She Did That! Solange Knowles fires back at the “natural hair” police
So, if you’re one of the millions of people with a Twitter account, you may have already seen tweets,re-tweets, and twitter
Source: Essence
beefs about Solange Knowles’ recent “attack” on the natural hair police. If you’re not on Twitter, or want a synopsis, let me break it down for you. I’ve pieced this together the best I could, so please let me know if there was a pivotol moment not mentioned on here.
PART 1: In the June 2012 issue of Essence magazine, Solange sat down with Corynne L. Corbett to discuss her natural hair. As you can see from the image to the right, the article summary says: “In an exclusive interview, Solange Knowles talks to Essence about her hair and why she enjoys inspiring others”. Here’s a link to the online version of the article.
PART 2: On the same day, the article is re-posted on Curlynikki.com. This prompts lots of comments and criticisms from the Curly Nikki community. In my experience, I’ve found that this community can be critical, fragmented, supportive, you name it. Side note: the beauty of online communities is that not everyone has to agree. One CN poster said, “I don’t see anything special about her hair at all and I don’t admire it. I’ve seen naturals with more style all on their own”, while another asked, “why all the hating on Solange?! Dag! The girl is wearing natural hair in the limelight, what else could you possibly want from her! Crabs in a barrel?”
*Cue the drama*
PART 3: On June 7, a post is published on the Modern Meid Tumbler page. The post author raises several interesting points about the natural hair community, and references back to the original Essence article, as re-posted on Curly Nikki. She wrote: “So do you think some naturals go too far when it comes to other people’s natural hair? Yes or no? And why?” And this, in my humble opinion, is a valid question.
PART 4: Solange got on Twitter in response to 1) the post on Modern Meid and 2) other conversations about her natural hair. And this, my darlings, is why I say, “she did that!” Here are some of her tweets (start reading at the bottom-click to enlarge):
PART 5: Then, there’s a flurry of blog posts responding to Solange. Here are some posts:
Crunk and Disorderly, “Tweets is Watching: Solange is Not Here for the Natural Hair Nazi”
Madame Noire, “Solange Addresses the Natural Hair Police of the World”
Black Girl with Long Hair, “Solange Takes to Twitter to Rant Against the Natural Hair Police”
PART 6: And, here we are now. Some members of Team Natural “no likey” Solange anymore (or they never liked her, for that matter). I’ve seen comments questioning how she could alienate the natural hair community and simultaneously be a spokesperson for Carol’s Daughter. I’m not weighing in on that.
But I will say this: the natural hair police does exist! It’s not a myth. I’ve experienced the comments myself, especially because I dye my hair. According to some, that doesn’t make me natural anymore. *eye roll* But the way I understood it, “natural” meant no perm. I mean, you’re talking to a natural hair veteran here! Natural doesn’t mean that you can’t color your hair or press it. It just means that you no longer use chemicals to straighten your hair. And besides, who are you to question me (or anyone else) about what I do with my hair?
Have you ever been given a ticket by the natural hair police?
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