With the recent controversy on hair, I am going to share my experience as an Afro-Latina and the comments I have experienced because of my thick and curly hair.
As many of you know, I am Afro-Latina; what does this mean? This means I acknowledge my blackness. Now, many may say, "Kay you aren't black you are Latina." Correct, I am a Latina woman, therefore, I cannot be black, right? Wrong. I have ancestors and family members who are black and Latino, and it is not just me but many people of color throughout Latin America will claim they are Afro-Latino. Thus, we are Afro-Latinos and Afro-Latinas exist. Many Latinos may argue this, but that is another topic for another time.
Moving forward, ever since I was a child, going to the salon was always a hassle for my mother. People always charged my mother an exceeding amount of money, simply because my hair was thick, long and curly.
When I was younger, maybe nine or ten years old, I remember sitting in a salon chair and the hairdresser was running her fingers through my hair and saying, "She simply has too much hair, and her hair is too curly, if you want we can relax her curls for an extra charge." My mother would agree because she did not know how to handle my hair.
By the time the hairdresser was done with me, my mother racked up a bill of probably 50 dollars or more. This became a habitual thing for my mother. Every so often we would go to a salon and spend over 50 dollars for someone to cut, relax and straighten my hair.
As I got older, I realized how much Latina hairdressers did not like my hair. Especially, when I would just go for a blowout. Hairdressers would constantly remark on how can I handle so much hair and why have I not put Keratin treatments to make my hair straight. I would sit in the chair silently and watch other women straighten their hair and make their appointment for the following week. I never knew how to answer.
At home, the comments of my hair was always the same. My grandmother would always tell me, "Straight hair looks nicer, and when you go out for a job interview straighten your hair because curly hair is unprofessional." My grandmother says, "Se ve feo," it looks ugly to have curly hair, and because she is my elder I respected her opinion.
I have unruly hair, and hairdressers take advantage of my quality of hair. Many Latinas are so fixated on having straight hair and assimilating with white women that they do not know how to love what has been given to them. For a long time, I was this kind of woman. I learned to love my hair, because, like people, hair is unique.
Yes, sometimes my hair has a mind of its own, it will have too much volume. Other times, my hair would have beautiful curls, and sometimes even nice waves. I have learned to allow my hair to do what it desires.
I allowed people to call my hair ugly and untamable for too long. I allowed people to relax my hair because I did not know any better, and I allowed my own family to make me believe that having curly hair is awful.
Now, as an adult, I shall take a stand for my unruly hair and for many women and men who have unruly hair, and who have been told their hair is ugly, that their hair is unprofessional, and that their hair is dirty or unmanageable.
My hair should not define if I am worthy of employment. Why should it? If the quality of my work is what truly matters. My hair or anyone else's should not be held against them. Society is constantly stating that there is no discrimination, however, if the way someone does their hair costs them their job; what should we call this then? Employers and society have to start realizing that people are born with the hair that they have. They cannot help it, because if they could, trust and believe they would get ahead in this society.
As stated in The Root, in South Africa, young girls are protesting their school because their school said they hair is unprofessional and dirty. If that does not sound outrageous let us look at Kentucky, where high school students were told that they could not wear natural hairstyles like dreadlocks and corn rolls.
Hair has become a topic of discussion and no one seems to have much of a problem with it, and why is that? Is it because the elections are occurring and Donald Trump is for some reason still running for President? The way women and men style their hair is determining dress codes and if they are worthy to be hired by a company. Let us forget the qualifications or that there are already enough dress codes to uphold.
Nonetheless, my hair is unruly, untamable, dirty, ugly, and unmanageable. But I LOVE it and that is what society does not teach us to do.
