Do Not Touch My Hair

For over 10 years now I have worn my hair natural.  Most people didn't know this because I always wore it long and straight.  After I had my first child, I decided to cut all of my hair off.  Family and friends were shocked but eventually got over it.  My transition has been great because I didn't do it because everyone else was doing it, I did because I wanted to.  It was easy for me to transition because I never felt the need to please anyone else when it came to my hair choices.  I really didn't care what anyone said or how they would react.  Having natural hair is like freedom for me.  The problem now is that so many people think that my hair is either a weave or wig.  First of all, my hair is very curly, some would say even nappy.  I call it "naptural".  Recently there has been many celebrity women who have said that they have natural hair under the weaves and wigs.  I would like to see more of them embrace their natural hair more publicly.  Black hair is a billion dollar business and that's a great thing but many black people spend their money on other people's hair.  I'm not judging.  As a matter of fact I often wish I could afford to wear other people's hair sometimes.  But I digress...

I have recently experienced complete strangers, both white and black, invading my personal space by touching my hair.  Just yesterday I slapped a young woman's hand away because she touched my hair.  Not only did she touch my hair but she preceded to tell me that she knew it wasn't my real hair.  I didn't feel the need to go back and forth with this woman but I did tell her that this was my God given hair.  She actually tried to argue with me saying that it couldn't be my hair.  I thought to myself, how could a woman of color not know the difference between the hair on my head and the hair in the store?  I mean hair does not look perfect and I have a headband on.  I mean really, I don't understand.  She continues to have a conversation with her friend about my hair.  They decide that the hair on my head is "good hair" therefore couldn't possibly be all mine.  Now I could have hushed them up by letting them actually run their fingers through my hair but like I said, I don't feel the need to justify my hair to anyone.  The people who know me know just how "naptural" my hair is. 

With white women, my experience has been similar.  They have tried to touch and received the same slap as the black women but they have actually asked questions.  They seem to be more curious about black hair and how we can do so many different things to our hair.  I don't mind telling them that, like our skin hues, our hair comes in many different varieties.  It makes me proud to be a black woman.  Our ability to be chameleons without compromising our ethnicity is one of God's great gifts to us.  I didn't mind almost giving a history lesson because this woman seemed genuiely interested in my hair. 

Well the moral of this blog entry is...DO NOT TOUCH MY HAIR!!  If you want to know if it is God given or store bought...Just Ask!!!