The Stigma Of Natural Hair Needs To Be Overcome, ASAP

Yes, it is 2019. And yes, New York had to place a ban on discrimination based on hair. In other words, this ban is for the targeting of people based on their hair or hairstyle, at work, school or in public spaces. It will now be considered racial discrimination. Also, the law not only covers natural hair but also hairstyles related to racial identity. So, good job America for finally accepting natural hair after over 300 years of gracing your land.

Why texture discrimination exist?

By definition, texture discrimination is the belief that a certain hair type of hair texture is more desirable than others. When it comes to natural hair, mainstream media seems to divide women through their hair. In the black community, natural haired women face the most hostility when it comes to their hair. A lot of people are biased towards natural hair. For example, from personal experience I had many people tell me that my kinky textured hair wasn't acceptable and it needed to be fixed. I believe society sets an expectation on what natural curly hair is supposed to look like and expect all natural women to live up to that. However, natural hair comes in all shape and sizes.

Society has a hard time accepting different texture hair. I've noticed that in the natural hair community, those who fall in the type 4 category meaning their hair is more coily face the most difficulty versus someone with a type 2 hair (wavy). Having hair type 4 can be a struggle compared to those who are farther away from the hair type. We are constantly seeing women who have less of a struggle speak for those who struggle the most. Now that's where we draw the line.

What can we do about texturism discrimination?

Embrace your hair, it is your crown. But, it definitely doesn't define you. There are many natural women who have created platforms to share their own natural hair journey while being exposed to other people journeys.