Growth

I'm going to write a story today. Or rather, I intend to write a story today. However things almost never work out as I intend them. That being said I figured I should get this blog/rant out of my system before I switched into creative mode.

This blog post is about growth as well as something that has been irking me about Japanese people for a while now. i.e. How oblivious they are to the growth of my hair.

Let me explain:

Over a year ago I started my locks journey. Meaning: I took out the braids out of my head and vowed never to cut my hair again (or atleast not for the next 7-10 years). I then separated sections of my hair (all on my own) and twisted them together using some beeswax my mother sent me from Ja. My hair was around 2 inches at that time. I then went home to Jamaica and had a 'professional' use the locking tool on my hair. Of course I had to return to Japan where I'd have to continue the care of my locks on my own. Frustrating as it was, I resisted the urge to just chop the locks off with a scissors and eventually got a locking tool myself and taught myself how to use it.

Now, almost a year since I've been locking my hair myself it has grown an extra 5 inches or so. I can now do various styles instead of just wearing a headband and I can secure my hair in 3 without a barrage of stray locks peeking out. All this makes me proud. This is the second time in my life that I have cut off all my hair and started from scratch. But this time there's a spiritual and personal growth that goes hand in hand with the hair growth; an awakening.

Which brings me back to my current Japanese pet peeve. No matter what style I put my hair in, as long as it's different, they keep asking me if I cut my hair. For example: I normally wear headbands to school simply because it's just easier to manage that way. During winter I tended to wear more hats (for obvious reasons) and only sometimes I'd put my hair in a cup and saucer kind of style or what my teachers and students call the "pineapple". Anyhoo, whenever I'd alter from one hair style to a next there'd be atleast one asinine person who would ask me, "Did you cut your hair?" As if the fact that my hair has changed MUST mean that I've cut it.

I mean how stupid can people get? At first I used to respond with sarcasm (which of course was lost on them) but now it's really getting to me. I guess it's because the growth of my hair not only represents it's physical growth but also my maturity and my development as a human being.

So it's almost as if they're asking me "have you reverted to inexperience?" or "are you practising ignorance?"

Which brings me to another point. I still can't believe that in this day and age of self-awareness, black women are still casually making ignorant statements about their natural hair. As if the new growth on the top of their head is something to be ashamed of and therefore quickly straightened out before society shunned them.

I truly thought we had gotten past that level of self hatred.

Anyhoo. Glad to have gotten that off my chest and I still celebrate my personal growth even in the midst of so much retardation.

iNi

strength cometh from my locks!

NadYa Dee