_______________NAPPY AND PROUD? BY EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON (12/07/98)

Had Earl Ofari Hutchinson bothered to do any research at all, he would have learned that women in "Mother Africa" have been braiding, coloring, straightening and (heaven help us) weaving their hair for centuries. I seem to recall one tribe of women in West Africa that actually handed down extension hair from one generation to the next. Shocking to think that these poor damsels were not aware that they secretly hated themselves and longed to be white women. When black men stop shaving names and Mercedes-Benz symbols into the sides of their own heads, then and only then can they tell me what to do with my own (which by the way, I have been wearing "natural" for three years). Hutchinson's article failed to mention that black men are at least partly responsible for the hair neurosis that many "sistahs" exhibit. When was the last time you saw a dark-skinned Nubian goddess, nappy hair and all, in any rap or R&B music video? For every black man that complements me on my naturally nappy hair there are at least 99 others who will openly disrespect me because of it, or roll their eyes and pray quietly to Jesus that "this child will run a hot comb through that mess." I admit, the black women I know are obsessed with their hair. We spend hundreds, even thousands, of dollars each year on products to care for it. The white women I know, on the other hand, are more likely to obsess on the size of their asses. They spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on pills, potions, athletic equipment and surgery to get rid of it. If worse comes to worse, they starve themselves to death. I ask you now, which is more harmful? -- Brigitte Spencer I agree with Earl Ofari Hutchinson that a white standard of beauty (in the way of light skin, straight hair and so on) has long been coveted by many African-Americans: It is a truth that is difficult to acknowledge. However, there is an acknowledgment and cognizance of our own pathology that exists today, and it is the first step to acquiring self-love and being proud of who and what we are. Because only when we are aware of the debilitating pathologies that the legacy of slavery has created can we begin to eradicate them. Unlike Hutchinson, I believe we have come a long way. I am old enough to know that hairstyles such as "nubian knots," "dreads," "twists" or the assorted varieties of braided hairstyles, would not have been acceptable in the black community 20 years ago, let alone the white one! These styles are not reflections of white society, by the way. They have roots in Africa. The same hairstyles Hutchinson says are an ode to American glamour and fashion consciousness were created on African soil by African women. The whole notion of "adornment" has its roots in Africa, from the ancient Egyptians to the current day Masai (who dye their long braids red by the way!). It is ironic indeed that African-American women who have a lineage that includes ancestors who created, for example, face painting, the kohl-lined eye and elaborate wigs of braids (Ramses wore hair extensions!) are today, in Hutchinson's view, "conforming" to a white standard by embracing wholeheartedly said adornments. Historically, our freedom and love of self were oppressed to such an extreme degree that we tried to obtain a white standard of beauty, while rejecting our own. But that is changing. We've come a long way, and yes, we've even farther to go -- but it would be ironic and sad indeed to make the assumption that our African lineage and history of glorious adornment plays no part in how we see ourselves today, and how we would like others to see us, or to negate the progress we have made. Hutchinson should refrain from likening our desire to beautify ourselves to an obsessive compulsion, and see it more as carrying on a wondrous legacy, one that could not be stifled or oppressed. -- D.Renee Southfield, Mich. In considering whether to wear a natural hairstyle, black women have to constantly think of how they will be perceived by bosses, supervisors and others. When we come to a workplace, we determine if the workplace is hospitable for us to wear our hair in whatever style and not be perceived negatively. This is one of the main reasons why we don't go natural. Our creativity is stifled more by this society than any desire to copy white women's hair styles. Look at the way black and white women dress: It's totally different. But we feel we have to conform in order to be not viewed negatively and to advance in our jobs. Also, because we were brought here from Africa with no combs or brushes, we had no way to care for our hair properly for hundreds of years. When Madame Walker came on the scene, that was the first time we were able to take care of our hair properly. Thus, the obsessive way we view our hair. -- Joyce Smith N E X T+P A G E+| A female athlete weighs in on Flo-Jo's death; Michael Bérubé responds to Horowitz