User:ANIKAA26/Sandbox/Natural Hair Community

Natural hair community
"Natural hair community is where Black women and men keep their hair in the natural forms or puts their hair in a natural style without using chemicals . It consist of not only the Afro, but has a variety of natural hair styles such as: dreadlocks (locs), twists, braids, or Bantu knots. The Natural hair community consists of the growing groups that are promoting Black women to go natural on social media platforms and Black women organizing together to 'support and nurture' through the process of going natural . Natural is a term that African-Americans use towards hair that is untreated by chemicals, that includes relaxers and texturizers . Natural hair communities have faced discrimination in the work place , in school and in society alone . Reclaiming the natural hair means going against what society sees as the norms and keeping their natural hair either kinky, curly or the other styles of natural hair. Black Pride, The Black Power Movement and the Black is beautiful movement are organizations that helped the Natural Community grow in Black communities during the 1960's. In the 21st century, we have celebrities using their platforms to show that Natural hair styles can be beautiful and doesn't always have to have a political standpoint."

Black is Beautiful
"The 1960 and -70's hair movement started throughout the Civil Rights, the Black Power and the Black is Beautiful Movement. Before 'natural hair' became a saying that was used in Black households, it was simple called an Afro or 'fro', which was popularized by the Black Power Movement . During this time, Blacks were tired of subjecting to the European beauty trend . Black as a whole was told that whiteness is true beauty, that straight hair light skin and light eyes was the truest definition of beauty . Black women started to assimilate to the ideology that white was the only beauty and they tried to do everything possible to make themselves beautiful. They would straighten their hair and even tried to lighten their skin tones, just to fit into that ideology . To break the chains away from this beauty ideology, the Black community created a Black is beautiful Movement that started in the Black Power Movement. The movements created an awareness to say no to these ideology by having Black women embrace more of their natural beauties, 'no to hot combs and relaxers' and for Black men to say no to 'conking' (a term used for straightening). These movements administered racial pride, 'self-affirmation and reclaiming African pride' (104) by constantly being in natural hairstyle (Afro's). Kathleen Cleaver, an activist involved in the Black Power movement, who wore her natural hair in a fro, was a huge speaker for the Black is Beautiful Movement. Cleaver stated that Black people were becoming aware of how beautiful being Black really is and pointed out that whites were starting to realize it too because they then started to appropriate to what is natural for Black people. The numbers grew in the awareness that Black people can wear their natural hair and be confident about walking around. The more people joined these movements it became an internalized meaning of transformation and a collective identity for Black's around the U.S. Black hair has always been a way to express themselves because it brings to light their own individuality but also brings a culture into a collective one. After all this and when it come into the 20th century, there is a change that occurs in the collective culture, a divide of falling back into the Eurocentric ideology of beauties. Extensions, weaves, and wigs started to become big saler again in the Black community. Society in media and beauty magazines made it clear that Black beauty can only be beautiful if they had features like Eurocentric features. This did not stop the movement and the movement is continuing on today."

Reclaiming Natural Hair
"The Natural Hair community is growing in numbers as Black women across the United States are saying no to relaxers, weaves, or extensions. By going natural, Black women are expressing a Black feminist point and is a political standpoint . Black women are taking back their natural characteristics by not assimilating to oppressive messages that society has made against the Black women and natural hair communities. The oppressive messages that were told about natural hair is that it's unattractive, sloppy, and inadmissible . By Black women reclaiming their natural hair form they were reclaiming self-confidence, self-beauty, and understanding their self-worth. By decolonizing their mindset of Western Eurocentric ideology of how Black women should look like, they were breaking from the chains of the chemicals that made their natural hair straight . Colonialism for people of color that are marginalized is a form of finesse and control over their own body, physically and mentally. These colonized ideologies were stated that having hair like white people and not having the any type of natural hair was beautiful. For Black women, this was the feminist approach to destigmatize their natural beauty and to stop trying to fit into a society norm that cannot accept them for their natural ways.""Self-expressing by going against society norms lead to Black women being able to form a Natural Hair Community, via conferences, social media and YouTube channels. The Beauty industry also plays a part in modeling what society looks at as beautiful and what they do not see as beautiful. Marilyn Monroe, was idealized for her hour glass figure during the 1950's and then it switched to flat chested and boyish looks. With the beauty industry putting out what is trendy and what isn't, there is still discriminatory views towards women of color who style their hair in natural form. Today, celebrities have also helped in bringing awareness to the Natural Hair Community.""Beyoncé, in her video, Formation, has Black women wearing their hair in Afro's. Zendaya, walked on the red carpet in Faux locs, she was embracing her Black roots and the media said that she smelled like marijuana. These positive and negative points that both celebrities brought to light not only enlightens the ways women of color who go natural are oppressed but it also uplifted the Natural Hair Community by having more women go natural and stand up against the oppressive ways of society. Amara La Negra, an Afro-Latina that can be seen wearing her hair in a natural Afro and is a raising star on Love & Hip Hop: Miami. In the reunion of the season one for Love & Hip Hop: Miami, Amara speaks out about how her hair does not define her and that it is only apart of hair. She states this because another cast on the show named, Young Hollywood, spoke to her saying that she should change her hairstyles once in a while because having an Afro all the time makes Amara less eloquent. Amara La Negra still wears her hair in an Afro and is making a stance for Afro-Latina's and Black women as whole by proving that having a natural hair style does not define how successful you can become in life."

Discrimination & The Natural Hair Community
"Men and women are discriminated against when they have their hair in a natural form. Meaning that, 'anything that discriminates based on physical characteristics, including a person's hair, is prohibited' . Wearing hair in the form of locs, cornrows, braids and the varies other forms of natural hair are seen by certain work places as unprofessional or unfitting for a job site . 2016, Chastity Jones, a Black woman who wore her hair in locs and applied for a job was not accepted for the position because of her hair . During her interview the HR who was conducting the interview commented, 'they tend to get messy, although I’m not saying yours are, but you know what I’m talking about' . Locs have been discriminated against on Black people in general because that style is dirty, unprofessional and since the majority of the history of locs are based of Rastafarians, it comes with the stereotype of being a stoner. In the case of Chasity Jones, she went to court and plead her case that it was discriminatory towards her because she was certified but because of her hair style, she was denied. The judge of the case believed that it was legal for work companies to deny people with such hair styles. This is not the only situation that Black people have encountered about their natural hair styles:""March of 2014, U.S Army banned traditional forms of natural hairs including dreadlocks, twists and cornrows. In the policy, it stated that those styles were 'unkempt' The Army received a backlash and the Congressional Black Caucus wrote them a letter, this then made them reword and change the policy in September of 2014.""In 2016, Butler Traditional High School located in Kentucky released a dress code that banned the natural hair styles of Black people. No cornrows, no twists, and no dreadlocks are allowed because the school believes that the way students will be successful in their academics relates to their appearance as well. Parents and The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, addressed the problems within this statement. Stating that students should not be judged by their culturally appearance because it send a message that Black students are the problems.""The discrimination that happened in Kentucky will affect their Black students in a negative way. School is a place for students to express themselves and to tell Black girls in particular that their hair style is wrong, can make them believe in those stereotypes that being a Black woman is ugly. White women and men do not get marginalized based of their hair styles. Black women and men have been discriminated against, lost jobs and have troubles in the school system based of their culture and hair styles."