also, I personally feel there is an underrepresentation, because fewer women with type 4 hair are willing to go natural... and the ones that do, often go back to relaxing because their hair is harder to handle than they envisioned, or pressure from other people made them relax.

Sad, but true...

So very sad and true. I'm grateful for recently learning about Nappturality-especially after examining this thread.

 

[Deja9]

Please note that "coarse" and "fine" have to with strand diameter. If you look at this thread, you'll see that most type 4s have fine or medium hair strands. In truth people of African descent have the finest hair (smallest strand diameter) and Asain people have the coarsest hair (largest strand diameter).


On topic. Certain textures are still under appreciated both within out communities and on the boards. Think about the complements that type 4s, especially 4b naturals get on this board. Their hair is usually noted for its thickness, the length, or the style. People do not complement the actual texture very often. Where as in a thread about a type 3, people will rave about the texture, talking about how cute the coilies or curls are. The same goes for fotkis. You may not have noticed before, but keep your eyes open and you will see.

Lys

Excellent and thanks for sharing the link

 

[Deja9]

Well OP, that's why regardless of how some people here may or may not feel about them... sites like Nappturality exist. It's not enough to just demand to see more 4's... someone has to go out and make it happen.

Also, I personally feel there is an underrepresentation, because fewer women with type 4 hair are willing to go natural... and the ones that do, often go back to relaxing because their hair is harder to handle than they envisioned, or pressure from other people made them relax.

Sad, but true...

Excellent points LadyLibra. Last night I have been impressed to do something about this myself. I'm willing to be transparent and put myself out there, whether I start a blog catered to this focus along with whatever I have envisioned. More people do have to make it happen-although that is easier said than done, as you mentioned above- many 4s become discouraged along the way..But I'm positive on the future outlook.

 

[vainღ♥♡jane]

i think one of the biggest reasons type 4 is underrespresented is because they are the ones that are told their hair is 'not good enough to be natural,' 'needs to be straightened', and 'needs to be relaxed'. sometimes the pressure can be too much. also i've noticed the difference in comments too. 3s will get 'oh your texture is perfect/silky' or 'i wish my hair was like that', and 4s get more compliments on only the styles.​

 

[knt1229]

Yep I have noticed the trend of type 3's repping natural hair in TV and magazine ads. 90%+ of the black kids in commericals have type 3 hair. It's very misleading and can make someone believe that afro textured hair is rare or that their natural texture might resemble a type 3 when in reality it's a type 4.

I actually read a comment on another hair board where a poster said that 4b was the rarest hair type and she had never seen anyone with that hair type IRL. Add to this the fact that the overwhelming majority of black women wear relaxers, wigs, or weaves I can see why someone might think afro textured hair is rare...LOL... It's definitely the least desired and the most disguised hair type.

 

[knt1229]

When I joined this site I was stunned at the number of type 3's. For the first few weeks I went out of my way to find some type 4's. 3C seems to be the hair type of choice meaning that everybody claims to have this texture. It's either 3C or 3C/4A. It's almost like admitting that you are type 4 only is like being a member of the ugly girl crowd....LOL. Don't mean to offend anyone but as a newbie it really came across that way because some people who said they were 3C their hair didn't look like other people who claimed 3C...I'm just saying.

BTW....I'm a proud type 4 with great hair...LOL

 

[andromeda]

I posted this reply on CurlyNikki's site in response to her blog post about depiction of AA naturals in ads.

I've noticed the trend for the last year or so, but what I've also noticed is that the casting tends to favor a specific type of natural AA woman. Most of the commercials, and there are exceptions of course, feature light-skinned or "mixed looking" (for lack of a better term) black women with 3 or 4a type curly hair. Less seen are darker or prominently afrocentric featured women or those with kinky/coily hair. Also, as someone above noted, those with relaxed or very kinky hair are sometimes marginalized as the "neck-rolling" type - the Bahamas tourism commercial with the AA young professional woman who had an island fling and her dramatic AA girlfriends, comes to mind.

I've noticed the trend in ads/mainstream media for a while and am not surprised by it. What did surprise and hurt me was when I started researching hair care back in March/April and started coming across various popular natural hair care blogs. I had never played into the whole "good hair/bad hair" thing but after reading these blogs from start to finish I was thisclose to having a complex! To me it seemed as though there was unabashed reverence for all things type 3 and maybe 4a. I got so sick of seeing 3s, some of whom were formerly relaxed, that when I would read them saying "I learned to accept my hair bc God does not make mistakes/I'm proud to wear the crown of my African Ancestors", I would think "GTFOOHWBS"! After a couple of days I calmed down bc I realized just bc someone is a 3, doesn't mean that they never received pressure to relax (this was a revelation to me).

However, even after I realized this I was still unsettled by the fact that 4s were so under-represented on these blogs. I even left a comment on one of my fave blogs telling her this. I think it's important to remember that many of the blogs are simply a reflection of our society. For example, if they feature AA models and most of AA models have 3/4a hair, then it is what it is - the blog author has to make a conscious decision to compensate for the disparity of the industry or else that disparity will be reflected, even exacerbated, on the pages of their blog. If they depend on reader submissions and most 4b/z's have been conditioned to think that people won't fawn over their hair or don't want to see it, than they'll be reluctant to submit. Commenters on Curly Nikki bought up the disparity you noticed and that's why she became proactive and posted several announcements asking for more 4 types to make submissions.

As far as LHCF is concerned, there might be a little more love for your run-of-the-mill 3 type but I've seen no shortage of love for 4 a/b/q/x/y/z who have thick, lush heads of hair.

ETA: Glamazini is a very inspirational blog for afro-textured/type 4s. Hers is the type of blog I expected to be greeted with when I started researching natural black hair. I really had this conception of a plethora of popular black natural hair care blogs that revered 4b/z hair. Unfortunately, this isn't the case but we have to try to seek them out and support them if we want change.

 

[MizzBrown]

I agree...about 3's and nem generally getting more daps and hugs. *shrugs*

Me too. And its obvious as hell on here. When I joined the board and started learning about textures, I had to pay attention to who was providing advice and starting 20 page Product Reviews.

Gettin' all excited thinking my hair would be curled and defined like a 3C. NEVER. And I pay attention to folks reviews. I dont have a damn thing in common hair-wise with a Type 3. No need to go in the thread.

And it kind of has me to hear the type 3's and lower egging the 4's C-Napps to try this or do that to our hair and asking why are we transitioning, just chop it off and asking us why we wear braids and wigs, etc.

I always give more credit to the Type 4's who go through it cause I know they went through hell. Aint much positivity surrounding 4's.