The other day, someone reminded me of something my mother told me when I initially went natural. She disapproved of my choice because "no man thinks that natural hair is attractive."
I'm glad I brushed off her spicy West-Indian old woman comment because regardless of her length, Sheeba is a flame that many moths are attracted to.
I'm glad I brushed off her spicy West-Indian old woman comment because regardless of her length, Sheeba is a flame that many moths are attracted to.
I've often referred to Sheeba as my crown & glory, and apparently now she's my wing(wo)man??
Many of you are not ready for this post, but I'm gonna take it there anyways. Indulge me for a moment or two...
Over the past four years I've silently conducted a social experiment with my hair, both with the parentals and with men/women. With each round of testing, the results have been the same: my hair (in her natural state) attracts a variety men.
Sheeba . be . pullin .
Not that I ever had a problem in that area, but it amazes me how many men (of all backgrounds) I either catch staring at me or are bold enough to approach me whenever I unleash Sheeba.
I have had men compliment my brush cut, coil a tendril in my TWA, and sniff my Coco Castor scented hair during my commute to work. I have had others ask to touch her. I've even had someone ask to lay in my hair (I can't make this up).
...I don't even want to get into the reaction I get from my larger-than-life-blow-outs (a la Diana Ross in Mahogany). Blow-outs seem to send them into a tizzy. I once fielded a scalp massage from an Italian who wanted to confirm whether or not my hair was real. I'm not going to lie... I enjoyed it (don't judge me), but it made me seriously begin to question why men from all walks of life were amazed by my natural hair.
So after several stares and similar reactions, I began asking these complete strangers why they were so fascinated by Sheeba and the most common reply I received was how confident I appeared in all my kinky-coily glory.
The odd thing is I overstand their reasoning. My closest friends will tell you that I am a quintessential introvert, but when my hair is freshly styled and looking lovely...
hon-TEEE, I'm as bold as they come. It wasn't Kelis' milkshake that brought all those boys to the yard.
I was watching this Youtube documentary on Jewish clothing customs and one of the women interviewed said something that resonated with me..[her] concept of beauty is often associated with [her] hair, the same truth is evident for me. My hair is my energy, my beauty, my aura; I thrive when she thrives and vice-versa.
You know how superhero's have theme songs that play when they enter a scene? That's how I am with Sheeba. When my hair is coiffed and micro-waves laid, I feel beyond beautiful, I'm invincible. A good hairstyle will have me feeling celebratory. It's the same 'I can have all that' feeling I get from putting on a well-tailored suit and power Louboutin Rolando pumps for a presentation or interview. The world is my oyster when my hair looks fab.
Now don't think I have self-esteem issues. I'm just as confident when Sheeba's having a bad day, it's just magnified when I have her freshly done. When Sheeba was first born, I routinely got my eyebrows and hair shaped every Tuesday. For me, freshly done eyebrows and hair uplift my spirit. In fact, the other day my twist out was on life support so I finger detangled it, put it into a high bun, and went to get my eyebrows threaded. I was the epitome of casual, and still had someone compliment me on my way home...
My final thoughts on all this is that there are some men who are attracted to a certain level of confidence in a woman. Wearing ones hair in it's natural state and being comfortable with ones natural appearance is as confident as one can be. And when someone is comfortable in their natural beauty (no preservatives, no additives, 100% au naturel), there's nothing you can tell them to make them think otherwise. So if you're 2 days or 2 years natural, or even if you've faithfully had a relaxer for a lifetime; wear your mane proudly, I guarantee that you'll feel amazing and as a result field a few compliment/ stares from an admirer.
Now silky Sheeba fields more compliments from women
*Evelyn side-eye*
.... working on that social experiment next.
Happy (Showing) & Growing...
Sheeba . be . pullin .
Not that I ever had a problem in that area, but it amazes me how many men (of all backgrounds) I either catch staring at me or are bold enough to approach me whenever I unleash Sheeba.
I have had men compliment my brush cut, coil a tendril in my TWA, and sniff my Coco Castor scented hair during my commute to work. I have had others ask to touch her. I've even had someone ask to lay in my hair (I can't make this up).
...I don't even want to get into the reaction I get from my larger-than-life-blow-outs (a la Diana Ross in Mahogany). Blow-outs seem to send them into a tizzy. I once fielded a scalp massage from an Italian who wanted to confirm whether or not my hair was real. I'm not going to lie... I enjoyed it (don't judge me), but it made me seriously begin to question why men from all walks of life were amazed by my natural hair.
So after several stares and similar reactions, I began asking these complete strangers why they were so fascinated by Sheeba and the most common reply I received was how confident I appeared in all my kinky-coily glory.
The odd thing is I overstand their reasoning. My closest friends will tell you that I am a quintessential introvert, but when my hair is freshly styled and looking lovely...
hon-TEEE, I'm as bold as they come. It wasn't Kelis' milkshake that brought all those boys to the yard.
I was watching this Youtube documentary on Jewish clothing customs and one of the women interviewed said something that resonated with me..[her] concept of beauty is often associated with [her] hair, the same truth is evident for me. My hair is my energy, my beauty, my aura; I thrive when she thrives and vice-versa.
You know how superhero's have theme songs that play when they enter a scene? That's how I am with Sheeba. When my hair is coiffed and micro-waves laid, I feel beyond beautiful, I'm invincible. A good hairstyle will have me feeling celebratory. It's the same 'I can have all that' feeling I get from putting on a well-tailored suit and power Louboutin Rolando pumps for a presentation or interview. The world is my oyster when my hair looks fab.
Now don't think I have self-esteem issues. I'm just as confident when Sheeba's having a bad day, it's just magnified when I have her freshly done. When Sheeba was first born, I routinely got my eyebrows and hair shaped every Tuesday. For me, freshly done eyebrows and hair uplift my spirit. In fact, the other day my twist out was on life support so I finger detangled it, put it into a high bun, and went to get my eyebrows threaded. I was the epitome of casual, and still had someone compliment me on my way home...
My final thoughts on all this is that there are some men who are attracted to a certain level of confidence in a woman. Wearing ones hair in it's natural state and being comfortable with ones natural appearance is as confident as one can be. And when someone is comfortable in their natural beauty (no preservatives, no additives, 100% au naturel), there's nothing you can tell them to make them think otherwise. So if you're 2 days or 2 years natural, or even if you've faithfully had a relaxer for a lifetime; wear your mane proudly, I guarantee that you'll feel amazing and as a result field a few compliment/ stares from an admirer.
Now silky Sheeba fields more compliments from women
*Evelyn side-eye*
.... working on that social experiment next.
Happy (Showing) & Growing...
No comments:
Post a Comment