I love these pictures! Although some have appeared on this blog before, it is good to put them together in one place. I got most of them from a beautiful, beautiful post at Gorgeous Black Women (link to follow):
Lauryn Hill, American singer
Dakore Egbuson, Nigerian actress
Oluchi Onweagba, Nigerian fashion model
Vanessa A. Williams, American actress
Erykah Badu, American singer
India Arie, American singer
YaYa Da Costa, American model
Clara Aker Benjamin, South Sudanese fashion model
Amber Efé, American stage actress
Rojane Fradique, Brazilian fashion model
Abang Othow, South Sudanese model
Goapele, American singer
Naty Soul, Congolese model
Atong Arjok, South Sudanese model (Nubian)
Genevieve Nnaji, Nigerian actress
Algebra Blessett, American singer
Gloria Reuben, Canadian actress
Aissa Maiga, Senegalese-French actress
Why I love these pictures: First, because the women are beautiful. Second, because their hair is natural (or looks it – some of the models might be wearing wigs. I am easily fooled about that kind of thing). Just the idea of it being natural makes them even more beautiful. At least to me.
Natural hair tells me that they are not ashamed of being black, that they are not ashamed of being themselves. And so that alone makes them more beautiful. Like when Lisa Bonet played Denise Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” she dressed in her own style and said just what she felt, not being afraid of other people thinking she was messed up or something.
It is like the difference between Beyonce and Lauryn Hill – or Erykah Badu. It is no accident that Erykah and Lauryn mostly wear their hair in a natural style while Beyonce rarely does. It speaks to how they see themselves in the world.
I am one of those people who do not like Beyonce. Part of it, certainly, is that she is trying to be what other people want her to be – and not just her plain old self, her true self. Her younger sister Solange wears her hair black, at least, and just that alone makes me like her way more. She says she not trying to be like “picture-perfect Beyonce”. That is the trouble with Beyonce: she can sing pitch perfect and look picture perfect, but her true self gets lost in her attempt to be perfect. She is shell not soul.
Lauryn Hill, on the other hand, is singing from somewhere inside herself. And as to Erykah Badu, half the reason I like her so much is that she is completely unashamed of being herself.
I know women have straight hair for all kinds of reasons, like wanting to look professional for work or to be in fashion or to get a man. But sometimes I do have to wonder whether it is not always as innocent as all that, that maybe deep down something else is going on, in at least in some cases.
For those living in America, a country that is mainly white and which spends billions pushing white beauty, and a particular kind of white beauty at that, it would be surprising if there were not some amount of internalized racism at work.
See also:
- For those who want to see yet more pictures:
- Gorgeous Black Women: “Afro Chic & Lovely Locs” – see even more pictures!
- The Gentlemen’s Standard: All Natural – another tribute to natural hair
- lecoil.tumblr.com – has tons of pictures of natural hairstyles
- black beauty – if you love these pictures, then you will love this website.
- The most beautiful black women
- Posts on some of these women:
- Dakore Egbuson – started wearing dreadlocks after going to England: “When you see yourself in a sea of white people, you become more aware of whom you are.”
- Rojane Fradique – one of the top black models of Brazil.
- YaYa Da Costa – made a point of wearing her hair in a natural style on “America’s Next Top Model”.
- Why I love Lauryn Hill and do not care for Beyonce – comparing their music
- Genevieve Nnaji – the number one actress in Nigeria
- Lisa Bonet
- Gloria Reuben
- Aissa Maiga
- “Black is beautiful”
- Beyonce
- Solange: F*ck the Industry (Signed Sincerely) – wherein she sings about picture-perfect Beyonce
Alot of these women Ive never heard of but I “lubs” me some Algebra!!! And Erykah B can where a salad bowl on her head and would still be fly! Just something about her. And India Aries’s “Im Am Not My Hair” should be the national anthem for women of color.
What a wonderful celebration of unacknowledged beauty, Agabond!
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janelle monae is another afro rocking charmer!
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hahahahha!! this is great!
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Great pictorial, Aba! This is the first of its kind on this blog, no?
All of these women are beautiful except India.Arie (IMO). It’s just not the physical either, their charm and individuality push them over the top.
