“Why compare yourself with others? No one in the entire world can do a better job of being you than you.”
“
I was on my way to the yard today to sell a book to a fellow HU student when I saw my friend Courtney*. She big chopped over the summer and was wearing her TWA. I saw her, greeted her, and told her I liked her hair. Which was the truth. My friends saw her, greeted her, and kept it pushing. We got about 10 feet from Courtney and all of a sudden:
Friend #1: She looked better with long hair.
Friend #2: Yeah, she did.
Friend #1: I’m just saying, any hairstyle would have looked better than that one.
Me: Damn, I’m glad y’all didn’t say that in front of her. I’m also glad I didn’t cut my hair and show ya’ll.
Do you realize how hard it is for girls to wear their short natural hair and not care what others think? Speaking from experience I can say that before I found the confidence in myself, I would have rather worn an ugly weave than my TWA. Newly natural girls don’t want to hear that they would have looked better if they kept their damaged, over processes, breaking, thin hair.
Before I finally said to myself “Your opinions don’t matter.” “You’re going to talk about me anyway.” and “No one asked you, so shut the hell up” I was self-conscious.
Maybe I’m sympathetic because I understand what she went through, or even what she still might be going through. But it’s just sad, because on this campus if you aren’t natural you are the minority. It’s also sad, because the tables can be turned to easily. Oh trust and believe, no one is invincible and everyone has a weak spot.
xoxo TiffaneyDanielle
