The Magic of Curlfest 2017 This was my 1st time attending Curly Girl Collective's Curl Fest and let me tell you, there was so much natural haired eye candy beautifulness everywhere. My brain went into major natural hair overload. Seeing the textures and styles of everyone's hair, the sea of melanin in the crowd reminded me of the Wu Tang "Ice Cream" chorus, the hues of the colors of golden rod yellows, reds, purples, greens, and the colorful Ankara fabrics of the clothes everyone was rocking reminded of a wildflower field, the flowers that laid in the fros, locs, and curls of queens, and the beauty of each woman celebrating each other unapologetically was quite magical. It was the feeling of having a safe space for all of us women to celebrate our glory and our heritage together that made Curl Fest so special. We loved on each other, we gave compliments back and forth to one another, and we were all in awe of each other. As women of color and different ethnicities, it was so amazing to witness seeing ourselves in each other at every turn. Representation matters, and Curl Fest gave us that feeling of empowerment. Literally walking up Prospect Park in Brooklyn, I had no idea what to expect. I knew that there was going to a bevy of natural beauties everywhere, but that is an understatement. There were oddly enough, it seemed like a million dragonflies were flying around the entire park surrounding all of us while we were chatting or dancing it up with fellow curlies. I say it's because of all of the black girl magic paired with all of the scents of coconut oil, honey, and Egyptian musk in the air. I can still smell that goodness as I am on the plane now and it brings a smile to my face. The DJ's were on their 1's and 2's spinning reggae (which is one of the many reasons why I love New York) & old school hip hop jams. There were live artists painting amazing works of art dedicated to natural haired women. The infamous Spike Lee was there to talk during the empowerment circle. The energy and woman power felt in the park was so electric I could feel it in my soul y'all. Love, peace, and hella positive energy was most definitely in the air. The attendees came from all over the United States and world wide. I of course traveled all the way from South Carolina to witness the greatness of Curl Fest and it did not disappoint. The attendees were dressed to impress and the droves of photographers were ready for them. To me, Curl Fest is almost like an Afropunk festival, minus the focus on the concerts. It was like a natural hair fashion show. We all could wear what we wanted and show some skin without being judged. That was quite liberating. My favorites were seeing the little ones with their rainbow colored frohawks, big afro puffs, and baby dreadlocks running around with their smiles a mile wide. Those young ones got to witness everyone around them rocking their natural crowns with pride and confidence. I think that will be a wonderful memory for them to carry on to help instill in them those same values as they grow older. If you have an Instagram curly hair crush, all of them were in the house for Curl Fest. It was the perfect event to mix and mingle with your favorite social media queens and take hella selfies. Shout out to my curlfriends that I got the pleasure of hanging out with, seeing, & meeting: @themonacut @jadorebeauty @gethaiya @mamasitta @stylefeen @violetsambition_ @ohhthatsjustflash @iamdamejay @curly.edgy @christinavega_ @curlswithapromise @naomisoms @queen.samari @miminjulz @naturallycurly I have been reflecting on what has Curl Fest meant for me. I have to say that it has reminded me to be unapologetically confident in who I am, to focus on my self care, to never sway from what I truly want for myself, my family, and to have no fear in pursuing what I want for my career. Curl Fest 2018 I can't wait to witness more magic.