I do think its somewhat unfair to use the style of a black woman’s hair as a litmus test of how she feels about her blackness.
I get what you mean about Beyonce but I disagree, I don’t think she looks picture-perfect and her pitch is not perfect but that’s all subjective. Also, Solange wears just as much horse hair as her sister. And wears as much makeup.
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Actually Beyonce tried to wear her hair natural but she got alot of stick for it. There was a great picture of her face at the side with her hair in an afro.It looked amazing.
However she is signed on with these white companies that stipulate she is not allowed to make drastic changes to her hair..meaning Afro obviously
But giver her credit. She did go natural for a while before the pressure got to her
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oh lord abagond you are going to have the Beyonce stans attack you be prepared. However I agree with Janice. Beyonce was going natural and was going to rock that hairstyle for awhile. Also she wanted to do Neo-soul so that could be for her afro. However, she go pressured to do the weaves. Anyways great post!
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THANK YOU! Its cool as a Black woman who wears her hair natural (9 yrs. natural, 6 months of it with locs) to see pics like that, or just every day women I see embracing their natural beauty. It really inspires me and I’m sure a lot of Black women.
Peace
BTW I agree with ThatChickNik, Miss. Badu is a huge beauty icon in my book, Jill Scott, too. Both are gorgeous!
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Interesting post Aba,
but I don t agree with u ( mostly on everything except they are gorgeous) and I have to say u forgot JILL SCOTT and Leela James who are both gorgeous and talented with gorgeous hair.
So to you a black woman with natural( like Vanessa A williams) is more a real black woman and more pride of being black than one with relaxed hair(like Michelle Obama)?
or Lauryn Hill versus Sade?
And Erykah, Jill etc.. does wear their hair straight sometimes
Do we( black women) have to wear their hair natural to be seen as someone not ashamed of being themselves(black)?
I would say NO!!!!!!!!
I have to remind it’s only hair. I don’t understand why some people associate natural hair.
BLACKNESS CANNOT BE DEFINED BY HAIR OR SKIN COLOR Anymore!
of course I find wiggy bang very pathetic or the one who thinks good hair rhymes only with ( straight and curly hair ect…) some do have issues but not everybody. nappy, kinky, curly, straight ect… all can be gorgeous.
for example,I do not relaxed my hair not because I want to be different or show how pride I am to be black or MAKE A POLITICAL SATEMENT.
It s only because I love having my hair thick and voluminous, as you can see in my pic my hair is straight( I have had a good blowout LOL) and I like it because I still have this thickness.
I love all kind of hairstyles(afro, braids, straight ect…) as long this makes me feel “pretty” and suit me, like a lot of black women.
I know a lot of black women with afro ( included me) who don’t need to have their hair straight to get men and look professional ect…LOL
It’s more about confidence and how you show yourself( I always show how natural hair can look sexy, stylish and professional).
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Nubiah & Mynameismyname:
I agree that it is wrong to use hair as some kind of political blackometer. Michelle Obama is an excellent example of how it would not work in practice. No one doubts for one minute that she is not proud to be black or that she is not a “real” black woman. As stated in the post, women choose straight hair for all sorts of reasons. The same goes for natural hair too.
On the other hand, sometimes it can be a sign of a deeper issue. I used the example of Beyonce and Lauryn Hill. Way too many have had straight hair for way too long for it to be mere fashion.
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These are the kind of posts that I like. It is a refreshing alternative to talk of body types, thickness, ect. All the women above are beautiful, naturally!
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Oooh! I love being natural too!
I hated my hair when I relaxed it. I thought I looked like I wet dog. LOL
finally, I made sure my mother didn’t have a say-so and chopped it all off two years ago, and I haven’t looked back.
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Additionally, I understand what Nubiah is saying, but I must add that black women that decide to wear their hair natural seem to be more in touch with their heritage and “blackness” in general. I’m not speaking about all naturals of course, but those whom I have come in contact with know that they are beautiful black women and cherish the fact they are.
I know for a fact that my relaxed hair was just a cop-out for me not to be made fun of when I was younger. I begged my mother for years to cut my relaxed hair off, but she wanted to conform to societies idea of what her daughter should look like. Natural women do run against the grain, and embrace who they are.
