I Am Not My Hair!

India Arie said it best in 2006 when she made this hit song I AM NOT MY HAIR. Take a look at these lyrics…..

Little girl with the press and curl
Age eight I got a Jheri curl
Thirteen and I got a relaxer
I was a source of so much laughter
At fifteen when it all broke off
Eighteen and went all natural
February two thousand and two
I went on and did
What I had to do
Because it was time to change my life
To become the women that I am inside Ninety-seven dreadlocks all gone                 
I looked in the mirror
For the first time and saw that

I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am not your expectations no no
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am a soul that lives within

Good hair means curls and waves
Bad hair means you look like a slave
At the turn of the century
Its time for us to redefine who we be
You can shave it off
Like a South African beauty
Or get in on lock
Like Bob Marley
You can rock it straight
Like Oprah Winfrey
If its not what’s on your head
Its what’s underneath and say HEY….

Does the way I wear my hair make me a better person?
Does the way I wear my hair make me a better friend?
Does the way I wear my hair determine my integrity?
I am expressing my creativity..

Breast Cancer and Chemotherapy
Took away her crown and glory
She promised God if she was to survive
She would enjoy everyday of her life ooh
On national television
Her diamond eyes are sparkling

Bald headed like a full moon shining                      
Singing out to the whole wide world like HEY…

If I wanna shave it close
Or if I wanna rock locks
That don’t take a bit away
From the soul that I got
If I wanna where it braided
All down my back
I don’t see what wrong with that

Ladies we are not our hair! Stop letting a man decide how you should wear your hair. If you want to wear your hair short, wear it short. If you want to wear it long, wear it long. If you want to wear weave, wear weave. If you want to color your hair, color it! You are not your hair and if a man tells you that he will leave you if you cut your hair then he never loved you in the first place. I think people have gotten the word submissive misconstrued just because the bible says wives be submissive to your husbands doesn’t mean that a husband is supposed to control his wife. It is a control issue when a man tells a woman how she can and can’t wear her hair. I think every woman has that moment when she feels she needs a change and one of the first things we want to change is our hair!

No matter how you wear your hair make sure it’s clean, healthy and age appropriate! For the women who are rocking the natural look make sure you keep your ends trimmed and get regular conditioning treatments. Going natural doesn’t mean that you no longer have to maintain your hair because some of you are walking around looking a hot ass mess! Hair is meant to be combed so comb your damn hair!.

Thanks for reading

Bold and Beautiful