When The Texture, Nature and Style of Your Hair Becomes A Political Statement

Just take a good look at this hair! What do you think? What words would you use to describe them?Bodacious? Stylish? Noveau? Elegant? Elan? Different?

Indie Arie once sang this beautiful song that stole my heart, "I AM NOT MY HAIR". The lyrics of the song, the tempo of the melody all capture the quite declaration of a women saying to the world, 'See! Can you see me? Because I can see you, too.'

So when I see someone like Giuliana Rancic of Fashion Police on E! make such rude aspersions describing the exceptionally beautiful locks of Singer Zendaya  Coleman at the Oscars as "she smells like patchouli oil. Or weed", just makes me boil with righteous rage. Who does Giuliana thinks she is anyway?

I have never liked fashion police for what it stands for because I see the show as a platform for persons who have no work to do other sit and critise others all the time. Since that's what the show has completely turned out to be. You don't have to be a soothsayer to see that coming!

That said, Africans, Asians and Latin Americans all possess a unique kind of hair, each glorious in its own way, but none more superior over the other. It is mostly amongst the uneducated Europeans, especially those who attach overemphasis on their 'superior race' I find quite a number who feel their hair is 'better' than others. Says who? Even amongst a group of a race, you will still find different textures and colour shades of hair. It's called VARIETY!

So, if today you opt for a long flowing straight hair, and tomorrow a curly style and the day after you're in braids, that simply tells me how much you want to look different each time. But to say that doing so means perhaps one style is superior doesn't not even deserve a topic of discussion.

Chimamanda in her book, Americanah understood what a political state your hair is and she did a superb job of it and today in many Nigerian salons you’ll find women going in their small but regular numbers lending their voices to the hair movement she’s promoting: back to your hair roots people!

There is no one-race-fits all in this world, so the likes of Giuliana should definitely have their mouths sealed, because, quite frankly, we don't care about you making an apology when you deliberately go out to offend, disrespect and can't tell the difference between good-looking clean hair and an unkempt one. Fact is only persons with serious inferiority complex and shallow-mindedness will stick out their tongues and just abuse others so they can feel good about themselves at the expense of some-else's misery. And if anyone decides to keep their hair Bob Marley style, just know it is a protest about been stereotyped  - a political statement of breaking from the false mold.

And when you think about it, of the four major hair types there are: straight, wavy, curly, kinky, it is only African Kinky hair that reverts to Naturale and can still be stretched with a hot hot comb or relaxer to have those 'oyibo' hair that only has one state of existence. Now you can't beat that! It's more than a bargain.

Naija and Africans: YOU ARE YOUR HAIR. Love it; Embrace It. Think of the many ways you can make it shine and look good. And that's a call to action to all hairstylists!

PS: read Zendaya's witty response to Giuliana's absurd comment, posted by Alexandra Perron, Editor:https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/singer-zendaya-calls-out-giuliana-rancic-for 111954684778.html.