Exhibiting some of the various ways in which natural hair is exemplified on Howard's Illustrious Campus.

This week, I surveyed nine of Howard University's very own and asked them about their opinion on natural hair and how it is depicted in today's society.

Question(s) of the week: What does natural hair mean to you and How do you think natural hair is/should be depicted for the colored man/woman in Amerikkka?

Brianna McAdoo

Natural is self-love, learning how to accept the idea that good hair is healthy hair. It encompasses you accepting you for you. It should be a very encouraging perception of natural hair.

For too long people have been brainwashed and told that European features i.e. straight hair, long hair, etc is beautiful. Natural hair shouldn’t be something that is just accepted, but it something that should be encouraged. People need to decode and demystify all the stereotypes and negative connotations of just being you.

Isley Bolar

Natural to me means anything that you want to do with your hair. However, you feel natural and comfortable with your hair without damaging your hair. Some people tend to color their hair but are still able to prevent damage to their roots. In my opinion, it’s still natural, unless you completely change the texture of your hair.

When the media depicts females of color with natural hair all they exhibit is women with afros – That’s cute, but a lot of girls don’t like it. Natural hair includes an abundance of different hairstyles. Black people are special because we can style our hair in several different ways as opposed to our white counterparts

Lexis Hill

Being natural is accepting yourself 100 percent. It forces other people to accept your coils and kinks and however your hair grows out of your head naturally.

You can’t be a natural black woman in Amerikkka without there being some sort of stigma associated with it. Especially if you’re in the business world, you can’t be a natural black woman, you have to assimilate. Otherwise, they will try to downplay your achievements or they won’t give you the same opportunities. It’s been proven time and time again.

Ayanna Evans

Honestly, I’ve never put any thought into that question. I’ve put more thought into the question of am I going to straighten my hair or put this hair that’s not mine into it? I more so think about when I am doing something that’s un-natural or when I’m about to do something that’s not me. Natural to me is... it’s natural. It’s supposed to come without a thought.

I believe it to be a matter of your own personal preference. Being natural doesn’t come with a specific set of instructions. Regardless of all the YouTube videos and stuff like that there is, there. I’ve seen an abundance of girls and guys try anything. To me, that is what should be reflected, the image is depicted upon the person.

Damon Williams

I chose this hairstyle because as a black male, this hairstyle, Locs, belongs to us and our culture. Actually, I did it to go against the status quo, when I was 16 years old, my mom did not want me to grow locs because of the stigma that is indentified with it. “You look like a criminal. You might get shot. Whatever it may be, you may not make it home”. Being that I was one of the first black males around certain white people. So I took it upon myself to show people that there could and should be a positive image associated with locs. Be scared! We’re taking over! I definitely think it should be viewed more as a sign of individuality. It has been coined as more of a thuggish or unruly thing. At the end of the day, it’s a hairstyle that everyone should be free to express themselves.

Jada Preston

Being Natural means to be confident. It means to be comfortable within your skin. It is a showcasing of not only you, but your culture as well. It should be depicted as a sense of strength and culture. Black people have various aspects to them that are breeding grounds crossing cultures.

Jeronimo

Natural is culture, your identity, and most importantly I think it defines who you want to be.

I think not only the hair, but the look in itself, being that It can identify you from the start. It’s important to be comfortable in how you look, naturally. Also not having to imitate the look of someone else. It’s one of the keys to moving forward. As a people we can’t hope to move forward without understanding where we come from, what our current state it, but we want to keep moving to the future.

I think if you’re not comfortable in your skin, your hair, your clothes, and most importantly how you look, it defeats the purpose for everything else. Most importantly be comfortable in your skin. Be comfortable in your hair.

Morgan Miller

Natural means that you’re accepting of yourself and how you express your natural form. I grew up in a predominantly white town so I was always straightening my hair before I had my locs. I realized that I was damaging my hair. So that’s why I have locs and that’s why I’m natural.

Right now I think natural hair for the black woman is depicted as unprofessional, especially in the work place. I know at Hampton they aren't allowed to have locs. I that know whenever I go to work, I make sure that my hair is done and neat so that I can show people that natural hair can look nice. It all comes down to showing people that our hair is beautiful and that we love ourselves.

Joshua Thomas

I graduated from Howard with a degree in Biology. So the first thing that comes to mind when I’m thinking natural, not hair I’m thinking of the most scientific definition which derives from “Nature”. To me it means something that has not been tempered with by outside influences. Such as humans, it is something that is solely purely a result of nature and science. If we think about it in terms of hair, it would mean that nothing would be artificial. More so as the hair that you were given, as it was given to you by your Lord; Raw untampered with beauty as it was created to be.