#afro-puffs

June 26, 2013 By Nickecia A.

Have you ever seen the happiness on the face of a little Black girl who has just gotten her hair done? After a new cascade of bubbles and barrettes, a crown of afro-puffs or a brilliantly multicolored head of beads, I’ve witnessed my nieces exude confidence and transform into miniature models. Social media has provided a platform for Black mothers and their daughters to embrace their coils in ways I have not seen before. CurlBox on Instagram is one of my favorite places to view regrams of excited Black girls opening their Kids edition CurlBox and loving on their coils. 

As Black women and girls are increasing public expression of love for their hair through blogs, pictures and social communities, we can find areas of society that just have not caught on yet. Last week the Lorain Horizon Science Academy in Ohio received backlash for a school dress code policy that would ban afro puffs and small twisted braids. The letter read:

Afro-puffs and small twisted braids, with or without rubberbands, are NOT permitted.

Shortly after the letter to parents hit the internet, administration at Horizon decided to lift the restriction of “not allowing a certain hairstyle”, expressed through a second letter apologizing for their “mistake”. Yet as many Black women and girls know this “mistake” is not that uncommon. Whether in an academic or professional setting, our natural hair is often the subject of many conversations and policies. Our coils and curls are viewed as unruly, radical and out or order and present a struggle for many women who are forced to choose styles that appear more “presentable”.

Considering these struggles, how do we begin to encourage young Black girls to embrace their curls? Encourage them to love their hair despite settings that may implicitly tell them their coils are radical and unruly? It has been a personal struggle to embrace my own coils because of where I am professionally. Yet, I don’t want my nieces to face these same struggles; to have her confidence stepped on by oppressing restrictions such as this. It seems almost eutopic to want but as “urban psychologist”, these are some of the issues I want to tackle . So here is a personal manifesto.

Our coils won’t continue to be restrained. You can not police our hair. We will teach our daughters to love their afro-puffs and “small braided twists”. You can’t define our coils unruly and radical. We will LOVE our curls and coils and there’s NOTHING you can do about it! 

One of my close friends offered this perspective on her own experiences with her hair in her workplace:

I always find myself feeling uncomfortable wearing my hair in a natural style to work. i was torn whether I should wear it curly to an interview today in fear that I would look too unkept to be hired for an administrative position. Even when I was employed at my old job I was always apprehensive to wear my hair in a big fro, meanwhile there was nothing in the policy that banned certain hairstyles. But even with there being no policy, before I put in my 2 weeks I was approached about my head wrap. While it might have been bright, lol, they LIED and said this goes against the dress policy. i stood up for myself and said that this is the 4th time, why approach me now. I was livid. A team lead later told me there is nothing in the policy that said that, i felt discriminated against in some way. Because my natural style was not like status quo, you know

-@CurlsandCouture