Let's Get Kinky: There's Beauty in Kinks

Now I am the first to always shout in support when one asserts that all hair textures are beautiful. I mentally throw my fist in the air when I see a curly haired sista finally accepting her curls rocking it on the gram; I scream in mind, "YAAASSS!" when I see a kinky haired child doing the same. I'm so happy that we all are coming to terms with the fact that all His creations are beautiful.... that having healthy hair, in a sense, helps one to have a healthy mind. It's beyond blissful when one accepts that she is beautiful just as she was divinely created... it's a place of peace whether its occupied with a woman with curls, coils or kinks.

Nothing but respect for Ms. Scott. She has never been afraid to brave her natural hair, even in front of millions of people, long before the natural hair movement.

Who remembers this video?! Not easy to bare your natural hair sans hateful commentary and criticism at this time! #Respect

We all know we have come a LONG way from where we were. The same people that tormented us with, "Child, you need a perm," are now the same beings that dare to ask us for natural hair care tips. The same brands that hemorrhaged commercials jam packed with nothing but straight, silky haired dames now cast their spotlight upon the more textured woman. Where we once winced at entering a job interview without a fresh perm/press, we now strut joyfully into with wash and go's, twist outs, braid outs... bold bantu knots, daring afros, and edgy cuts.

Even completely bare, Lupita kills it!

But I've got to say, it's a little disheartening when you see more likes and subscribers for the curly haired girl than the girl with kinks. Why is this? Trust me, I know the element of hair porn definitely plays a factor, but not all of us are able to take all of 45 minutes to rake and scrunch conditioner through 4 sections of hair and diffuse our hair into a perfectly manicured curly fro. For a lot of us, those 45 minutes turn into 2 hours, those 4 sections morph into 12-20 (or more!), and diffusing, well, you can just forget about that. Given the more convoluted hair regimen, you would think we would need more photos of inspiration, more YouTube videos to keep our spirits high during that imperturbable moment of, "maybe I should stop this nonsense," after an anything-but-wash-day.

I have always loved watching Solange's natural hair journey!

For some reason or another, some people think this isn't my reality. Because I harbor 3c waves on ONE side of my hair, they may think my experience is that of the former. But ~80% of my hair is filled with 4a and 4b coils and kinks (In fact, I was more than pleased to see that when you search "Kinky hair" on Google, my pic comes up!). The tangles, the fairy knots, and the shrinkage even after HOURS of stretching, as well as the aforementioned tribulations, sometimes become too much.

Can't forget about Ms. Hill!

That is why I keep these photos tucked away on my computer.  Because I need to see them.  Because I need to remind myself that my hair is beautiful too.  Because after 2-3 hours of detangling and arm cramps, the loaning of the capability to just "rake and scrunch" and end up with a shapely cultivated crown kicks in.  The longing to just want to diffuse and pic your hair out to a full and voluminous mane, but to also know that your next detangling session won't be a complete nightmare, starts to weight in.  The thought of why you don't see more coily, wiry, and kinky haired chicks on your home screen lingers in the air, like that piece of dust that never seems to touch the ground.  

This is the reason I want to share some of my favorite pics with you.  To remind you that even though the curly girl has 1 million likes, views, and comments, our beauty is not measured with such uncalibrated units... units formed by the remnants of scars formed from Willie Lynch, Jim Crow, and assimilation into White America. 

Please remember that I love ALL hair textures; this is not a rant about how I hate or am envious of curly hair! (Although I may be a little envious of the ease of their wash day lol).  Some of my favorite YouTuber's and IG accounts are filled with waves and curls.  But this is a reminder to all girls that look like me, or those who have more kinks, that despite the ugliness of our wash days and unattractive moments of upkeep, we are just as fly!