So I always loved my natural hair but my maternal family didn’t as it wasn’t straight or jet black like theirs as our family is of a mixed ethnic background. For years they teased me about it and kept telling me I’ll never be beautiful as my hair was nappy. Years later I relaxed, well my mother did, she didn’t know how to cope with my “nappy” hair and despite it all, I still didn’t feel proud about it. I felt as it I was betraying myself by keeping it relaxed. So here I am natural again still getting side glances from from my family because of my hair but I don’t care as I’m proud of my blackness and I refuse to relax my hair to conform to their standard of beauty.
K., 23, Female, Jamaica
#SocialPressureFamily #StandardOfBeauty
#NaturalHair #Pride
