Brianna |
Brianna Butler, 21
Philadelphia 23 March 2016 |
Victoria Awkward: When I say the phrase “natural hair” what does it mean to you?
Brianna Butler: I always think of curly hair even though it doesn’t have to be. But I think of curly because embracing curly hair in the black community is such a big thing historically. But I mean everyone has his or her own definition of what natural is. But for me, personally, natural hair is when you don’t do anything to it, no chemicals, perms, and no heat, like nothing. It is how your hair is without anything added to it.
Brianna Butler: I always think of curly hair even though it doesn’t have to be. But I think of curly because embracing curly hair in the black community is such a big thing historically. But I mean everyone has his or her own definition of what natural is. But for me, personally, natural hair is when you don’t do anything to it, no chemicals, perms, and no heat, like nothing. It is how your hair is without anything added to it.
VA: Has someone said negative/hurtful commentary about your hair either purposely or mistakenly? What were they? Why did they hurt?
BB: My friend’s sister said my hair looked like a rats nest. She is young and is not a person of color and she clearly struggles with her own hair. She makes references towards herself that her looks messy because she has curly hair. And I just wanted her to know yes she is young but she still needs to be conscious about the things she says because hair can be a touchy subject. Hair can be about someone’s identity, culture, and history. And it is a shame that people feel humiliated, embarrassed, or discriminated against just because they don’t fit a certain standard. I was hurt by that comment especially coming from a white child because in a way she confirmed that my natural beauty, me as a black woman, wasn’t beautiful, and I should feel ashamed for embracing myself.
There are little girls and boys who are being banned from school because they can’t wear their hair in a certain type of way. And this does not just happen in predominantly white schools. This happens on a global level as well. The societal norm is that kinky or curly hair has to be tamed or straight. Natural hair is just frowned upon.
I also remember when I was younger my mom braided my hair and it looked thick and long. The girls at my middle school didn’t believe my hair was my own. At that young age they already had the mentality that every black girl has to have a weave, because they thought kinky or curly hair doesn’t grow or it can’t be pretty.
BB: My friend’s sister said my hair looked like a rats nest. She is young and is not a person of color and she clearly struggles with her own hair. She makes references towards herself that her looks messy because she has curly hair. And I just wanted her to know yes she is young but she still needs to be conscious about the things she says because hair can be a touchy subject. Hair can be about someone’s identity, culture, and history. And it is a shame that people feel humiliated, embarrassed, or discriminated against just because they don’t fit a certain standard. I was hurt by that comment especially coming from a white child because in a way she confirmed that my natural beauty, me as a black woman, wasn’t beautiful, and I should feel ashamed for embracing myself.
There are little girls and boys who are being banned from school because they can’t wear their hair in a certain type of way. And this does not just happen in predominantly white schools. This happens on a global level as well. The societal norm is that kinky or curly hair has to be tamed or straight. Natural hair is just frowned upon.
I also remember when I was younger my mom braided my hair and it looked thick and long. The girls at my middle school didn’t believe my hair was my own. At that young age they already had the mentality that every black girl has to have a weave, because they thought kinky or curly hair doesn’t grow or it can’t be pretty.
VA: Does whitewashing/misrepresentation of POC in the media affect children of color and their perception of their natural features?
BB: There is more acceptance around POC’s natural features such as hair. On commercials I’m starting to see more people of color with their hair in a natural state. But not a lot of Celebrities wear it in a natural state. When little kids see that they might question themselves and their beauty.
BB: There is more acceptance around POC’s natural features such as hair. On commercials I’m starting to see more people of color with their hair in a natural state. But not a lot of Celebrities wear it in a natural state. When little kids see that they might question themselves and their beauty.
VA: If you had to give advice to a young person of color who was struggling with their natural beauty what would it be?
BB: I would explain to them to please love yourself and love what you have because it’s never going to go away. You’re always going to have it. It’s a good feeling to accept yourself. It’s a good thing to love yourself, your hair and all your features. When you walk around and keep on criticizing yourself, it’s really miserable. It’s not worth it. It takes strength to love yourself and it takes time. You go through stages of your life, and you’re exposed to new things, people and new ways of thinking. It can be hard to discover your beauty. But you will get there at some point. You just got to make sure to stay true to yourself.
BB: I would explain to them to please love yourself and love what you have because it’s never going to go away. You’re always going to have it. It’s a good feeling to accept yourself. It’s a good thing to love yourself, your hair and all your features. When you walk around and keep on criticizing yourself, it’s really miserable. It’s not worth it. It takes strength to love yourself and it takes time. You go through stages of your life, and you’re exposed to new things, people and new ways of thinking. It can be hard to discover your beauty. But you will get there at some point. You just got to make sure to stay true to yourself.
VA: Do you think that hair is important?
BB: Yes but it is a personal thing. To my mom hair is just hair. She feels if she cuts it off, it’ll just grow back again, it’s not a big deal.
