Program Success May 2009 | Page 39

PROGRAM SUCCESS – MAY 2009 PAGE 39 Get Real! Enough with the Weave and Wigs It has been said that “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” We all want to be beautiful even if only to ourselves, and because of that we do many things to enhance our appearance from adding color to the cheeks, eyes and lips; dressing in the latest designs and fashions; and styling our hair, which is the topic at hand – our hair. I don’t know how it all started, just taking a stab in the dark, it was probably someone’s continued efforts to make us more inferior by stating something like “she got good hair and she got bad hair.” Of course she with “good hair”, hair was straight and curly and she with “bad hair”, hair was thick and coarse. Thus begun the era of frying, dying and laying our hair to the side. As a child I remember watching the popular television series The Planet of the Apes. On this show the White man journeyed in space and mistakenly landed on a planet inhabited by apes that were somewhat intelligent with the ability to exercise human function. Needless to say, the White man subdued the apes, brought them back to planet earth, and used them as servants in their labor force. What astonished me even as a child was how the apes would dress-up with white-female-style wigs as they went along doing their daily chores. When I saw the female ape stand next to the White woman, they both had long flowing hair but the ape with the wig was still an ape. Beauty can’t be bought for $29.95, and self-esteem comes at even a greater cost. Let’s Get Real and Be Real! We can grow our own hair. It’s Over the years there have been many hair styles we have had as a peoa Discipline that takes time and effort. The Weave and Wig era defines ple and each of them defined where we were at that time as a people. us as a people without Discipline. We want beauty but don’t want to There was the Afro that defined us as a strong people fighting the effect pay the price therefore we portray a cheapen version of beauty. This of white supremacy. Then the Curl that showed our ingenuity in applymentality stems over in other facets of our life… the ing chemical and sprays to the lacking of Discipline to acquire wealth, educate our Afro. Then there were the We must use our positions of Husbands, children, start businesses, maintain homes, and even Braids that alien us with our African roots. Then came the Pastors, Teachers, and Friends to give keep jobs, just to name a few. Perm, that style we feel made us our Black Women - our Symbol of Is Beauty really Beauty if it isn’t real? Just about more acceptable to the White Beauty, the assurance of our love and everybody has a trained eye to spot a wig or weave. race. With the Perm, Black Can you imagine the delight a White woman feel women like White women appreciation of them just as they are, just