I came across this picture today on Google and nearly lost my mind.
Michelle Obama rockin natural hair?! Could it be so???
Apparently not.
The image was photo shopped back in March and the Twitterverse and blogs were all a-buzz. I of course missed it because I had a 6 month old at the time. Oh the joys of life with an infant...
Even though it was discovered that this picture was nothing more than a photoshop image, it still gave me a moment of pause. Why won't Michelle Obama wear her natural hair? For every black person you see with long, silky, shiny, straight hair, there are countless hours of blowdrying, flat ironing, beauty shop sitting, or weave sew ins that you don't see. Why the fuss? Why not embrace what is naturally yours?
I struggle with this issue. I love my naturally curly hair but I still feel most "beautiful" when I take the time to straighten it. Since childhood, we are subconsciously taught that straight hair equals beautiful hair? How are we taught this? Every TV show, commercial, magazine cover, and advertisement has a beautiful thin woman with straight hair smiling at us. Most of the prominent black woman in our society will not wear their hair in a natural state. Is it because they too want to fit into traditional beauty standards?
I would love to see Michelle Obama where her hair in its natural state. I think it would empower black/brown woman and girls everywhere to embrace what the Lord has given us and be proud of our hair whether its curly, kinky, straight, or somewhere in between. I'm not going to hold my breath though. The only curls we will ever see on the First Lady's head will come from a CHI curling iron.
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