I certainly have felt more liberated since going natural, and I have come to love who I am. I remember dreaming about having “good hair” and “light skin”…and it wasn’t until I went natural did I see how beautiful my own skin and hair could be without the chemicals and all the mess. I learned to love my self like many others have.
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Mynameismyname:
This is the first pictorial like this on this blog.
I was not sure about Solange’s hair, how natural it is, but I have seen it black, that I know. She shaved it all off not too long ago so maybe she is going natural.
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dani said:
Beyonce was going natural and was going to rock that hairstyle for awhile. Also she wanted to do Neo-soul so that could be for her afro. However, she go pressured to do the weaves.
Wow, that is sad, though it does make my point about how she is not being herself. The world already has enough manufactured pop singers, but there can be only one neo-soul Beyonce.
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Aba,
Even if I am the first one to defend Michelle’s hair I have to admit when I was watching the Democratic convention on tv, I actually wondered how America would respond to Michelle and her daughters if they wore their hair natural.Just a thought.
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you know, some black women dont go for natural hair, because they are trying to embrace being black.
i think some, if not many, do it because, going natural is less time consuming, and is not costly to maintain.
some go with it, cause its just easier and makes their life less stressful in terms of what to do with the hair, and they are comfortable with who they are that, they wont care what others say about it.
i agree with nubiah somewhat too. i dont think certain hairstyles make someone ashamed of being black or more of a black person.
i think what makes one proud of being black, is being proud of the heritage and history and all the adversity the race has overcome and is currently trying to overcome.
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for me, i think it’s a choice if black women wants to wear their hair a certain way. if some wear it natural, then good for them. if some wear it in a perm or weave it up, then good for them. at the end of the day we’re all black regardless of how we wear our hair and we shouldn’t have to be defined by our hair, in my opinion because i’m a young black woman and regardless of my hair, that’s what i see when i look at myself. i thought beyonce look beauiful with her natural hair and when she had the afro because she wasn’t all weaved up like she is right now. but to me i can’t say she’s ashamed of her blackness because of how she wears her hair. at the end of the day it’s a choice to how women of color should wear their hair and shouldn’t have to knock someone down because they don’t share your taste. beyonce is going to wear her hair regardless of what people think and same as with other black women that wear their natural. i don’t mind straighten my hair but i do go natural at times because i don’t want to over heat my hair, plus it’s my choice on how i wear my hair. not what society thinks or what white america thinks.
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I have to say that Lauyrn takes the title here. Not only is she fine, has great lips and amazing eyes, but she’s talented as well.
Eric has a sexy voice no doubt, but..’That thing, that thing, that thiiinnggg..”
Yes, I’m going to listed to my old Fu tapes right now.
How you gonna win if you ain’t right within?
Where have women like this gone?
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I know!
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Gloria Reuben and Jill Scott are both excellent suggestions and I will probably add them.
Note that when I first made this post, I just took pictures from the Gorgeous Black Women post. That did not have Scott or Reuben, though it did have Leela James (but I did not like that picture of her).
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I added Jill Scott, Gloria Reuben and Aissa Maiga (French actress). I also added the nationality and profession of each woman since some of them, especially the African models, are not well known.
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Lauryn Hill is from Haiti.
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Aissa Maga is African, she’s Malian and sene-gambian.
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Lauryn Hill is American not Hatian
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Yeah, Lauryn is black American. From North Jersey at that.
Wow, Aba, I didn’t know that Solange shaved off her hair. I just googled pics of her new ‘do. How brave.
I hate the term “neo soul”. But I know the Vibe article that Dani is referencing. Beyonce was trying to go for a “boho” image. That had less to do with her own artistic integrity and more to do with the influence that her then-boyfriend Mos Def had on her at the time.
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Wow, this only gets worse: even her neo-soul thing was not a matter of artistic integrity.
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Nubiah said:
Even if I am the first one to defend Michelle’s hair I have to admit when I was watching the Democratic convention on tv, I actually wondered how America would respond to Michelle and her daughters if they wore their hair natural.Just a thought.
I think she was trying to appear as mainstream as possible, so wearing her hair natural at that point was out of the question. You remember that New Yorker cover.
