So… this is interesting. Ebony Magazine recently posted and article that seemed to lament the rise of natural hair, stating that it has “forced” the relaxer industry to change, against its will, and equates to a “war on straight hair”.
The digital war pits presumed jiggaboos against alleged wannabes, and the online quips have gotten rather nasty.
The article states, without providing any evidence. It continues…
Hot-headed naturalistas—even in the year 2012—will revoke your Black card for flaunting a few straight strands. However, when maintained professionally, what’s wrong with having a relaxer? A little research on today’s straightening creams proves that they’re not the damaging conks of the past.
The article goes on to empathize with relaxer companies who were “forced” to reduce the potency of their formulas:
Due to the booming business of natural hair products, relaxers were forced to change their formulas about five years ago to incorporate a slew of conditioning buffers like shea butter, argan oil and keratin. Today, most relaxers are much milder.
The one quote in the article by a natural — a woman listed as “Sage” — doesn’t include her last name, occupation, or any other identifying information. She states:
“I think it’s sad to run into a sister who hates her hair in its natural state. People like that have bought into society’s definition of beauty, which excludes us,” says Sage, a curly-hair woman who went natural five years ago. “And, for the record, no you should not be using harmful chemicals, such as relaxers, that are known to cause damage to the hair and scalp.”
Not sure what to make of this. Ladies, what are your thoughts?
I don’t understand why were are going against each other over our choices on either relaxed or natural hair. We need to stay together and accept each other and stay united. I am mixed and my white mother did not know how to do my hair properly, so to make it easier she had be get relaxers, and as I grew older I continued to even though she gave me the choice, because it was easier. But now I have grown out all my natural hair and enjoy being able to have both. People who chose to have natural hair should bash on relaxer users because you don’t know why they choose that route and vise versa. Your hair doesn’t make you more or less black.
I’m not sure I’d go as far as they did in the article, however, some naturals help cause the divide. It even goes as far as questioning naturals who straighten (as evidenced by the comments about Icon Ash this week) and those who color their natural tresses.
I totally agree. There is so much drama in the natural community alone about whats “truly natural” it makes me sick. I went natural because i love texture and I could be more creative with my hair, I didnt do it to be confined in a limited box. At the end of the day, this magazine just wants to make money for their advertisement like any other mag. People should just stop worrying about other peoples hair and using it to defined them as a person. Being relaxed doesnt make u lost or bad and being relaxed doesnt giving the power to tell people how to do their hair and live their lives. We need to stop with all this arguing and division.
amen…
Seconded.
We all know there are women, natural or straight, who will try to force their way of being on someone else. But the idea that relaxed women are tiptoeing around, feeling like they have to explain themselves just doesn’t make any sense. The article says that more than 65% of black women are relaxed. That means some fraction of 35% of black women, spread across 50 states, are throwing shade on relaxed women. That’s hardly a war.
What is sad to me is the lack of realization that there are natural women out there who will sometimes wear their hair straight (through means of blow drying and/or flat ironing). I am one of those women. So where does that leave me in the debate?
Why are we placing so much emphasis on hair as a defining characteristic of our personalities? I chose to go sans relaxer, because the upkeep was less expensive, and more beneficial to my hair due to the styles I prefer to wear and my active lifestyle (I love to swim and run). With or without the relaxer, I’m the same damn person. I’m not any better or any worse of a person because I flat iron my hair sometimes, and othertimes get lazy and leave it in a big unkempt curly fro.
Seriously, it’s an election year during a recession with women’s reproductive rights on the table. Can we please focus on those? I think they’re much more important than this “who’s better” high school locker room conversation being held between educated and grown women.
Great point. There’s no need for a debate over something thats actually dead. Just imagine the change we could make if we got out of the mirror long enough to unite and address the important issues around us.
I personally think all these claims about Natural-Haired women being “aggressive” and “super judgmental” are lies. These are all exaggerations to make women who continue to relax feel better. That way they can distance themselves from being natural by placing the blame on the women (where else have we seen this tendency to blame women, hmmm?!) If you want to relax your hair, by all means, continue to do so. But don’t take project your new found insecurities on Black women who choose to wear their hair naturally.
YESSSS. Our 35% is doing all of that? hmph.
thank you.
AMEN. Been saying this for a while now…
I quit having hair conversations IRL because no matter WHAT I said, or HOW I said it, somebody ALWAYS got upset. I eventually realized that insecure women are going to be insecure no matter what I do or say so there’s no point in getting into it. And NO, I DON’T attack people for their hair choices because I don’t want people attacking me for my hair choices. If I state that I gave up the relaxer and that I don’t straighten my hair and that I prefer it in its bushy state, how exactly is that an attack on someone else? I’m not talking about them, otherwise I would have used different pronouns! Ya dig?
