HAPPY TO BE NAPPY?
Should that even be a Choice?
(This entry is for people of ANY color. Identity struggles come in all forms)
I hate the term "Nappy". It has such a negative connotation. It's usually used to describe something tangled or unmanageable. It is equivalent to the word "Nigger" in my opinion. Black people are always trapped in illusion. Remaining in a perpetual state of mental slavery. I understand at one point the illusion was necessary because the reality of the pain was too deep. But the truth shall set you free and it's time that we all come to terms with the harsh reality and escape from the chains that seem to have us bound so tight.
For example, Black people are the only race of people that embraces words that were used against us. NO! IT DOES NOT CHANGE THE MEANING OF THE WORD; you're just succumbing to the label put upon you by compromising how you define yourself.
Things that were necessary coping mechanisms back in the day should not and are not necessary now. For example how we eat. Pig Feet, chitterlings, etc, We had no choice during slavery. The slave owners would eat the good parts of the animals and leave the scraps for the slaves. The choice our ancestors had was either to eat the scraps or starve. As humans our survival instinct kicked in. Now, we can go grocery shopping, we can READ ingredients, we can research what's healthy for our bodies; So why do most of us still eat like this? Alot of us scoff at the thought of eating healthy. When I'm at a family event and decline the spare ribs I'm told things like "Them white folks got you eating like them." "You better stop starving yourself." "You better not be turning your back on your culture."
It is not our culture it was a survival tactic.
Also "nigga" is not a term of endearment, we've just got tired of fighting the label and have accepted it, dressed it up a little in order to look in the mirror. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.
Same goes for nappy. If we learned how to maintain our hair, treat it so it holds moisture we will begin to notice the natural texture of our hair and IT IS NOT NAPPY, IT IS CURLY.
Even the most tightly coiled hair is not nappy it's curly.
nap·py 1 (nāp'ē)
adj. nap·pi·er , nap·pi·est
Having a nap; fuzzy: a nappy carpet
Often Offensive Tightly curled or coiled. Used of hair.
Word Origin & History
nappy
"downy," 1499, from nap (n.). Meaning "fuzzy, kinky," used incolloquial or derogatory
ref. to the hair of black people, is from1950.
American Psychological Association (APA):
nappy. (n.d.). Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved June 29, 2010, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nappy
I've come to this revelation the other day washing my hair. My nickname as a child was "nappy-head".Babysitters, Aunts, Cousins, Teachers would attempt to do my hair; They'd wash it and just let it air dry.Then in it's dry state try to comb it with a small tooth comb. They'd try to comb it from root to tipSometimes the teeth would break. It made me feel so ashamed. I was literally told "Child you got somenappy hair" or "You got bad hair." I begged my mother for a perm for years; if only I had a perm it wouldsolve all my problems. After recommendations from some of my friends mothers (since my bad hair was such common knowledge) my mother agreed when I was 10 years old. When I showed up in school with myperm everyone applauded me; even the teacher (humiliating). My natural hair was associated with pain, Thephysical pain of getting my hair combed, the emotional pain of being teased constantly about it. After myperm everyone started "noticing" how pretty I was.
So the psychological connection that was made was my hair = bad perm = good
We need to stop succumbing to the stigma and start circulating the truth. There's nothing NAPPY, orFUZZY, or UNMANAGEABLE about our hair. Yes if not treated properly it can get tangled like any other hairtexture, but OUR HAIR IS CURLY. Once that knowledge is spread then little kids will stop begging their parents for perms. Black people would stop feeling they NEED a perm. New growth would not be something bad, something to cover up or hide. (Seriously, does that even seem sane? Hair GROWTH being a source ofshame? Can we acknowledge how backwards that is???) Curly is a word with positive connotations. We asBlack people need to start associating ourselves and who we are with positive words. If we do this we can forever change the way we view ourselves and the way others view us as well. We can finally reach our truepotential in all aspects. Black People are the only ones who can truly end this slavery.
So I had gotten a perm every 2 months since I was 10 years old. Even before that I NEVER knew what mynatural hair texture was because it was never properly maintained. After years of getting my scalp burned,headaches and spending thousands of dollars (I did not have) a year on perms and wash & sets I decided togo natural. I've been natural about 2 years now and I am JUST now learning how to treat my hair. So you canimagine how surprised I am to see the true texture of my hair the other day while washing it. What emerged was coils so soft and curly. Then I started looking at all the people with natural hair around me, all curls.Went online to see some natural hair videos. ALL curly.
We need to stop succumbing to the stigma and start circulating the truth. There's nothing NAPPY, orFUZZY, or UNMANAGEABLE about our hair. Yes if not treated properly it can get tangled like any other hairtexture, but OUR HAIR IS CURLY. Once that knowledge is spread then little kids will stop begging their parents for perms. Black people would stop feeling they NEED a perm. New growth would not be something bad, something to cover up or hide. (Seriously, does that even seem sane? Hair GROWTH being a source ofshame? Can we acknowledge how backwards that is???) Curly is a word with positive connotations. We asBlack people need to start associating ourselves and who we are with positive words. If we do this we can forever change the way we view ourselves and the way others view us as well. We can finally reach our truepotential in all aspects. Black People are the only ones who can truly end this slavery.