Until this paranoia about Obama settles down, like about his missing birth certificate, changing her hair to a natural style is still out of the question (assuming she wants to – it has been years since she has done it). FOX News would read all kinds of things into it. I have never seen a First Lady whose appearance has been so scrutinized.
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Lauryn Hill is from South Orange, New Jersey, near Newark.
I changed Aissa Maiga to “Sengalese-French”. She was born in Senegal to Malian and Senegalese-Gambian parents, but has lived in France since she was four.
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WOW! Beautiful!!I had never really heard of Oluchi Onweagba And Clara Aker Benjamin(fashion maodels are kind of had to keep up with) but they are maybe two of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen!!! I’m pretty much in love with that picture of Clara Aker Benjamin, Her profile is amazing.
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Wow. These photos make me proud of my natural. The cool thing about being natural is that when you see another black woman with a natural, it feels like we’re almost connected. Sometimes we get into a conversation about hair care or we just compliment each other on our hair. On the other hand, I have received strange looks and stares with women who have that long “silky soul” hanging down their backs. Even Wendy Williams commented that women with naturals are “strange.” That’s a real shame. What’s “strange” about being your natural self?
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mynameismyname said:
I hate the term “neo soul”. But I know the Vibe article that Dani is referencing. Beyonce was trying to go for a “boho” image. That had less to do with her own artistic integrity and more to do with the influence that her then-boyfriend Mos Def had on her at the time.
aww shit you mean to tell me that she went out with Mos Def and was fronting with her style because she was with him? Damn just when I was about to give Bey props, she messes it up lol. I thought she look great with her natural hair.
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Leah:
Clara Aker Benjamin is from South Sudan like Alek Wek but way better looking in my opinion.
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I was just thinking the other day how beautiful Lauryn Hill is. That Rolling Stone cover looks too good, though; it’s probably air-brushed.
Lauryn Hill: rapper/actress
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You are right, it does look airbrushed.
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Thanks for the post. I am in 100% agreement with your aesthetic on this issue.
I do think you’re unduly harsh on Beyonce. I’m not personally a fan, but then I’m not a fan of most pop entertainment. Nonetheless, I recognize that being a pop superstar nowadays, black or white, pretty much always requires casting off one’s authentic identity in exchange for the ersatz stage identity that sells records and concert tickets (for extreme examples of this, see Gene Simmons, or Charo). Beyonce is an aggressively ambitious individual who eagerly embraces this process. I can’t fault her for it.
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on the topic of hair Erykah Badu once said, every perm aint for the fall and every dread aint down for the cause. referring to women who chose to wear their hair natural as more in tune with their Blacknessor or spiritually aware is just a way of judging a person by appearance.
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I love being natural. When I had straight hair I hid behind it. I was also stressed a lot about how it looked, but now, I am a lot more relaxed. I have been natural for almost a year now and I am not looking back. I have nothing against black women who have straight hair. However, it’s just something about a black woman with natural hair.
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Black woman that wear their hair natural are leaps and bounds more attractive than ironed straight hair. This goes for all woman, natural rules, whether your hair is straight or curley. It shows a confidence in who you are, not what you want to be!
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wayne, a woman who straighten their hair can still be proud of who they are and not try to look like other people. i straighten my hair but still embrace where i come from and shouldn’t have to feel bad for what i do.
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Like women of ANY RACE, BW can wear their hair ANY WAY THEY WANT and it has NO BEARING on their Blackness or beauty.
BW ARE NOT THEIR HAIR.
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Awersome
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You guys can wear your hair anyway that pleases you. I just prefer woman that are natural without wasting hours in front of the mirror.
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Natural kinky-curl or pressed straight, I’m the same down-to-earth sister everyday. Judge none too harshly lest ye be judged and all that, so know this: some of you other Natural Sisters wear your decision to go natural like an ugly chip on your shoulder in judging others who do otherwise. Just stop it.
You supposed to be so conscious and enlightened according to the front your hair’s putting up, but still snarking at sisters who ain’t coming up in your world messing with you. Psychotic Beyonce-hating is only the tip of this iceberg. Y’all have insecurity issues that going natural apparently has yet to solve.
Keep working on that and quit talking all this hyperjudgmental s@#% about other people. Ya might even live up to that positive stereotype that comes with our natural do’s LOL.
