[KR]

I think the relatively recent popularity of the chemical relaxer had a profound effect on how black women began to style their hair in the post-'60s era. Previously, in order to get Afro-textured hair straightened, most people used hot combs or other head-based devices, which did not permanently alter the texture of the hair. So if they wanted to, they could wear an Afro just by wetting their hair and 'letting it go back.' In other words, Afros were easier to come by simply because the hair wasn't permanently altered. Nowadays, most black women with straight hair have had it chemically processed to be this way. The permanency of perms will not allow easy Afro formation, and therefore those with perms cannot have Afros, even if they wanted them. So in a way they are 'stuck' with straight hair. Attitudes toward black hair are also different from what they were. Many people harbor a self-hate for their natural hair, and I think it comes more from places close to home than from the media.

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Name : KR, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, City : Atlanta, State : GA Country : United States, 

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