Black folks obsession with long hair...

[Tastey]

Why are black women obsessed with long hair and so envious of those who have it?

As some of you know and have seen pictures I wear my hair in braids 95% of the time. I change to different types of braids but braids nonetheless. I've been doing that for several years now.

Well this week I took my braids out, and decided to wear my hair awhile. My hair hangs down my back but is very thin and hard to manage so I don't like dealing with it.

Why has almost every black woman I know come up to me this week and said:
Is that your real hair?
If your hair is so long, why do you wear braids? :confused:

Then why oh why did I say I was cutting off an inch in a few weeks so it would be easier to braid. You would think I said I was cutting off an arm the way this woman looked at me at work.

Dag...it's just hair.

[Toffee]

I don't see the big deal... I wear my hair long cause I got a big ole' head... But people do get upset when I tell them that I will layer it.. You would think they were getting their hair cut the way they carry on. I know its a pain when I go swimming.

[OhSoPrecious]

Watch out. . another hair thread~!! :eek: :D

Tastey, I don't understand it either~!! :upretty ( <------- notice the long hair~?!?!?!) LOL

[mystkev]

It's not just black people who have an obsession w/long hair, have you ever been to LongHairLovers (http://www.longhairlovers.com), it's a site dedicated to people that either have or are trying to achieve long hair.

I think when people don't want you to cut your hair they may have tried or are trying to grow their hair longer and can't conceive why someone would want to cut their hair.

[CLSmooove]

Black men feel the same way.... Let me rephase that)before I get slapped).... Some Black Men and all that I have come in contact with have this problem.....

I naturally have long hair..... I have cut it short at least 10 times and then let it grow back..... Each time I have Cut my hair I get the same ole crap...."Why in the world did u cut your hair" and the men in my life just have serious atittude about it.....

I currently have very short hair that i wear natural NO PERM (which by the way I absolutely LOVE)..... My Husband had to learn to like it... His statement when i cut it "thats different" pissed me off..... My Father wouldnt even hug me after seeing I had cut my hair..... straight up TUDE....:rolleyes:

What difference does it make to have short hair or long hair as long as it looks decent when you walk out the door its cool......

[Juicey1]

I get the same thing ladies. I like to wear my hair cut short (very short) and a lot of times I will get why did you cut that long pretty hair. Its because I prefer to keep it short. Its up in a ponytail right now, but I plan to make a visit to the salon to get it wacked off just like I like it.

[dulce]

I'm reading a book about this very subject (fiction) called "Nappily Ever After" where this sista cuts her long hair and has to deal with the same shit ya'll mention..it's a good read tho' cuz there is some other drama going on...;)

[mystkev]

Originally posted by dulce+
I'm reading a book about this very subject (fiction) called "Nappily Ever After" where this sista cuts her long hair and has to deal with the same shit ya'll mention..it's a good read tho' cuz there is some other drama going on...;) I really enjoyed that book, I think I'm going to reread.

[Tastey]

Thanks Dulce,
I'm gonna look for that book.

[seductive_tee]

I have had long hair all my life...i don't know i would last with hair above my shoulders.....heaven forbid i didn't have enough for a pony-tail. :eek:

I'm not obsessed with long hair, just use to it.

[Brightness]

I think the Black obsession with hair is rooted somewhat to the ANGLOCIZED factor that we attached to it. . . .

Some women and men attach a lot of beauty to the LENGTH of hair but some of those same ones wouldn't view waist-length dreds as beautiful as they would waist length bone-straight hair.

I can go either way, with hair or without. . .I don't trip off it. I remember my initial reason for cutting it was to rebel against the MYTH that the only reason men liked me or wanted to date me was because I was light-skinned with long hair. . .

I'm much deeper than just outward appearances and if my hair fell off my head tonight and I awoke bald. . .I know I didn't spend all my time on the futile effort of keeping up something that can be gone in the blink of an eye.

[Tastey]

Excellent response Bright. It's that bone straight long hair that some black women seem to covet. LOL

Funny thing is...I told this woman that I have not always had long hair. As a matter of fact in 91 all my hair fell out because I had a beautician put a color on too soon after a perm. I mean fell out in patches. It was horrible. But I cut it all to about 1/2 inch long and got it braided. It has been growing like wildfire since.

I told her if she wants hair my length, quit hot curling it to death, combing it to death, and messing with it..braid it and it will grow.

Hmmm I wonder why, she didn't want to talk no more. LOL :p

[MsMeelah]

Originally posted by Tastey+
Why are black women obsessed with long hair and so envious of those who have it?

As some of you know and have seen pictures I wear my hair in braids 95% of the time. I change to different types of braids but braids nonetheless. I've been doing that for several years now.

Well this week I took my braids out, and decided to wear my hair awhile. My hair hangs down my back but is very thin and hard to manage so I don't like dealing with it.

Why has almost every black woman I know come up to me this week and said:
Is that your real hair?
If your hair is so long, why do you wear braids? :confused:

Then why oh why did I say I was cutting off an inch in a few weeks so it would be easier to braid. You would think I said I was cutting off an arm the way this woman looked at me at work.


Girl I feel you!!! I used to wear braids 99% of the time as well.. and everytime I took them out folks said the same thing, I just cut my hair down to about 4 inches so that it could all be even so that I could start locks and you would have thought I committed a felony or something they would be like "Gurrrrrrrrrrlllllll all that pretty hair and you cut if off!! I wore a big Angela Davis Fro for a while too.. and people would tell me how thick and pretty it is and I how should get a relaxer or straighten it. I hear"Girl if you had a perm your hair would be down to here... it would be so prettty."We forget that black people didn't have straight hair until the damn straightning comb was invented..now if we see someone with NATURAL hair. they act like it's a bad thing...
and my natural ,nappy hair is beautiful too!! God gave to me! Whew I went on a tanget for a second..lol
Dag...it's just hair.

[Tastey]

I've been thinking about locks or twists too Ms Meelah.

It's been 3 weeks and might I say I hate my hair. It's been in a ponytail everyday until last weekend my neice did a twist and curl something or other that I hate and am about to go wash out rat...yes rat now. lol :p

[HulaSista]

you know.... i want to wear braids too... i don't have the patience for the skinny ones, so, i want to wear the big ones.

every male in my family was gonna disown me.

i have thick thick thick hair. outta africa baby. i dont want perms any more, and don't want to press it either.

its wild how people trip.

but you know what, asian guys, i have dated, they couldn't tell the difference. they thought i always had long hair. and thought i just cut it whenever and it grew back hella fast.

anyways.... i feel you tastey and others. its just hair.

[Brightness]

I have been fighting the urge to cut mine. . .but I tend to keep it longer in the summer so I can wear a ponytail when I go swimming. . .short hair and the pool/beach is quite frightening and requires too many maintenance tools to get looking 'back-to-normal'.

The texture of my hair isn't very unruly if I don't go without a relaxer. . .I'm extremely tenderheaded so short hair doesn't cause me too much scalp anxiety. . .I have been at the hair dresser and cried in my grown life and it's not a pretty sight, face as screwed up trying to set a good example for the 7 year old in the chair next to me. . .:p

[nubianx2]

When I meet people one of the first things of their mouth is "how long have you been wearing your hair short." Why would someone assume that my hair was ever long (even though it was). I still get flack from family members about how I should let my hair grow back. It's nothing but hair........:hammer

[Juicey1]

Well I have an appointment Saturday morning to have mine cut off. It will be very short. It will be short, but just long enough to curl with the smallest iron if I want curls or I can wear it slicked to my head. I can't wait:D