Ebony Custis, a junior business student
from Bowie, Md., has recently embarked on the natural hair scene,
wearing twists, braids and Afros. "Your hair is supposed to be
your glory, and I wanted it to be the way my hair was naturally," said
Custis, who has been wearing her hair in natural styles for six
months.
Custis said she used to
have long hair that grew past her shoulders and she frequently wore
permed hairstyles. She said her friends did not like the new look.
"They told me I looked like 'Afrika Bambada' and a revolutionary,"
recalled Custis while laughing. 'They said I went to an all Black
school, and that's what happens to the Black students. They come back
talking about Malcolm X and Mis-Education of the Negro. Now, they want
to reject everything from the white man's world."
Custis said she did not
think FAMU transformed her into a revolutionary. However, she said
being surrounded by so many Black people did make her want to go
natural. Some students who have natural tresses tend to
experience negative reactions or comments from friends and family.
Statements like "I'll be glad when she gets her hair done" are common
barks of negativity for those with natural hairstyles.
Carmin Johnson, who has
been wearing her hair in various natural styles, such as box braids
and Afros for seven years, said she heard these comments about her
hair. "Living in Oklahoma, where the majority of the city is
white and the KKK are still there, nobody would support me," Johnson
said.
Johnson did not seriously
consider natural hair styles until she was on the swim team in high
school. She said she did not want to go "cold turkey" and cut off all
her relaxed hair; so she let it grow and gradually cut off the
chemically treated ends. Johnson, who remembers begging her mom
for a perm at six years old, said her mom was not happy about the
natural crossover. "For a long time, I was a victim. My mom
would say 'Are you going to wear your hair like that to church?" said
Johnson. She believes the negative implications associated with
the natural hair goes deeper than just style.
"It all goes back to the
European worldview. The whiter looking you are the better," Johnson
said. "You have to have long, straight hair, or 'good hair' anything
else is considered less. What's that saying? 'If you're white, you're
right; if you're Black, get back.' "
In African/Black
Psychology in the American context: An African-Centered Approach,
author and FAMU psychology professor, Kobi K.K. Kambon, uncovers the
reasoning fueling negativity toward Black features. He notes in his
book, "It is so common place among Africans in America to demean Black
children, even one's own children or relatives for their dark skin
color, 'big' ugly noses and lips, wooly/kinky/knotty hair, etc. and
heap constant praise on Black children who looked the opposite."
Custis said she believes
the media contribute to the negativity associated with natural hair.
"The only natural hair that's considered beautiful is the natural hair
that can curl up. If your natural hair isn't like that, it's not
considered pretty," she said.
Custis added she favors the look of R&B
artists like Grenique and Kelis because they are wild and feminine at
the same time.
While others exude a Black
consciousness to their natural styling, Jamaal McKnight said he likes
the way his locs look. McKnight, a sophomore pharmacy student
from Tampa, said his nine-inch locs have become a part of his
identity. "If I cut my dreads [locs], then it wouldn't be me. I
don't do it to please anyone or be righteous. I'm just me. I'm just
Jamaal," he said. McKnight said he never received negative
comments but feels stereotyped by whites. "I remember being stopped
[by police] three times in one night in Tampa," he said.
He believes Blacks with
locs are frequently stereotyped as "thugs." "Old folks looked at me
like I was a thug, but I wasn't," he added.
