My Black hair and Black body are not artifacts to be examined. We should not be having these conversations in the 21st century.
Your Comments Aren’t Helpful
When I first got to college, a mostly white, religious school, I did not often see many Black people like me. At first, school settled into an easy yet stable cadence. Soon, I began to make friends, then came the comments about my body, hair and mannerisms. Over time, the comments that seemed initially innocent, and occasionally funny, transitioned into eerie remarks that made me increasingly uncomfortable. To say that I began to feel overwhelmed by the fascination with my body and hair is an understatement.
Black Women Are Not Objects For Analysis
It was only after graduation and spending several more years in the U.S that I realized that society’s over-sexualization and obsession with Black women’s hair and bodies was not subject to only me. With each article I read of Black women sharing their experiences, I realized that the discomfort I felt all those years ago was not entirely out of place, and for the first time, I felt validated. The problem though, is that in most white spaces, Black women are scrutinized, analyzed, questioned, and in many ways, touched without permission, which leads me to the conversation about hair.
Stop Touching My Hair
It is one thing to ask someone if you can touch their hair, which is also awkward to do, but it is a complete violation to casually rub your palms through a person’s…