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rashida, take your own advice.
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Thank you sir,
I am so glad that you celebrate black women with natural hair. My blog/website is designed especially for women with natural hair. I love my natural hair–its all me and I love it!! A lot of people view straight hair as superior and natural hair is considered ugly, unkept, nasty and so on. Thank you for displaying the beauty of black women. Be empowered to prosper!!
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Yes Shandell, and some of those people are potential employers, so many sistas are pretty much strong armed into the whole weave/relaxer bit if they want to get a job, especially if they intend on moving through the ranks in Corporate America or the entertainment industry. Still, no weaves, flat irons, relaxers for me, I want to see my hair, why shouldn’t I? This assimilation thing they want you to do is a b!tch isn’t it lol.
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These women are beautiful especially Amber efe’ and Abang othow, and Genevieve all i can say is WOW i see why white women are so jealous of us as much as they say they arent but i KNOW they are I cant tell you how many random white women have told me and my mother they wish they had our skin tone..
Black women to me just have this natural swagger and sexy appeal the look in their eyes the softness of our skin the sway in our hips and im not just saying this because im black either…Im just like you Abagond i appreciate the true beauty of nubian queens..Oh yeah Im soo jealous of Sundanese women their Dark rich smooth ebony skin is intoxicating,
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RE: “For those living in America, a country that is mainly white and which spends billions pushing white beauty, and a particular kind of white beauty at that, it would be surprising if there were not some amount of internalized racism at work.”
=====================
The typical business will target the largest market, in this case, white America. It’s the lowest cost way to reach a large group with one product, or one series of products.
Smaller businesses will try to serve the smaller groups, Afro, Asian, Latino, etc. because there is less competition, or the smaller groups may not even be targets of the of large companies at all.
Sometimes it just DOLLARS and SENSE. (Yes, that’s a pun.)
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It is not clear why you are bringing that up.
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These women are so beautiful I almost had a heart attack looking at them, and I’m a woman. LOL And that Abong….I don’t have words for the beauty of that woman.
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I agree, they are all beautiful.
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i think you are looking into the hair issue too deeply abagond, its as if you are saying women who don’t keep their hair natural are not proud of their race. But then what about white women who dye their hair or have weaves and extensions?
Many women change their hair just simply because they feel it suits them more a certain way. I don’t like to wear hair extensions of dye my hair, but i relax it. This is simply because although i am mixed, my hair is afro in its natural texture. it is so unmanagable naturally that i found it hard to even tie my hair back and comb it, I don’t want that hassle. I also think that unlike on some other women an afro doesn’t suit my face. plus in certain contexts for instance in the professional world it would be seen as odd to have a big full on afro.
also braids and dreads are supposedly more natural, but they can be just as damaging to hair than relaxing it and when you get it done it is more time and money consuming.
Personally i think beyonce is fab, she changes her hair a lot and has fun with it. I hardly think she wants to be white. For the record lauryn hill ( i think suits dreads better than an afro, but then others like pam grier can pull off an afro) who you think is great and natural is a diva who turns up hours late to her concerts, so perhaps her hair doesn’t really represent that she is that down too earth.
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mynameismyname
All of these women are beautiful except India.Arie (IMO). It’s just not the physical either, their charm and individuality push them over the topM
That was a very ugly thing to say. If you did not find India.Arie attractive you didnt have to mention her name at all. There is nothing wrong with her. I like her she is a positive role model for young black women. Her songs are meaningful and uplifting. You didnt have to single her out like that.
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I hope he is not a black man talking down on India.Arie like that.
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I,m a footballer. Ghanaian, 25yrs. I,m looking for a lady to married. Please link me.
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I have to ask you something Agabond. I’m black and straighten my hair, does that mean I am trying to be something I’m not?
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Maybe, maybe not. It depends on your motives. If you need insight into what they are, try going natural.
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But the thing is that I never looked at it that way. Straighter hair is just easier for me to manage. Plenty of white women with curly hair get perms and it is a fetish among Asians as well. Nothing wrong with wanting some silky straight hair every now and then. Not that I wouldn’t ever go natural. I just sort of think you get the wrong feel about women and their hair. I would wear my hair natural, I just want too wait until I grow it out more because I’m fond of longer hair and miss my long natural locks.
