The Black Lives Matter movement has allowed more conversations to take place that encourage educating those who are not Black about what it is like being Black in America. One of those conversations includes learning about their hair and the stigma that can surround it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Junior Phallen Reed said the education of Black hair speaks to much more than how her hair looks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor me, it means recognizing the differences in hair types,\u201d Reed said. \u201cI don\u2019t believe that there is simply curly, straight or wavy hair \u2014 there is more complexity within my hair. The education of Black hair means the education of me and those who look like me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reed said she believes that the education of Black hair has not been at the center of the conversation about hair care due to societal norms and beauty standards that have historically been a part of Western culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c[Black hair] has never been the norm, historically, in Western culture, nor given its due value,\u201d Reed said. \u201cYes, our hair has a history, but a lot of it has not been appreciated within us. I think that, in part, society has run from the learning curve that is Black hair. However, society has no problem imitating our hair on someone who is not Black.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senior Chantel Ceaser said the process of taking care of Black hair is tedious and requires a lot of time and patience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt takes a lot; it\u2019s a full routine,\u201d Ceaser said. \u201cWhen I say I\u2019m washing my hair, it means, \u2018Don\u2019t call me for seven hours.\u2019 I have to part my hair, I have to put in sections, I have to make sure I have all of the greases, the oils, the co-washes, the shampoo, conditioner \u2026 detangler \u2026 I have to make sure I go through all of my thick 4C hair so that it gets all the nutrition it needs \u2026 and then I get in the shower and wash it all out \u2026 and then I have to re-section it out, put the oil in it, grease my scalp, put in the curl activator \u2026 and that\u2019s only one part of my hair, and then I have to do the other six sections.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ceaser explained why, oftentimes, Black people request that people not touch their hair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen Black people say, \u2018Don\u2019t touch their hair,\u2019 it\u2019s not because we\u2019re being rude,\u201d Ceaser said. \u201cIt\u2019s just because we\u2019ve put a lot of time and effort into it looking the way it is.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senior Valentino Warren said the education of Black hair and Black culture is something very important and something that should have already been at the center of education about hair care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeople should educate themselves regardless of what situation lies before them,\u201d Warren said. \u201cYou should always strive to know more than settle for less.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ceaser said that when she was younger, she used to think poorly of herself because of the beauty standards set before her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI, growing up, dreamed that my hair was long and blonde and my skin was pale white and I had blue eyes … and I just wasn\u2019t,\u201d Ceaser said. \u201cI had thick, curly, black hair and I was short and stumpy. If my hair didn\u2019t fall the way someone else\u2019s hair [fell] or if my hair was in puff balls and her hair was in a long beautiful flowy curliness, I would be sad and would think that I\u2019m ugly because my hair [didn\u2019t] look like that. We only see beautiful, white women and long, beautiful hair that is so easy to function with … and my hair doesn\u2019t do that, so obviously I\u2019m not beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ceaser said it is important for accurate representation to be demonstrated in order to reshape beauty standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t see any representation at an early age, then when you grow up, you\u2019re just going to think [that] you\u2019re ugly,\u201d Ceaser said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s what the problem [is] with a lot of Black women because they didn\u2019t have a proper representation of their beauty at a young age.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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