100 Issues for 100 Days: #57

#57: Good Hair

If you haven't heard, hair is a big thing in the Black community. When I graduated college, I was going coming off of a spring that included at least 3 major papers, an important family death and a belabored illness. Needless to say, I cut off all my hair.


I still refer to that as my Grown & Sexy summer. At first, I thought I'd lost my mind and I looked like a boy. But that was far from the response that I got.


After my hair started to grow out, I wore it mostly in twists. And for the past few years, it's gotten stronger and healthier. But I tend to get restless.



For the past few weeks, I've been wearing my hair in a kind of crinkled 'fro. I'll admit that I definitely went through times where I complained about my hair. I wanted it to be straight, or curly or more manageable or longer. But I don't think I've ever thought of my hair as bad. When I think about all the things that my hair has been through, even in just the past few years, I know that despite it all my hair is strong and beautiful. I'm excited to see Chris Rock's film, Good Hair, because I love to explore the issues of hair. What I hope is that when people see the movie they don't ome away feeling ashamed of their hair decisions but instead feel empowered. Because ultimately it's about feeling good.