We are all struggling with something within ourselves. I know everyone's on their own natural hair/health journey, but I feel saddened when some of us, after doing their research and gathering all the helpful information decide to return to using chemicals that have been linked to very many diseases, especially among us African/African American women. I very much respect everyone's opinion. I may have 'arrived' when it comes to accepting my natural hair, but sometimes other things make me insecure. My smile is too wide. My teeth crooked. And my gums have turned pink I used to have dark gums. I prefer my smile when I had dark gums. Then I get mad, really mad. But who should I get mad at? At the colonialists, or at our forefathers who 'accepted' what those colonialists made them them believe? Or should I be mad at the 'inventors' of beauty standards? I find myself correcting my Caucasian friends lately when they refer to us as 'Black' or 'Colored'. I even recently quoted with the same courage as Denzel Washington, a line from the movie Steve Biko: ''I'm not black. I'm more brown than black. And you are not white. You are more pink than white''. What if? So, what would we do if there were never any chemicals invented to 'manage' our hair? What if there wasn't any other option? Hair is an important part of our body, just like skin. Yet, we tend to avoid taking the time to learn and understand it, and undo all the misconceptions that were ingrained in the previous generations about our unique texture. I look forward to the day when we will feel comfortable wearing our hair the way God designed it to grow out of our heads. We may not have completely decoded our hair texture yet, but one day we will. I looked up colonial mentality onWikipedia, and this is how it is described as: A colonial mentality is a conceptual theory around feelings of inferiority within some societies post-European colonialism, relative to the values of the foreign powers which they became aware of through the contact period of colonization. The concept essentially refers to the acceptance, by the colonized, of the culture or doctrines of the colonizer as intrinsically more worthy or superior. The subject matter is quite controversial and debated. Colonial mentality in men can be displayed in how a brown man places higher or lower value on a woman as a partner based on skin color or race. It can also be displayed in the brown person's insecurity about the way that they look as a brown person. Such as being ashamed of skin color, facial features, and if the ethnic group has curly hair, also being insecure about their curly hair. People who suffer from a colonial mentality, oftentimes do not realize that they have one and could become defensive when confronted on it. A colonial mentality usually affects people of color and can also be found amongst biracial people. It's psychological damage as a result of the society they live in. One way for the person who suffers from this mentality, to overcome this mentality, is to realize that they have it, and work towards self-love and overcoming their inferiority complex. What do you think? Are we still mentally colonised? Please feel free to leave your comment below.
3 Comments
Anyiti Nanyama
22/12/2015 17:58:01
I agree not even many are able to admit that it influences them.
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Shirley
22/12/2015 19:25:27
Very true, undoing that mentality starts with acceptance.
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Kate
29/12/2015 18:09:43
Wonderful write up... You have actually put things into perspective.. It even goes a notch higher in that we will stop changing our skin color... Identifying with where we were born/ come from... Cozvyou know what variety Is GOOD!!!
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Shirley BeeNatural hair stylist, lover of nature, design, color, art, photography, precious stones, gardening, organic food, life & handmade crafts. Archives
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