But then there are people who feel hair is a part of them and that hair has a story. For me my hair has a story because I’ve gone through many transitions. Most of my childhood my hair was in pigtails and braids. When I got to 6th grade I let my mom know I wanted to be different and I wanted to look older. I went to straightening my hair, and every two weeks I would visit the salon to blow-dry, flat iron and hot comb my hair.
Another thing that didn’t really help is that I went to a predominantly white middle school, so I felt the need to fit in. When I went to high school, it was still predominantly white, but there were a wider variety of people. There were a higher number of black students in my class compared to my middle school. There were people from different religious, economic, and social backgrounds. Things that I wasn’t really exposed to when I was younger; I was exposed to when I was in high school.
After a while I started to see more black girls with curly hair. One of my friends started to wear her hair curly a lot. I was like, “dang I wish I could wear my hair curly” but I just didn’t have the confidence. There would be days where I would wear my hair curly, but it would always be in a bun. I didn’t really want to wear it out because my family would come at my hair and say it looks like a puff. I didn’t want to wear it out if I was going to be ridiculed for it.
One day my friend wanted to make a bet. She said, “I bet that you can’t wear your hair natural for an entire month.” We are the type of friends where if I lost a bet she would hold it over me for my whole life, so I went through with it. Feeling comfortable with my hair curly definitely took some time. It felt very weird. My high school was kind of like Goucher, a place where I could be comfortable being myself. So I would get on the bus wearing a bun and when I got to school I would take it out.
After a while it was getting to be too much, so I just wore it out curly. Then I won the bet, so I wore it for a month. After that I started to wear my hair more curly and I started to straighten it less. Last year I didn’t straighten my hair for an entire nine months. My story of my hair is basically accepting myself. As I am learning to accept my hair, I’m starting to like it more and more each day. Even though there are some rough days, most of the times I don’t really want to straighten it.
VA: Do you think that hair is important?
BB: Yes but it is a personal thing. To my mom hair is just hair. She feels if she cuts it off, it’ll just grow back again, it’s not a big deal.
But then there are people who feel hair is a part of them and that hair has a story. For me my hair has a story because I’ve gone through many transitions. Most of my childhood my hair was in pigtails and braids. When I got to 6th grade I let my mom know I wanted to be different and I wanted to look older. I went to straightening my hair, and every two weeks I would visit the salon to blow-dry, flat iron and hot comb my hair.
Another thing that didn’t really help is that I went to a predominantly white middle school, so I felt the need to fit in. When I went to high school, it was still predominantly white, but there were a wider variety of people. There were a higher number of black students in my class compared to my middle school. There were people from different religious, economic, and social backgrounds. Things that I wasn’t really exposed to when I was younger; I was exposed to when I was in high school.
After a while I started to see more black girls with curly hair. One of my friends started to wear her hair curly a lot. I was like, “dang I wish I could wear my hair curly” but I just didn’t have the confidence. There would be days where I would wear my hair curly, but it would always be in a bun. I didn’t really want to wear it out because my family would come at my hair and say it looks like a puff. I didn’t want to wear it out if I was going to be ridiculed for it.
One day my friend wanted to make a bet. She said, “I bet that you can’t wear your hair natural for an entire month.” We are the type of friends where if I lost a bet she would hold it over me for my whole life, so I went through with it. Feeling comfortable with my hair curly definitely took some time. It felt very weird. My high school was kind of like Goucher, a place where I could be comfortable being myself. So I would get on the bus wearing a bun and when I got to school I would take it out.
After a while it was getting to be too much, so I just wore it out curly. Then I won the bet, so I wore it for a month. After that I started to wear my hair more curly and I started to straighten it less. Last year I didn’t straighten my hair for an entire nine months. My story of my hair is basically accepting myself. As I am learning to accept my hair, I’m starting to like it more and more each day. Even though there are some rough days, most of the times I don’t really want to straighten it.
VA: Why is it important for people of color to accept their natural beauty (not just hair)?
BB: I feel like for people of color in the United States it’s really important. This country is based off of discrimination for anyone who isn’t an anglo-saxon, white, European. From day one, we were hit with: you’re ugly, you’re not smart, you’re not as good as us, or you’re too dark. Just pointing out all these features that would supposedly make us feel undesirable. Now it can be seen as a form of resistance to go against the beauty standards and norms of this country. Aside from the resistance; it just goes back to the idea of loving yourself. That’s really all it comes down to. Just not really paying attention to what society wants us to be like but just embracing yourself.
BB: I feel like for people of color in the United States it’s really important. This country is based off of discrimination for anyone who isn’t an anglo-saxon, white, European. From day one, we were hit with: you’re ugly, you’re not smart, you’re not as good as us, or you’re too dark. Just pointing out all these features that would supposedly make us feel undesirable. Now it can be seen as a form of resistance to go against the beauty standards and norms of this country. Aside from the resistance; it just goes back to the idea of loving yourself. That’s really all it comes down to. Just not really paying attention to what society wants us to be like but just embracing yourself.
Photographer: Victoria Awkward
Interviewer: Victoria Awkward
Interviewer: Victoria Awkward