As for Ebony, I refuse to go to the site because they put that article up knowing good and damn well how black women were going to react. It’s like they have a set of buttons they know how to push in order to drive viewers to their site. Black men choosing nonblack women is another favorite of theirs…along with black women being too strong, etc.
Setting that aside, and looking at the other motivation for the article, of COURSE it’s all about the ad $$$ or lack of it.
The problem, really, is that a lot of people are getting hip to the fact that more and more black women aren’t going to just fall for the okey-doke anymore and that there’s no amount of manipulating that’s going to make us fall for it. That doesn’t just apply to hair…it applies to a LOT of things. There’s long been a saying that white folks are afraid of smart black people; IMO EVERYBODY is afraid of smart black women.
Ebony should be very ashamed. For once, black women everywhere are embracing their natural hair. This is not about “hot-headed” naturals (funny how nothing is mentioned of black women criticising other blacks for having natural hair). This is about money. Plain and simple. As the others have pointed out, these magazines earn their money from those who sell us relaxers. It is easier to submit than it is to fight back.
And remember, this is not a black issue. No. This is an issue for all of society. These monstrous organisations profit from self-hate and insecurities. That’s why they sell us cosmetic surgeries, make-up, relaxers etc. I’m still a victim of some other tools to enslave women but I’m glad I’ve been fighting one insecurity: my hair. It’s a long road to self-loving.
Terrible. Ebony needs to quit trippin’. I think some black women have made the choice to stop relaxing for a number of reasons.
What’s ridiculous about the “forced to change” quote is that every business changes as the needs of their customers change. You don’t see Best Buy still selling 8 tracks and Betamax vids, right?
SOME people who are used to making mad amounts of money from straightening/relaxing — or convincing black folks that their real hair needs to be changed — can’t stand what has become the ‘new normal’ for a significant number of black women.
The fact that so many black women are changing and pulling away from the normal system is always seen as a bad thing to SOME of those who count on that system being in place.
Instead of seeing it a a bad thing or calling it a ridiculously hateful and simplistic ‘jiggaboo vs wanna’ war, they better recognize the direction in which some black folk are going, and understand why.
But I guess that’s too hard.
And so what I see in the quotes you’ve posted is the same ole mess where black women are publicly pitted against each other and a fight is instigated.
(Girl I need to post about this in my blog because I dun just got hot up in here over this Ebony mess. lol!)
My take on this is simply to say that it is straight up a BLACK/WHITE hair situation. Meaning its OK for causian women to wear NATURALLY curly hair but its not OK for Black women. To me if a black woman chooses to wear a relaxer then that fine, but for a black woman to choose to wear a relaxer because she want be accepted by her family, community, or society is a totally different ball game. A young man on youtube ask a question “What would us black women do if there were no more made or weave to be bought?” I asked myself that same question and decided that you people use like, love, and care you NOT for your hair but for the person you are inside and out. Sorry got a lil emontional.
As individuals, if we focus on the preference of our own hair we wouldn’t have time to displace our thoughts,feelings and emotions on others. I am growing my natural hair out but I also love wearing my hair straight. Does that mean I love myself less? Just because I choose to visit Dominican Salons, does it mean I don’t accept myself as I am? Nope…it all comes down to preference and what suits me…not Pro-Laxer or Pro-Natural.
Get over yourselves!
I know exactly what to think of this. Ebony magazine gets most of its money from ads. The relaxer companies are the bulk of its ad sales. So, in effect, most black magazines rely heavily on the relaxer industry. These new natural hair care companies are smaller, and do most of their advertising via the web. Also, black women with natural hair are more likely to use natural homemade oil mixes, which does not make hair care companies any money.
So Ebony has an interest in keeping black women interested in relaxers. I don’t believe there really exists as much animosity between people with relaxed and natural hair. I think its mostly hype. Most people I know see it as a personal choice. In the end, it is a fashion trend. And its a good thing. The more we accept and learn about our hair in its natural state, the more educated our choices in hair care (relaxed or natural) become.
What difference does it make how you style your hair? The image of the Black women needs repair, in general, hair should be the last thing on our minds. I still get perms…and my scalp never Burns…and every 6 weeks? I guess, more like 3x a year. My daughter is natural….always has been. She’s 15….and I love it. It was her choice. I think natural and relaxed is beautiful!
I think the article is a bunch of rubbish. Tell me again why we should be concerned about relaxer-making companies feeling they need to change their formulas to gain back some of their customers? Are they helping some of those women gain back their hairlines? Reimbursing for chemical burns? NO? Oh, then- we care because?? LOL! This is hilarious to me. Every time I hear someone with relaxed hair say they feel attacked by a natural woman, I chuckle inside. I then remember all the times I saw women with relaxers pointing and laughing when I made my initial decision to stop relaxing… I remember all the fun made of girls whose mother’s did not relax their hair by those whose mothers did allow it. Then, I think of all the times when I’ve offered nary a glance or word about her (many hers) relaxed hair and she is now offering explanations why she can’t go natural like me. We must shrug this off. So, they’re short a vacation or 2, or maybe a home because the trend toward relaxers is waning. So?
great reply. thank you.
