The politics of natural hair (en)

Mugethi Gitau It is ironic that in the world we live in today,
wearing your hair the way it grows as an African person is
considered a statement. For generations, majority of urban Africans
have been wearing their hair straight, and this has become thet
accepted standard for hair. It is not uncommon to hear comments of
natural African hair being called unproffessional in the work
environment, or untidy in the school environment. Last year, a 13
year old South African girl led a succesful protest against
her school, Pretoria High School's racist rule that the black
students were required to straighten their hair , while girls of
other races could wear their hair natural. This is common in
schools all over Africa. Chimamanda Adichie, a bestselling author
is quoted as saying that if Michelle Obama had natural hair,
Barrack Obama would not have won the presidency. This is
perhaps, the ultimate illustration of the politics of natural
African hair. In addition, there is little knowledge on how to take
care of natural hair by hair stylists, and most products that are
readily available, are made for straight hair.In Kenya natural
haired women have formed online communities to encourage each
other to wear their hair natural despite the stereotypes and
perceptions, as well as sharing hair care and styling information
and tips.This happens on  Facebook groups like Tricia's
Naturals (68,000 members). Hashtags like #teamnatural
#naturalhair #nappyhead are used internationally on social media to
have discussions on social media, share hairstyles and hair care
information with the aim of taking black natural hair
mainstream.  Mugethi is on a mission to break cultural
stereotypes on hair, change perceptions and encourage
people to wear their hair natural. On her Youtube channel,
NappyheadsKE, she discusses the various issues like perceptions
that sorround natural hair.