January 30, 2001 at 12:00 am #26629
Alicia31389
Participant
I’ve had my hair relaxed since I was about 8. I have always had thick, long hair, and I was ‘tender-headed’ as a child. Relaxing my hair made life a lot easier for me and my mother. I have toyed with the idea of letting my hair ‘go natural’ for some time, but frankly, I like the versatility I have with my relaxed hair. I can wear it in up-styles, down, curly, straight, braided or with twists. Given the thickness of my hair, if I went natural I would have to cut it shorter for ease of management, which would reduce my styling options. While there are plenty of ways in which I reflect pride in my African-American heritage, my choice of hairstyle is not meant to be a cultural statement.