Black Women Hair, Skin, Beauty April 2008 @ War Museum

[DarkPrince1785]

I'm from America and I'm a dark skinned black man. Everything that's being said is pretty much true. I have to say, I love the way these people talk.

[brinafr3sh]

interesting

[tuddyfruity4]

not one white woman in the room- segregation....

[MySherellee]

@tuddyfruity4 Finally!

[Applebaum]

i wish u had mics at this event

[Applebaum]

and I wish i was there, Black Britain needs more talks like this. Blackness is almost always defined by Americans

[carturo01]

slam this tight lil ass =]? O

[chazlilz123]

my tits look WAY better. goto my profile and msg me on MSN! 2

[misswinniepoo]

...that you're not a product of a society that's told the black community that in order to be more accepted, we need to confirm to the white ideal of beauty. Sorry for the rant, just had to get it off my chest.

[misswinniepoo]

..."Get Your Hair Straight, Get Your Life Straight." It's no wonder most of us feel we look 'better' with a weave, that a relaxed head of hair is easier to manage. The funny thing is, I'm a complete advocate of being as expressive as you wish with your hair - wear extensions, dye it pink, even wear a lace front wig if it makes you feel more confident...your body, your choice. But don't for a second believe that when you wear your hair straight and tell yourself it's because you look better...

[misswinniepoo]

The Caucasian community themselves find it hard to except beauty amongst their own unless it involves blond tresses (look at the way they treat people with ginger hair) so our thick, black locks are a novelty to them. We are shown from an early age through family, advertising and even toys that we lack structure and beauty without long, straight hair. For example, how many black Barbies did you come across with natural hair? I remember seeing an advert once for Dark and Lovely which read...

[misswinniepoo]

Though I doubt for a second that any woman of colour who relaxes her hair, wears a weave or dyes her hair blonde doesn't love herself as much as the next natural sister, I do believe there is a fundamental part of the black woman who has been brainwashed to believe that having straighter her or lighter hair is more attractive.

[blahblahblahman]

The whole dying your hair blonde thing is not always true though...it's not always some self-hating statement.

I can use an aunt of my as an example. She is normally very light skinned, but she's ALWAYS tryin to tan! She goes to TANNING BOOTHS, and she dyes her hair blonde. Her hair is now short and natural (it was blonde and relaxed but now it's naturally curly and short). She now looks drastically darker than her normal color the last time I've seen her...and she loves it. Blonde & all.

[marcdaddy33]

Goodness. The audio is TERRIBLE. Couple that with the fact that, the accents are sometimes difficult to understand.

Interesting discussion though.

[feistyblackbird]

How can a eurocentric, artificial look - suit you more than your own hair ?? Don't get me wrong - I've had some fly relaxed hairstyles and I love me some make-up - but I'm not getting how something false represents you more?

[feistyblackbird]

I've been natural for 8 yrs and had lox for 4 years and its true that a 'certain type' of brother isnt into it - but there's a lot that are. My last boyfriend encoraged me to loc and my current boyfriend's mother is rasta so he loves it. My love of self, confidence and healthy perspective of life lives through my hair. Before that I was THE relaxer queen - no-one ever thought i'd go natural and I've never, ever looked back. Plus I did it for me, not for a man .. and that shows.

[marcdaddy33]

I've been natural for 8 yrs and had lox for 4 years and its true that a 'certain type' of brother isnt into it - but there's a lot that are.

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Congrats on that sista for going natural. IM one of those brothas that love a sistah's hair to be natural and prefer it that way.

[feistyblackbird]

thanks marcdaddy33 - it took me a lot of years (and a lot of money!) before I finally came home ;-)

[Applebaum]

marcdaddy most black men arent feeling black women having afro hair or locks I appreciate and love that u do...but most Black men in the UK arent even interested in Black women let alone Black women who have their own natural afro hair...it seems to me that UK Black men mostly into into the european ideal white girls &mixed girls, lighter skin and natural long curly wavey straight hair. your the minority marcdaddy33.

equality would be so nice

Colonialisation and slavery have alot to answer for

[marcdaddy33]

"marcdaddy most black men arent feeling black women having afro hair or locks"

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I hear what you are saying, Applebaum... but you have to understand that if BM aren't used to seeing BW with their hairs natural it will be difficult for them to like it.

One thing that would GREATLY help BM desire natural hair in BW is if BEAUTIFUL black female celebrities and attractive black women in general wore their hair natural. THAT was what got me to prefer natural over all other hairstyles.

[marcdaddy33]

Think about the message it sends about black women's hair when BEAUTIFUL black women like Beyonce or Naomi Campbell are wearing weaves all day and/or have their hair relaxed.

Now think of how revolutionary it would be if such attractive black female celebrities wore their hair natural and the psychological message it would send to BOTH black men and women.

I was able to see attractive BW with natural hair and compare it with beautiful BW with weaves/relaxers and it was EASY to choose natural.

[rosekunda]

im a blk wm and i were my natural hair which is curly i gt more attension wearing my naturla hair then fake. yh blk men r datin outside the race but a majority still marry blk women u need to love urself 1st before anyone else can begin to love u. giving f a bad attitude or acting like a diva will nt gt any race of women anywhere

[jordan484]

Im a darkskin black man and i love to see black women in a afrocentric way so marcdaddy aint the only one.

[Applebaum]

I wish there were few mics in the audience.

thru past experience most Black men do not like Black women with natural thick afro hair. I have never heard a Black man or any colour man say I want a black woman with thick afro hair. I believe you should be able to have any hair you want but as a woman when u have long eurocentric looking hair you get more attention from men in general. Everyone is brought up to believe that eurocentricity is beautiful, because White people control the media.