Nappy Haired...No More?

Okay, So I changed my Blog Title to Thinking Kinky: The Nappy Haired Diva. Why? Because I want to do away with the stigma of being nappy. I have locs in my hair. Locs in my opinion are nothing but long naps or tangles that are groomed into individual "locs" of hair.

When I was a kid, I hated when someone told me my hair was nappy. I wanted sleek smooth hair like my barbies and instead I had wavy kinks all over my head. Now as an adult with locs, I have some friends that miss my permed tresses and other's who are madly in love with my auburn locs. The thing is, I really don't care how I wear my hair. My priority is for it to look GOOD. I had a friend who lost all of her hair going through chemotherapy after a diagnosis of leukemia. She wore her short and curly crop with grace and dignity and looked no less beautiful than she was with her thick almost waist long mane of hair. It was at that time that I had to wonder how I would have fared in such a situation. She never bothered to put on a wig, she just kept going, with fuzzy curls that eventually grew into the hair we were used to. I'm not sure that I would have been able to do the same. I had too much pride to walk about with a near-bald head.

However, one must acknowledge the contradiction of having too much pride to wear your hair any way other than what you are used to, even if its in its most natural state. I have long got over my vanity and hang ups of long hair, permed hair, and "good hair". I instead embraced ME and wear my hair any way that I like.

There will be a time when a silver strand of hair peeks out of my scalp and I'm sure there will be several others to follow. I refuse to begin the dying frenzy that most middle aged women do. I will instead chop off my locs and sport a short silver crop. Believe me, whatever I do... I do well when it comes to my hair. I have no concerns that I will be any less of a diva. Does your hair define you? Can you see yourself doing anything different other than what you have been doing for years? If so, you may want to break free of that tiny box that you have yourself in. It can't be comfortable. Or, perhaps maybe it is and thats why you won't venture outside of the familiar. I, am one of those people who is always up for a new adventure so changing my look is far from intimidating and closer to liberating.

I guess what I am trying to say is that being natural, or having locs doesn't put me in some untouchable class of "deep black women". My hair is very much a part of me but it doesn't define me at all. So if I am still blogging in my 4o's....be sure to look for the title to change from Thinking Kinky: The Nappy Haired Diva to Still Thinking Kinky: Ramblings of a Silver Fox.