Thursday, October 8, 2009

Good(?) Hair

This is the second time I've had to teach one of my young cousins how to shave.
The first time was when he noticed a few stray whiskers on his chin that he called his "beard".
This time I had to school him on how to use clippers to remove most of the hair from his calves down, and then to use a razor to prevent the tape from pulling out the hair of his legs.

Yeah... it's an odd look, but anyone who endured the pain after a trainer failed to properly apply under wrap before taping one's ankles can tell you - this look saves a lot of tears.
But what does any of this have to do with having "Good Hair"?
Well... nothing, directly.
It was just that my cousin's grandmother and aunts were teasing him about how nappy even the hairs on his legs were.
This led to a long and drawn out session of The Dozens concerning the value of one's hair.

Having grown up with that in-between type of hair, that one of my brothers was often teased as having "Wolf Hair" by young kids in the hood, I always thought that hair was just hair.
But the funny thing is; what was seen as one's childhood "Wolf Hair" becomes seen by many as "Good Hair" as an adult.

But who determines these standards?
By and large, it isn't white people.
This form of discrimination and appreciation seems to be perpetuated by Blacks mostly.
I still hear young boys tease each other because their hair has grown too long and the natural curls have become visible.
BeBees, Naps and Dirty Kitchens are to be shunned in favor of a straight in appearance short cut.
Many of these short styles even mimic the straight hair styles with the inclusion of a faux part that is shaved into one's head.

But this style is at least natural.
This short style doesn't attempt to fully mimic "Good Hair" in the way that many wore Jheri Curls back in the day.
Obviously the attention paid to having "Good Hair" isn't limited to Black women (with their endless need for perms, weaves and the old school pressings), but when did young boys become so concerned with their hair being good or bad?
Is this just a result of many boys being raised by single mothers and grandmothers who have been inculcated with the idea of what is "Good" and what is "Bad" by those who often felt inferior or lacked any true self esteem?

Just ask anyone who has gone through Cancer treatment and has lost all or most of their hair -
Isn't any one's natural hair "Good Hair"?

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