Ok, I will be honest and tell you I will keep this short, not just for your benefit, but because this topic makes me tired. This topic makes me tired because it is yet another issue that Black people simply keep discussing over, and over and over again without really getting anywhere.
The only way to get anywhere is to go deep. And I don’t mean deep where you talk about Black men preferring longer hair due to being brainwashed during slavery. In this case we would have to get deep within society. Not just our culture.
This is where we have always messed up. This is one of those issues that ironically did not stem from Black men always being against short hair and preferring it.
What do I mean by that? Well, I think even the most simple person, could absorb the photos, media and ENERGY of Black people in the past and see that Black men had no problem being with Black women with short hair. Nor, did they mind being with Black women who wore afros, and their natural texture.
So again, let’s be clear that this is NOT one of our problems that stems from slavery. This has to do with Societies attack on Black people and how Black people fell into this attack.
Now ya’ll know I am the last person to play victim or think that the world is out to get me. However what I’m about to explain is evident to those who wish to absorb it.
As a licensed cosmetologist, I can promise you that what I’m about to reveal is the truth………so Let’s begin!
Both Black men and Black women over the years became convinced thatthe way their hair looks was unacceptable. Neither had an issue with embracing the others hair prior to the 60’s and 70’s. I know my Mom had an Afro and so did many other Black women of that era.
So what happen?
Greediness and the fact that major beauty companies wanted to milk Black women for more money. They where not making much money during a time when Black women simply wore Afros, and went to the neighborhood salon for social reasons more than anything.
The beauty industry had to focus Black women in a direction that would allow them to market many products and chemicals to their hair. Doing so requires a Black woman to maintain her hair beyond the simple natural way she would with an Afro.
Chemicals require a lot of up-keep, maintenance and repair. All those factors translate to money.
Now follow me here………………Beauty companies started playing with the self-esteem of Black woman by marketing images to them that made them think that they could obtain hair like a White woman. Most Black woman in the past, prior to the 60’s and 70’s worked with what they had. And because Black men embraced it, it wasn’t an issue.
As Black woman where being marketed to by beauty companies, these companies made sure to lay it on thick. They created visuals that showed that Black women could have straight, bouncy, gorgeous hair. Despite the fact that Black woman where fine with their hair, they could not and to this day can not come against the strong visual images the beauty industry bombarded the Black community with. To this day the beauty industry has the same strategy but can use celebrities to carry out their agenda.
As Black woman where being marketed to by beauty companies, these companies made sure to lay it on thick. They created visuals that showed that Black women could have straight, bouncy, gorgeous hair. Despite the fact that Black woman where fine with their hair, they could not and to this day can not come against the strong visual images the beauty industry bombarded the Black community with. To this day the beauty industry has the same strategy but can use celebrities to carry out their agenda.
The beauty companies portrayed images which seem to have a strong message that “Your kinky hair is not good enough”. The reason this was so successful was because they simply started to portray Black women in the media with the type of hair that would lead to other Black women transforming their natural hair to chemicals. In this transformation the beauty industry knew they would make a lot of money off relaxers, hair straightening products and now weaves.
Here’s the thing, in the meantime Black men where simultaneously being brainwashed to frown upon Black woman’s hair too. They too where being effected by the visual images being shoved down their throats. They became brainwashed into believing that a Black woman’s natural hair was not as beautiful as a non-Black woman. As a result they began to subconsciously equate a Black woman’s natural hair with poverty, roughness and ugliness.
The media outlets began to show the most successful, desirable Black men with women who did not have the natural hair that women in the community had. This created a scenario where Black men began to believe that in order to portray an ENERGY of being worthy or élite they had to have a Black woman who had more mainstream hair. Black men have been convinced that when they are at the top of their game, rich and successful, they deserve a woman with long hair. A Black man subconsciously equates this transformation to “moving on up”. In his subconscious mind Black men believed that anything outside of the environment he has come from is a true sign of prosperity.
After-all the mainstream carries a strong ENERGY of success. The hood does not carry this ENERGY, it seems to carry the opposite. The hood's considered less than, unless the person is currently living there, then they convince themselves its OK to preserve their dignity. So whatever is in the mainstream will always have more of an impact, then what's liked or observed by people who seem to have no power.
So folks, I won’t go on about this. I just find it disturbing that Black people discuss Long hair vs Short hair and the texture of a Black woman's hair, as if Black men are making an active decision in preferring woman with long hair. No they have subconsciously been brainwashed. All they know is that it looks better to them for some reason. Even though it’s not part of their genetics.
Black men don't have mothers who have hair like that, nor do their grandmothers or sisters. As a licensed cosmetologist I can honestly tell the community that most Black women don’t have long hair. Most Black women try to defy their genetics. As a cosmetologist, I tell woman to look at the hair of their mother, grandmother and other woman in their immediate family. This will determine about how long their hair will be.
You will not grow hair like in the fairytale “Rapunzel”. I don’t care what you do to your hair. Every person has a genetic clock on each hair strand. If your hair is predisposition to grow to medium length, your hair will begin to shed and break when you try to grow it longer.
This happens because the hair is so weak because should have broken off at an early time due to it's genetic clock. It simply didn’t because they let it grow out with braids, or did the most minimal styling to it. But once they go back to styling their hair through combing and brushing their hair strands will break. Again, they break because the hair strands are delicate to begin with and weren’t genetically disposition to stay in their head that long.
So folks, just like anything else. Society saw a way it could make money off of this community by eliminating the pride we had in our hair by removing the images of beautiful Black women with natural hair from the media.
The only way counteract this even slightly at this point is if we create a contrasting ENERGY within our mainstream culture through visuals. Visuals that display the beauty of natural hair.
How many rappers and R&B singers would agree to that one? lol, lol, lol, lol. How many young girls could resist what Trey Songz and Lil Wayne seem to like, lol, lol
Here’s an ironic twist……….
However, Black men who seek to emulate what they're taught is a “power-look” through media images would prefer, a woman with long hair. She blends in more with society, and because many of these men are looking for approval from society and the mainstream in a broad way, they opt for women with long hair.
They want men of all races to envy and admire the woman they have chosen. They don’t realize real "Alpha Men" create their own paths, ideals and desires. White men would never truly follow a Black man, but the opposite is unfortunately true.
This is why so many Black men in the spotlight prefer women with long hair unless the woman herself is accomplished. Even then, when a Black man portrays visuals of Black women in his career, they usually have long hair. It satisfies men of other races and is more acceptable in a broad way. And let’s face it Black men aren’t exactly known for standing tough. They aren’t exactly known for standing up to the things they have been challenged and brainwashed by. This is true even when the things they stand by represents what other men create.
Example:
A Black Man’s Sperm creates this:
So much so that when they have children with non-black women they create this:
Yet many Black men like long silky hair like this:
I won’t go on, even though I’m sure that took you only two minutes to read, lol, lol.Guess what? At the same time it took me more than an hour to write and edit it.
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