You would think that Ebony magazine you present this information in a matter that would prevent any further feuding amongst black women on how to style thier hair.
But when you look at the facts the big buisnesses that sponsor the magazine and create most of the black hair care products want their money. Its easier to pump put tons of the synthetic chicals used in relaxers shampoos and conditioners than it is to rely on more natural resources. Its all about cost efficiency, that is the real message: pity us! We have to spend more money because you crazy radical black women wearing your natural hair are scaring everyone out of their weaves
We should all break-out our tiny violins and play a sad little tune for EBONY Magazine — LOL.
They miss that $$$!!
Ebony is partnered with these relaxer companies. You open up a page in Ebony you see, African Pride (how ironic), Dark&Lovely, Motions, etc. The Natural hair care movement has not been favorable to these relaxer companies. A step further, even the ladies who still relax don’t relax as often now. I find this very insulting as a natural. Yes there are some ladies who are nazis, but a lot of couldn’t care less about what a woman does to her hair. But of course, they are exploiting this. I don’t buy Ebony anyway.
its all about ad money for these mags. They like anything to keep money rolling in. Like i seen skin beaching product in hype hair. Relaxers are trying to make a comeback
Ratchet Magazine needs to stfu. As much flack as natural haired women have taken over the years, it makes me laugh when the shoe is on the other foot and people can’t handle it. Relaxed or natural is a personal choice. Neither is wrong if the hair is taken care of. Frankly though, the increase of natural hair has nothing to do with relaxed hair. Women who continue to relax I presume still want their relaxers at the same potency it’s always been. Why exactly would relaxer companies change their formulas because of people who don’t even use their products? They’d be shooting themselves in the foot and losing even more sales. Ebony has been shooting themselves in the foot for ages now. They need to calm down with that because it’s things like that why they are constantly losing fans and supporters.
I think this “war” that the author talks about is a little overexaggerated. I’ve had comments such as, “Your locs are beautiful…but I’d never wear my hair like that!” (which is equivalent to a backhanded compliment…please just keep that last part to yourself) but I agree that the bottom line is about hair companies (mostly caucasian owned) losing money. I think that it’s great when women convert to natural hair, but I don’t dis relaxed hair either. We need to stop hating and start embracing. We’ll be a stronger people when we do. Don’t forget to VOTE in NOVEMBER!!
Honestly the natural hair thing is still riding the “extreme love/obsessive/gung ho” hype train right now. It’s a BIG shift going on and it’s not surprising! Anyway, I can’t wait till the day having natural hair is seen as normal and non eventful as relaxing your hair. We got a long ways to go as a whole but I know many individuals are already there.
Hmmm. I read all you ladies comments so I won’t belabor either side. I agree that we should find a way to unite and not admonish each other for our individual choices. There are some naturals who are a bit on edge and although their motives are based on a new found “freedom” (I LOVE my hair freedom :) One of the best risky decisions I ever made!), the tone could be softer and more respectful.
My things is: 1. Relaxers companies have profited for decades on our insecurities just as cosmetic companies have. The problem is, you can wash makeup OFF. We change our hair structure, texture and appearance permanently and drastically because we’ve been told its beautiful and nappy hair is, well just plain nappy. God forbid! Lol.
2. My hope for relaxed women is that they will have the courage to take the risk. Most likely, you haven’t seen your hair in its natural state since you were a little girl. “ooh girl my hair is too nappy to go natural!!” Um, you have no idea how beautiful your coils are when all you’re looking at is a half inch of new growth attached to stringy straight hair. Let it grow and see how gorgeous it is! If you still hate it, ok. No one can knock youre personal choice. But how can you justify saying natural hair, your OWN hair, is not right for YOU when you’ve never tried it??? :-)
Thank you! The idea that makeup and relaxers are on the same level is ridiculous. Makeup is meant as a temporary enchancement to your natural features, just like hair products enchance your natural hair texture. Both of these things are meant to be washed off and in no way alter any structural components of the hair or skin. Relaxers on the other hand contain strong chemicals that cause a permanent restructuring of the hair fiber. If you’re looking for a “skin care” equivalent, makeup would not be it. Bleaching creams are more similar to relaxers than makeup, as they also offer a permanent structural change. I respect a women’s right to choose; whether you wear your hair curly or straight is up to you. But stop acting like dusting on some eyeshadow for a day is the same thing as applying a relaxer to permenantly alter your texture.
Amen.