This week I've had a few experiences that have made me think...not bad experiences but experiences nonetheless.
The two instances that I can remember were both compliments from white women. The first was a girl who looked me in the eyes and said "I REALLY like your hair." It was a compliment and there wasn't anything to read into that. She admitted that at first she couldn't figure out why I cut my hair off. And the other was an older (probably my mom's age) lady who said that she just loves my haircut. I had never had a conversation with this lady but she went on to talk about how during the 70's she had admired afros. Then she asked me a question I've never considered.
She asked if hair length was an issue in the black culture...like as far as black men preferring women with long hair.
I know that's not anything new but it was the way she phrased it. She was basically comparing it to the white experience. In her experience, white men like long hair and she asked if it was the same in my experience. I was kind of taken aback because I honestly thought she was going to say something ignorant. But the only answer I could think of was that it really was more of a cultural preference than just a style preference. I know that some men don't care about hair but it made me think that we, as black women, go through alot and it makes me wonder if it really is a culture thing or a style thing. Do you think it's culture or even something deeper?
The two instances that I can remember were both compliments from white women. The first was a girl who looked me in the eyes and said "I REALLY like your hair." It was a compliment and there wasn't anything to read into that. She admitted that at first she couldn't figure out why I cut my hair off. And the other was an older (probably my mom's age) lady who said that she just loves my haircut. I had never had a conversation with this lady but she went on to talk about how during the 70's she had admired afros. Then she asked me a question I've never considered.She asked if hair length was an issue in the black culture...like as far as black men preferring women with long hair.
I know that's not anything new but it was the way she phrased it. She was basically comparing it to the white experience. In her experience, white men like long hair and she asked if it was the same in my experience. I was kind of taken aback because I honestly thought she was going to say something ignorant. But the only answer I could think of was that it really was more of a cultural preference than just a style preference. I know that some men don't care about hair but it made me think that we, as black women, go through alot and it makes me wonder if it really is a culture thing or a style thing. Do you think it's culture or even something deeper?
