Just imagine the endless things a woman could accomplish without hair? How much time she'd save each day from washing, combing, styling, profiling? How much money could she save without the expensive blowouts, the dyes, the gels, the sprays, the clip-ins, sew-ins, and extensions that come from her head, but not from her mind.
I think it's a conspiracy. Men market so many hair beauty ideals to keep us in front of a mirror and not in front of a book.
A woman with flowing hair is beautiful (even an ugly woman can be beautiful with good hair because it masks her face, but that's another blog).
But a woman with a solid mind has the potential to be a revolutionary. She is focused. She is true beauty without masks or fears.
SINEAD O'CONNOR ripped a photo of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live to protest child abuse in the Roman Catholic Church. In this act, she sacrificed her career, for her voice.
NATALIE PORTMAN succeeds the revolutionary "V" in his objectives of destroying the totalitarian that has come to power in 1980s United Kingdom. Upon learning the "truth", Portman's character, "Evey Hammond"has her head shaved so she can get to work.
DEMI MOORE in "GI JANE" is the first woman to train to be a navy seal.
SIGOURNEY WEAVER couldn't have fought extraterrestrial creatures with hair and highlights in "Alien"
AMBER ROSE wouldn't have stood out from the sea of women trying hold Kanye West's hand without her bold and rebellious style.
But Hollywood didn't create this look. While so many European nations used shaving a woman's head as a form of punishment, the women of GHANA saw it as beauty, both aesthetically and functionally. A shaved head showcases a smile, and makes the 105 degree heat bearable.
From left to right, meet BENITA, (can't remember next girl's name, sadness), CHARITY, EVA, and STELLA who I met this month on my travels to Ghana. I was in a small village called Anloga. I taught them how to "hi-five", and they taught me so much about beauty. I rarely step outside without having my hair combed forward in front of my face (I'm extremely self conscious about my forehead, maybe we'll discuss in the next blog, probably not), but these girls taught me to bask in the wind and showcase the beauty of me, my African, and not my American self.
The beauty continued at the Sunflower School in Accra, Ghana
And travelled to Parliament, the heart of the capital city
When I was walking out of Parliament, these girls ran over to me requesting photos. I was so honored and intrigued. For most of my trip I had been looking at the Ghanaians in awe, but failed to realize that they saw a spectacle in me. I learned that Ghanaian girls aren't allowed to get perms until 18 due to the distractions. The schools want them focused on books, not style. I wasn't allowed to perm my hair until 13.
I think BLACK WOMEN in America spend too much time on their hair. Today little girls are getting perms at 4, and spending aftershool time in the hair salon, and not at the library. Chris Rock's "Good Hair" wasn't just a comedy, it was a documentary as well. Maybe the 21st century revolution of the black woman is only a haircut away...
Does RAPUNZEL really need to be saved? Or is her prince just bringing her down from her tower, and power of mind? Is it a leash?
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