I expected these puddings and creams to lengthen and define my coils.
However, my hair would always shrink back into its originalTWA(teeny-weeny afro) form.
The way my hair hid its true length used to baffle me more than it amazed me.
Janiah McKelton / Design by Tiana Crispino
Frustratingly “bad” hair days became what I expected for my hair.
I recognize I did not appreciate my natural hair back then.
But why is that the case?
Understanding why shrinkage is often scrutinized requires looking closely at history and the beauty industry.
Black Hair and Beauty Standards
Beauty standards have been historically saturated with Eurocentric ideals.
Natural hair has persistently been placed under a microscope with little societal understanding that it is autonomous.
Natural hair has persistently been placed under a microscope with little societal understanding that it is autonomous.
Being conditioned to view long, straight hair as desirable makes it easy to adopt unfavorable viewpoints on shrinkage.
I began to vocalize negative thoughts about my coily hair at a young age.
This language is often thrown around light-heartedly but is destructive to self-esteem.
In the beauty industry, marketing terminology is also problematic.
“It’s not just the hair,” founder and CEO Julian Addo says.
“It’s the language we use to speak about ourselves in the community, period.
Hair is just a very micro piece of the puzzle.”
Learning to Love My Shrinkage
In 2021, I big chopped my hair.
I expected to regret taking that step.
But moments after examining my new look, I saw myself in a different light.
My short cut revealed tighter curls.
My shrinkage became even more apparentand I loved it.
This experience holds true for many Black women who have big choppedincluding Addo.
“When I big-chopped, there were days I didn’t think I looked cute,” she notes.
“Now I look at those pictures and realize how ridiculous I sounded.”
However, Black people should not feel obligated to eliminate shrinkage to feel beautiful.
The way our hair naturally grows is beautiful.
“Curly hair curls,” Addo says.
“We want Black women to see that there’s beauty in caring for their hair.
Hair is meant to be enjoyed.”
#BlackGirlMagic: Impact of the social media movement on Black womens self esteem.
International Journal of Womens Dermatology.
2021;7(2):171-173.
Headwraps are more than a fashion statementtheyre a history lesson.
