Derek J: “Natural Hair isn’t for everyone.” This isn’t the first time someone has said it and it won’t be the last. I have had women come up to me and say “It looks good on you”, “I can’t do that”, “Natural isn’t for everyone”. I have been natural since 2006 and I still don’t know how to respond to these comments. So I’ll ask you to weigh by commenting below.
What is your response to “natural’s not for everyone”?
Via Madame Noire
Last night Bravo aired a new tv show, “Fashion Queens” featuring hair stylist Derek J, fellow hair stylist and “Real House Wives of Atlanta” cast member, Miss Lawrence, and media and style maven and Bevy Smith. The three big personalities discussed things like haute couture, trends and what would a fashion show be without the shade that comes with discussing the most egregious fashion faux pas.
The show is primarily about style, so it was interesting Bravo chose Derek J. If you’ve seen some of his public appearances, you might have noticed that more times than not, he’s far from impeccably dressed. And I’m not referring to the fact that he wears women’s clothes, but more to the fact that he wears ill-fitting, tacky looking women’s clothes. But let me stop. That’s not what I’m here for today.
During last night’s show, I was otherwise occupied, catching up on “Girls” episodes and watching “Golden Girls.” But I jumped on Twitter for a hot second to see that Derek J, whose business is hair, made some interesting comments. He said that he’s “not a fan of the natural hair movement.“ Ok, fair. You don’t have to like it. But then he took a step further saying:
“natural hair is not for everyone.”
Natural hair is for everyone. Those who can’t see the beauty in themselves in their natural state don’t really appreciate themselves and truly love who they are. Natural hair is a choice,but it is more than that, it is a recognition of yourself and a recognition of your power. When you first go natural, of course it will be something different, new and may be terrifying. The journey is and will always be worth it. Because you have to confront society’s ideals and even your own. In fact the journey is really for you to find every reason to chose you over a stereo type or the opinions of others. Now, caring for natural hair is an embracing act of lovingness towards yourself. Once you accomplish this, you can explore styling and you’ll often find that rather than so called styling you’ll love the idea of embracing your natural hair state, like the way your hair falls or curls or puffs. Your get out of bed hair. Your naturally and beautifully simple state of being. Dont ever be discouraged from exploring yourself and don’t ever listen to others who tell you not to do so. Discover the crevices, planes and depths of you and do it unashamed and untamed and yes I am naturally, and I became natural years before there was a natural hair ‘movement’. I have struggled with it, I have done something many of the people I knew at the time said they couldn’t do. I have taught myself about what it truly means to be confident. I have found myself more and more and that has been partly as a result of starting this journey with my hair.