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All too often women are judged by their hair, and for women born with coarse, thick, curly textured hair, the stigma has a long, long history. There have existed for centuries misconceptions about how clean it is, how long it can actually grow, or even how healthy it really is. I'm no stranger to that myself, and I've shared the story of growing up in India and how shame in my hair as a little girl led to the creation of Perfect Locks. More recently, Beyoncé (a singer known for her love of wigs and extensions during her performances) was grilled on socials about her real hair.
The discussion started with the launch of her new haircare line, created and inspired by her mom, Tina Lawson, a longtime professional hairdresser and salon owner. Comments quickly came flooding in from Beyoncé's fans questioning the health of her natural hair as she's so often seen with wigs and extensions. Extensions and wigs have the same kind of misconceptions and even stigmas that natural hair has, to the point that for almost a century women would never, ever admit to wearing them. The reason being is that many people believe that you ONLY wear extensions or wigs if your hair is unhealthy, can't grow long, or is thinning.
Beyoncé was quick to clap back, proudly showcasing her wash day routine on socials with her new haircare line.
"Being disruptive and challenging everything people feel should be the process has always been exciting to me. My hair and music seemed to do that a lot over the years. The stigma and misconception is that people who wear wigs don't have long and healthy hair," she said. "That's some bulls-t, 'cause it ain't nobody's business. I'll get back to my hurr…"
The video went viral with other curl queens loving her blunt response to naysayers.
"Stop asking black women if their hair is real. Period." ~ Nichole Galicia
"Let 'em know, baby! 😂😂😂 LET. THEM. KNOW.!!!!" ~ Octavia Spencer
And frankly, they're right and she is right: it's no one's business. Women with textured hair deal with all sorts of assumptions about their hair simply because of the CHOICE to wear extensions, wigs or weaves. The choice to protect our own, natural hair while having the versatility to express ourselves THROUGH our hair. Haircolor, thermal styling tools, the environment, and even chemical services all create problems for our hair that has a naturally more open cuticle, vulnerable to protein loss and damage.
It's none of our business and yet she has, like we all do, wear and show off her natural hair often. Back in 2018 her longtime friend and stylist Neal Farinah shared a snap of her real hair during her "On the Run II" tour in Rome.
A year later, she embraced and grew out her real hair into a beautiful afro.
Beyoncé was interviewed by Essence magazine and commented about the online controversy, with some horrible people still attacking her, doubling down that the video showcasing her real hair and routine was fake.
"We can wear our hair natural, straight, braids, weaves and wigs. There's power in self-expression and in feeling free to show up as we choose, in whatever hair we choose. For me, joy comes from making myself a priority and making my hair a priority. It is really important for me to make time for the sacred rituals of self-care."
Beyoncé Shows Off Her Natural HairThis discussion and some of the comments hit me harder than I thought it would, harkening back to the words said to me when I was younger and more sensitive about my hair. There was a time when our hair was labeled inappropriate for the workplace, often limiting our career options unless we hid it or straightened it to fit the "ideal". Beyoncé shouldn't have had to prove her hair was real, much less healthy any more than I needed to prove that my hair didn't define me growing up.
Her response mirrored my own, I dug deep, made my feelings and those words into fuel to push myself further. In athletics, and later to business, driven by the deep desire that women should never, ever have to feel so conflicted, shamed, or frustrated with their hair or even their hair goals.
The final word from the Queen herself was shared just this week, as glowing, happy and living her best summer life looking every inch Old Hollywood. She's vacationing in the Hamptons with her family, her natural hair on display, but protected from the sun and wind by a silk handkerchief. Good for you girl!
