Long Hair, Don’t Care? Are Black Women Obsessed With Length?
The truth is that even though many of us as young girls once dreamed of having bone-straight ebony locks like Aladdin’s Princess Jasmine, your parent’s may have eliminated your chances before you were even born. Hair length is, in part, genetically determined. According to hair facts listed by P&G Beauty Grooming, anagen is a phase in the hair cycle where active growth occurs that usually lasts in between three and seven years in most people. “How long anagen lasts is determined genetically and varies between the sexes and from one person to another…Only people with long anagen times can expect to grow their hair down to their waist.”
Long hair is not flattering to everyone. I personally think the beauty of celebrities like Monica and Nia Long is truly enhanced when they rock shorter styles. I’ve always had so much respect for women who can take their hair almost down to the follicle with a close fade and rock it with confidence and poise. Other women choose to fake it until they make it opting to spend their life savings on extensions to achieve the popular looks they see on magazine covers and on TV. While I don’t have anything against a good weave the truth is that a head of healthy short or shoulder-length hair looks better than long poorly styled wig or weave any day.
What if maintenance is your issue? I’ve heard many times that longer hair is easier to maintain. If you’re having a bad day, you always can run to your nearest ponytail holder to be rescued, but with shorter hair those options are limited. What a short cut can do is unleash some hidden creativity when you find yourself in between trips to the salon. It also allows you to focus on your unique facial features since you can no longer hide them beneath long lengths.
In a world where long lengthy tresses are as representative of femininity as full, round breasts, cutting your hair is an ultimate “F you” to those traditional and jaded views of beauty. More and more women are embracing the idea that you don’t need hair brushing the small of your back to be beautiful and that in fact that hair might be hiding their true beauty.
Did you go for the big chop? Was it an emotional experience?
Toya Sharee is a community health educator who has a passion for helping young women build their self-esteem and make well-informed choices about their sexual health. She also advocates for women’s reproductive rights and blogs about everything from beauty to love and relationships. Follow her on Twitter @TheTrueTSharee.
