Vashti |
Vashti Williams
Pennsauken, New Jersey 6 March 2016 |
Meagan McIntosh: When you hear the phrase “natural hair” what does that mean to you?
Vashti Williams: The phrase natural hair means to me the hair that naturally comes out of your head. It has not been treated or chemically altered, it’s just the natural texture that comes out of your head.
Vashti Williams: The phrase natural hair means to me the hair that naturally comes out of your head. It has not been treated or chemically altered, it’s just the natural texture that comes out of your head.
MM: How do you feel people of color represented in all forms of media (tv, movies, commercials)? Are people of color misrepresented?
VW: I feel as though a look of TV shows, books, movies and etc. add in a token person of color. In those roles they are the most “desirable” form of that person of color. If it is a black woman, it is going to be someone who is very light skin and has a looser hair texture. If it is going to be a Latina woman, it going to be one with long dark hair, light skin and a big butt. People of color are often used more as a fetish than genuinely representing a person of that race. MM: How does whitewashing/misrepresentation affect children of color and their perception of the beauty within their natural features? VW: Representation matters a lot, right off of the bat. I feel that for a kid to look up at a screen and see someone who looks like them being portrayed as a joke reinforces the stereotypes that that kid is not good enough or is a throwaway gag rather than a leading actor. |
MM: If you had to give advice to a younger person of color who was struggling with their natural beauty what would it be?
VW: It is hair. It grows back. It is hair, and you are going to be fine. It might seem like the end of the world to do a big chop or to not straighten your hair every day or to not look like the other kids but once you graduate, it will be so different. When you go off to college, you will find people who are like you, people who look like you and people who support you. In the long run, you should embrace who you are because you can’t really change it.
VW: It is hair. It grows back. It is hair, and you are going to be fine. It might seem like the end of the world to do a big chop or to not straighten your hair every day or to not look like the other kids but once you graduate, it will be so different. When you go off to college, you will find people who are like you, people who look like you and people who support you. In the long run, you should embrace who you are because you can’t really change it.
MM: Do you feel women of color face with hair related issues on a daily basis as a source of bigger issues within our society?
VW: Yes, definitely. Whether it is in a work environment or walking down the street and seeing a billboard that’s professing this idea of beauty that is hair, skin or features that are not like your own. It is pervasive and is something that is seen on the daily. Even if you don’t go out, even just staying home and going on the internet you are going to see it. Even looking in the mirror you are going to see it. You’re going to see these features that society tells you are ugly, and you’re going to hate yourself in a way that a white woman never could. MM: How do you feel having natural hair negatively or positively effects the work environment? VW: I think as a whole natural hair is viewed as unprofessional. When going on job interviews, there’s a lot of concern as to how to style your hair and still be seen as a professional. Thinking long term about how you can wear your hair at your job and not be discriminated against is very much a ‘natural hair’ problem. It doesn’t matter how long you take to do it, how much money you spend to get it done, or how neatly kept it is; if it’s not straight, it’s seen as unprofessional, and that’s not fair. |
MM: Recently Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar have used their positions as artist to speak on the idea that, black lives matter. This sparked many conversations. One of those conversations was how many white people ignored the fact that Beyoncé is black until this performance that explicitly celebrated and spoke on black lives. Another conversation is on the importance of artist using their platform for activism. What are you general responses to these performances and song?
VW: I thought it was incredible, personally. Not just because I am a fan of Beyoncé, but also because she is addressing issues in a very public way. She is embracing blackness in a way that a lot of mainstream artists don’t. Beyoncé included very unapologetically black dancers, actors and performers in her music video. In return, I think that people are reacting very negatively. People are calling her racist and all of these other names all because she included black people in her video in a way that wasn’t sugarcoated for people’s comfort. I think that the people who are mad about the fact that a black artist included black performers on a black issue can stay mad.
VW: I thought it was incredible, personally. Not just because I am a fan of Beyoncé, but also because she is addressing issues in a very public way. She is embracing blackness in a way that a lot of mainstream artists don’t. Beyoncé included very unapologetically black dancers, actors and performers in her music video. In return, I think that people are reacting very negatively. People are calling her racist and all of these other names all because she included black people in her video in a way that wasn’t sugarcoated for people’s comfort. I think that the people who are mad about the fact that a black artist included black performers on a black issue can stay mad.
MM: What do you think about Americans being colorblind towards people of color?
VW: The notion of being colorblind comes from the right place, ultimately it is really harmful. You are essentially wiping away a person’s identity and taking the responsibility off of yourself to learn more about other cultures. So for you to say that you don’t see race or don’t see color, obviously you do unless you are legitimately blind. When you see another person you can see that they are a different color or that they have features associated with another race. For you to ignore that is basically saying, I recognizes these things about you and I recognize the plight that comes with your race and I am just erasing all of that. I don’t care enough to learn about it because I just care to be seen as politically correct.
VW: The notion of being colorblind comes from the right place, ultimately it is really harmful. You are essentially wiping away a person’s identity and taking the responsibility off of yourself to learn more about other cultures. So for you to say that you don’t see race or don’t see color, obviously you do unless you are legitimately blind. When you see another person you can see that they are a different color or that they have features associated with another race. For you to ignore that is basically saying, I recognizes these things about you and I recognize the plight that comes with your race and I am just erasing all of that. I don’t care enough to learn about it because I just care to be seen as politically correct.
Photographer: Nathaniel Magloire
Interviewer: Meagan McIntosh
Interviewer: Meagan McIntosh