My Hair, My Crown – Musings with Mo

Do you know?

1. The typical particular person has 100,000 – 150,000 strands of hair.
2. On reasonable, we shed round 50-150 strands of hair an afternoon.
3. A brand new hair starts to develop once it’s plucked from its follicle.
4. A unmarried hair has a lifespan of about 5 years.
5.  A strand of hair is more potent than a copper cord with the similar diameter.

Hair Venture

I used to be privileged to participate in a Hair exhibit mission via 1909 Media Productions that appears to focus on the wonderful thing about black hair and its versatility. The visionary at the back of the mission is Aanu, who as a mom and fellow naturalista who’s captivated with empowering younger girls to peer the herbal hair that grows out in their head as a factor of attractiveness. My Hair, My Crown.

All over my shoot along with her she tells me the incentive at the back of the mission which used to be impressed when she watched an instagram reside of a mom lamaneting that her younger daughter felt insecure about her hair. This induced a reaction from Aanu which birthed this glorious #IAMMYHAIR mission.

After I first noticed clips on social media, my first reaction used to be to applaud and have a good time such an incredible initiative. As a tender black lady myself who’s on a regularly adventure of studying my hair and the right way to very best organize it, I may handiest consider what a tender kid would really feel on this scenario.

I believed concerning the tune ‘I Am Now not MY Hair‘ sung via India Arie. I puzzled what may have led to her to put in writing the ones lyrics. I thought of her reports as an Afrocentric lady with prominence within the early 2000’s in a slightly Eurocentric society. She needed to have felt some pushback and she or he used to be fighting in opposition to being the consultant for all black girls. That may be slightly arduous. In truth, to a point I will relate with this. Being one of the vital handiest different black girls in my place of business, I’ve had eventualities the place I had to give an explanation for my hair wash regimen to colleagues who puzzled how I maintain my braids. I’ve to preface my explanations with educating them that that is my enjoy and regimen and it doesn’t stand for each different black lady. That is without doubt one of the issues I in point of fact love about this #IAMMYHAIR mission. The entire women concerned within the mission have other hair textures and other ways and personal tastes of styling. As I said in my hair adventure blogs which I wrote a couple of years in the past, it in point of fact is all about understanding what works very best on your hair.

Getting to understand and discover your hair and what works right for you.

From “I Am Now not My Hair” to “Crown”

So, how did we get to “I Am Now not My Hair” or even maximum just lately Solange’s “Don’t Contact My Hair” to Kelly Rowland’s marketing campaign tune “Crown“. The historical past at the back of those songs too can reflect the historical past we see culturally, as other people started to embody and respect the complexities of black hair.

India Arie’s tune, “I Am Now not My Hair” used to be launched in 2005 when there used to be a big eurocentric power within the hair trade. Even though India said that the tune used to be birthed so that you could unfastened girls from being hooked up to their hair. As an example, an artist opting for to chop her hair off and rock a low lower glance shouldn’t make her much less interesting or gorgeous. In a similar way, an artist who has to chop her hair because of the results of chemotherapy, does that make her much less gorgeous and inviting? Consider the weaves and hair strengthening that used to be distinguished on this technology. I’m positive all of us bring it to mind. Actually, at this day and age, I had simply carried out a chemical relaxer to my hair as a tender kid, in an effort to higher organize it and scale back my teary visits to the hairdressers as smartly to cut back the time spent on a Saturday night time.

11 years later, Solange Knowles releases a tune titled “Don’t Contact My Hair” in 2016, which stocks equivalent sentiment however extra so setting up limitations as girls take again keep an eye on on what grows out in their head. She writes from the standpoint of most likely having needed to handle some ignorant behaviors and other people overstepping limitations via grabbing her hair. We now have all skilled this in a technique or any other.

In the meantime, Kelly Rowland pens a tune (“Crown“)for hair empowerment an insignificant 3 years later in 2019 this is used as a part of a Dove marketing campaign to problem bullying and discrimination in line with hair kind. Yeah, hair discrimination is for sure a factor! Actually in that very same yr California State in The united states handed a legislation referred to as the Crown Act which prohibits discrimination in opposition to scholars and staff in line with their herbal hair. Now not too positive what the standing is within the different states in The united states as we nonetheless learn tales of youngsters which can be pressured to both alternate or lower their hair or advised to depart a selected establishment.

However with those 3 songs, can we see a theme forming right here? I might say as time has improved, artists and other people generally has long gone from having the quite a lot of phases of hair empowerment. From desiring to shield, to teaching and in any case to accepting and celebrating the wonderful thing about the hair that actually grows out of our skulls. Black girls international are proudly owning their hair, its attractiveness and seeing the crown on their heads as a factor to be proud about. Regardless of the way it looks as if or looks like, we learn how to taste it and maintain it such that it displays just a little of ourselves.

That’s one of the vital primary issues I mentioned with Aanu throughout my shoot along with her in this mission. It’s been essential for me to be told my hair and in doing that, I fall extra and love with my crown.

Now and again it may be overwhelming occupied with the several types of hairstyles and in seeking to be intentional I’m reminded concerning the bible verse in Matthew 10:29-30

"What's the cost of two sparrows- one copper coin? However no longer a unmarried sparrow can fall to the bottom with out your Father understanding it."

"And the very hairs for your head are all numbered."

Due to this fact, I embody the other ways of dressed in and rocking my hair as my crown. I will not be the most efficient hair stylist or have the ability to at all times 100% execute the manner I need, however a minimum of I’m ready to check out. As an artistic, my hair provides me the chance to replicate one of the crucial range I enjoy inside of myself.

Lately, it may be styled as house buns, day after today it may be mini twists, subsequent week it can be a bob wig and the week after that it might be cornrows extensions. Regardless of the taste, I absolutely embody my hair as my crown! You will have to too!

What does your hair as your crown imply to you?

#SeekGodMore

Mo 🙂