Unbeweavable

O.K. before I get into this I should offer full disclosure. I’ve never had a hair weave or even wore a wig. I’ve had dreadlocks or a natural short cut most of my adult life. I may, in some circles, even be considered a natural hair snob, yet I do understand the versatility and convenience offered by both weaves and wigs.

What I don’t understand is the large number of beautiful, brown girl children with weaves going down their backs. What’s up with this? Who puts a weave on a child? Again, is it about convenience? I remember the days when little girls simply had cornrows or pigtails, maybe even a press & curl. Now, we have these young girls with Nubian Yak and Ripple Waves, hairstyles that make them look like little grown women. Don’t even get me started on the subliminal messages we’re sending these children, the first being--- what they’ve been given naturally isn’t good enough.

On many fronts, our society encroaches on the innocence of children and childhood, and I guess this is just another example, but for young Black female children, I am especially concerned. The portrayal of Black woman in popular cultural is often characterized as sassy, loud, overweight or hypersexual. For young Black girls, sassy and loud still apply in both live action programs and cartoons. Bratz dolls are marketed to our girls with thongs and tight shirts with cleavage. Parents have to work double-time to identify alternatives that celebrate and affirm our children. If you ask me, it’s time for us to go old school, like back in the day, when you had to be a certain age before you got a perm or even wore your hair “out.” It’s fine for adults to make these choices for themselves, but until our children have an honest sense of self and all of their beauty, I think it’s best to keep it as natural as possible.