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I agree. Black women are naturally beautiful.
The white women must improove themselves with crazy diets, cosmetics, jewelry, dress, lingeries…and all white women have to tan themselves to look more…brown.
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[…] Image Source […]
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It really annoys me to hear Black women say they straighten their hair because it’s “more manageable” that’s B.S. The bottom line is that were not taught how to care for ourselves which is a shame. Take the time to learn how to care for yourself. My hair is natural and I learned how to care for it myself…Its not hard nor time consuming (at least from the time when I had a perm). Putting harsh chemicals next to your brain is crazy…if you don’t think this has an effect on you…think again.
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Clara Aker Bowman that picture of her is so beautiful. I almost a mirage.
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Who said India Arie is beautiful. Look I not one those kind of guys who does know what ugly and beautiful is. Ever race has ugly and beautiful people but India got a beautiful smile for days.
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One potentially stupid question: does “natural black” refers to hair only? (In this post, at least?)
By looking at these pictures, I’d say those are not wigs… But I can never tell. Even when other (female) people say it;s obvious, I can’t tell.
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i like jenevev so much more than any other people there.
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But the thing is that I never looked at it that way. Straighter hair is just easier for me to manage. Plenty of white women with curly hair get perms and it is a fetish among Asians as well. Nothing wrong with wanting some silky straight hair every now and then. Not that I wouldn’t ever go natural. I just sort of think you get the wrong feel about women and their hair. I would wear my hair natural, I just want too wait until I grow it out more because I’m fond of longer hair and miss my long natural locks.
OK, fair go.
But if there is no race element in this, how come I never see nearly as many white women perming their hair x-tra curly as I see black women straightening their hair?
And “silky straight hair”? Wha…..? Let`s get real here? we`re talking helmet hair in at least half of the cases I see: hair that`s been chemically treated to a fare-thee-well and held rigidly in place by tons of hair spray.
Ana and I used to laugh at all the black female office workers in D.C. who`d scurry for shelter at the first sign of a rain drop.
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But if there is no race element in this, how come I never see nearly as many white women perming their hair x-tra curly as I see black women straightening their hair?
Where were you in the 80s?
Now, I’m not saying there isn’t a race element, but there are plenty of white women who do various things in order to make their features more similar to “typically” black- even if it’s not openly said. They tan, they make their lips look fuller, some make their butts rounder, etc. The idea is that “black” features are sexy and beautiful, but only if you’re still visibly white.
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“Half of the cases…”? Try 99% …
And after a few days it doesn’t even need spray to stay rigid. Helmet is the right word, indeed.
Very good question.
In my understanding, “natural black” encompasses everything that highlights the natural features of black peoples, including (but not limited to) hair, face features, skin and, yes, make-up (when it fits the individual’s skin tone. The most strikingly beautiful women I’ve ever seen are African women with traditional makeup).
And is it just me, or do Americans (westerners?) actually believe that only afros and dreadlock can be considered “natural” black hairdos?
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A good question, indeed. Technically, there’s no such thing as a “natural beauty”, black or any other kind. Whenever you do anything with your hair or body (and not just letting it be), culture rules, and not nature.
So we can only think about what is considered to be natural. When it comes to black beauty, yes, I think you’re right. Natural in this sense can mean not using any chemicals on your hair, but also not doing anything to appear more “white”.
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Relaxed hair isn’t “helmet hair.” There are plenty, plenty of women with relaxed hair that moves. Don’t be ridiculous.
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I don’t even know what helmet hair is.
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It’s hair that’s so stiff it doesn’t move and is as hard as a rock.
Which is much more common with older women, regardless of race, due to the styles they wear. Actually, it might be more common with white women since their hair is naturally more wispy so it needs hair spray to stay in place. I don’t even know any black woman under the age of 40 that owns hair spray.
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Hah, I spelled my own name wrong. I’m the smarteh!
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Lots of white women with curly hair straighten it and use flat irons, too. I can’t be bothered and my hair is wavy I put product on it and let it dry and be kind of natural. The cut does matter.
