Tag: females

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Empowerment of Women and Ourselves: You Deserve It Boo!!!!

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So I’m in a book club and the conversation about how women treat each other came up.  Basically, asking are you a bully or a protector? And most of us realized that we were taught to be tough either by strong female presence growing up or we fell victim to a strong female. We are all products of our environments and most of the time our environments are unintentionally teaching us to be mean girls.

For instance, for me growing up all I saw females being vindictive towards each other and seeing what pain we could inflict on each other. It wasn’t until my mom remarried and I actually got to see togetherness and empowerment from other women towards me.  Not to mention the unconditional love. As I went off to college I had to learn how to redefine what empowerment was not just for myself but to others around me.

It’s not easy to undo impressionable years of hate but with good intentions and better surroundings we can do anything we set our minds to.  Especially women, at times and throughout history we are the most mistreated beings on earth.  But also the most forgiving.  Remembering the pain and inflection that we went through.  It’s sad to see all the brokenness and struggle that we as women go through internally but it’s even more amazing to see the transformation.  The concept of being a better person or better woman in that matter it can be difficult.

I mean is it just me or does the universe intentionally try you when you’re trying to be a better woman.  It never fails every time I have a good talk or great women empowerment get togethers it’s like the universe says hold on ba boo-ski let me try your ratchet side.  And I have to do a countdown in my head to try and not snatch the woman who is trying me that day.  But hey we are all human and mistakes happen and we have to decide in that moment that we are better than that person trying to bring out the ratchetness in you.  But I’m trying and so should you.  Don’t let these crazies knock you off your horse and knock off your crown.  Be better, look better, act better, and know better because you are better and they are just jealous.  And we all know misery loves company.

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Listen DON’T Touch My Hair: It Is Not an Object of Wonder

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Why is it that industry is so fascinated with my (brown-skinned person) hair?  Do I come up to you and ask can I touch your hair whenever I want?  No, so please stop asking to touch mine.  There is this current phenomenon going on where people of color are embracing their natural hair texture.  And it’s not saying that relaxed or processed hair is bad.  Well, it sort of, it’s bad for colored-person hair texture.  I mean all those chemicals just damage the hair sometimes to the point of no repair.  Now, I don’t think it’s a bad thing that people want to embrace that beautiful boldness.  In fact, I love it especially when it is styled so forward ethnic.  Yes, I just made that term up.  But really let’s think about the history of why colored people process their hair in the first place.

It all began back in slavery days, yeap I went there, see people of colored didn’t have hair salons and/or days where they could just take off and get their hair done.  Not to mention that there were no combs specifically made for their hair texture.  So what did they do to combat this blatant disrespect of care for hair?  Braids and headdresses/wraps.  That’s right on the one-off day that colored people had they either got their hair braided or they just simply wrapped their hair up during the week.  Then came a period where it was slight-ish relaxed we got our hair straighten.  Okay, I won’t beat around the bush after slavery when people of color were actually freed.  Which in this case Juneteenth, not 4th of July for Independence day, no actual June, 19, 1865.  Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is an American holiday where the announcement of slavery was abolished in the U.S. to those of colored.  Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was issued and signed 2 years prior.

Anyways, during this time people of color had more time on their hands to actually care for their hair which is why Sarah Breedlove also known as Madam C.J. Walker made a fortune on hair products.  Besides it could not have been before that because she wasn’t born until 1867.  Now that the history section is out-of-the-way, we can get back to colored people hair of the 2000s.  Well, kinda, see it is also known that Jim Crow laws and other harsh treatments were presented during this time period and in order for colored people to fit in and be accepted more they had to do something about their hair.  Wearing the natural hair texture was not going to work and be presentable in the workforce.  So, straighten and processed hair came into play.  But now that times have changed drastically and colored people no longer want to wear their hair in such a damaged state anymore.  Companies and businesses are now trying to conform to the new norm because the last thing that a big corporation or even a small one wants is a major lawsuit that says the they are discriminatory towards people of color.  We have already seen it all over the news for some corporations, such as the military that didn’t allow females to wear Afros, braids, dreads, and other ethnic hairstyles.  Or a school that prohibited females to prom for braids because it went against dress code.  Places of business are now starting to conform the way they look at hair and I for one am Loving it.  Though I am not much of a hairstylist and I can do simple maintenance to my hair.

So why is society so bent out of shape of people of colored wearing our natural hair texture.  Even though it is known that people of color built this country on the orders of others.  And though this is not a hate blog about those times.  Why is it so hard to move on from those discriminatory ways?  What harm does it really have to wear natural hair.  It’s not like it’s going to take someone hostage or start talking like a living baby.  If I have to change my hair for a company then there should also be standards for those for majority controlling party.  Such as, disrespect and blatant disregard for a human is not an okay policy and catering to a specific color of race is not humane.  Basically or simply put, treat others of all race and ethnic backgrounds the way you would want to be treated.  So HELL NO you cannot touch my hair, it is not an object of wonder.  It is just simply hair, the same thing that grows on your body.  Besides, I don’t know where your hands have been, if they are cleaned, and most importantly I said no.

 

SimplyBetty101