White women do perm straight hair curly depending on the fashion, but the problem is that when it grows out, you’ve got inches of growth that’s straight at the roots, and it just looks weird. Plus, a lot of women dye our hair and dye plus perms makes it fall out.
There’s a little boy in my neighborhood who’s mixed and he has long, kinky/curly, natural hair. He looks AWESOME, like Claudio Sanchez.
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Thad wrote:
Ana and I used to laugh at all the black female office workers in D.C. who`d scurry for shelter at the first sign of a rain drop.
This would only be funny to racists.
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@RR
LOL
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Just my realistic spin again. I just refer to “Corporate America” which I had the honour to be part of for a few years.
You might say that certain Southern parts of the USA are not exactly a reference but I noticed that basically all black women there had very straight, very relaxed own hair or very straight extentions in office jobs. I saw very few black women with curly hair, not to mention natural fros or braids. What I did see though were plenty of white women with curly hair. I consider it none of my business how natural women’s hair styles are but I would suppose that at least half of the white women’s styles were not naturally curly.
Black American women who come to work in Europe, usually UK or France, are always surprised to see the local black women with African style braids, big fros, dreadlocks or other funky styles in corporate admin or manager positions. That is once again, not even in so-called creative or artistic fields. It could be plain banks, insurances, public sector etc. From what I’ve been told, that seems to be a no-no in the US.
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Abagond, may I add to your list by posting these links. They come from a model website.
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You are spot on with your list. Beautiful Nigerian Actress are a involve in this
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[…] Please also check out Abagond’s article on Black Beauty. […]
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Please stop trying to turn hairstyle into a racial thing. I know lots of white women who curl their hair for formal occasions. Does that mean they are ashamed to be white?
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^ It’s fun watching logic escape this guy at every post.
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Gen
I agree.
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@Bobby M
The difference is we live under an oppressive Nordic beauty standard that black women can only emulate by using harsh chemicals, heat, or buying the hair of another ethnicity and gluing it or sewing it to their scalps. This over time causes great harm and costs a butt load of money, which the average black woman can ill afford. So it absolutely is a race issue. Particularly when black women grow up in a country that consistently pushes these ideas down their throats through the media, it can cause feelings of worthlessness and yes, self-hatred and hatred of one’s own ethnicity for not living up to ideas. Not to mention that many black women have been fired from their jobs or otherwise penalized socially for not adhering to these Nordic, European beauty ideas. White women curling their hair for special occasions does not even come close to the situation black women have lived with in the USA (and other places) for hundreds of years, and its highly insulting, not to mention ignorant for you to try and compare the two.
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These women are so gorgeous. YaYa was definitely bae when she was on ANTM <33. I don't understand the hate from people about these ladies being natural; the only reason I can see that they would have an issue with this, is if they have a personal problem (internalized racism) about black hair. And to that I have to say: don't bring your insecurities and blatant negativity to a post celebrating black beauty. If you aren't confident enough, or feel your are "in a certain career field", or like @Shu said, not willing to take the time to learn how to take care of the hair that grows out of your own head (fun fact: I have been natural for 6 years and I STILL have no idea how to do black hair, but it STAYS healthy and nice looking regardless. I went natural with no idea of how to braid, flat-twist, etc. but the best way to learn is to just dig your hands in there and keep practicing and trying), you don't have to whine and try to rain on the parades of queens like Mama Badu and Atong Arjok. Our hair is not ugly, unprofessional, expensive, or hard to manage. These are lies started by whites that we help perpetuate. Obviously there is no problem with straightening your hair once in awhile (perms are just silly and dangerous, let's be honest. They should be completely out of the question, hell relaxers of all types should not be allowed to be sold period), but if you feel the need to keep your hair straightened every day of your life except wash day and even then you cringe at the sight of your hair not straight, there are clearly some unresolved issues. I know most of this comment was hella off topic, but I need to rant and I'm not one to mince words or even sugarcoat when my people aren't loving themselves.
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Why have you left out Gabourey Sibide? I think leaving her out says a lot about how actually feel about black women than anything that you have posted on this blog.
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Tami Williams is almost perfect, but her legs are too skinny.
(http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f52/tami-williams-185555-14.html)
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@ satanforce
You need to check out Gabourey Sidibe in Google Images: she rarely wears her hair in a natural style.
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