I am not my hair, I am not this skin, I am not your expectations no….
Not my words but India Arie’s song. This will serve as the perfect intro to this story.
I think men should just chill out and give us a break, because lately they have been sending their missiles on women’s hair. First, there was the MAWE (Men Against Weaves) facebook page with all sorts of jokes about weave wearers. Some of the men in that group were lauding prominent women with natural hair. Some of these women are Kenyan first lady Margaret Kenyatta, Uganda’s first lady Mrs. Museveni, Graça Machel, Lupita Nyongo, and Emmy Kosgei .
Well, I respect those great women for choosing their distinct style. After all, everyone has to have a style that defines them. It should however not form a benchmark on which to judge all women. After all, who defines what is beautiful?
Then a famous Kenyan businessman decided to classify weaves as dead people’s hair. He said, “What I hate in this country for our ladies, is wearing dead people’s hair”. He shared his sentiments on national TV, and raised an uproar on social media among women folk.
Yesterday another man hit a raw nerve when his opinion on women’s hair raised massive selfie protest on twitter under the hashtag #Myunkempthair
Here is the tweet.
Natural hair. An excuse for ladies to walk around with untidy hair provided there is a flower or ribbon somewhere on it.
— CN ® (@crazynairobian) September 28, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsGranted, some ladies take very good care of the natural look but others are just using it as an excuse to walk around with unkempt hair. — CN ® (@crazynairobian) September 28, 2015
Just so we are on the same page #MyUnkemptHair pic.twitter.com/StOnzTbhna
— YoungEastAfricanGirl (@lotusflower254) September 28, 2015
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#MyUnkemptHair #NaturalHairCommunityKE pic.twitter.com/dhJTAaJPyM
— wanjiku redefined (@lilykadot) September 29, 2015
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Better late than never… #MyUnkemptHair pic.twitter.com/CZDNRCFJJX
— Cathy Mungai (@ForeverCathy_) September 29, 2015
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I didn’t post jana but #MyUnkemptHair is slaying today. And I refuse to keep it to myself #SorryNotSorry pic.twitter.com/a925OLPYUG
— M&M (@__monyque) September 29, 2015
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Can I really miss out in the #MyUnkemptHair ? Not when it is what defines me fully. #IknowhoIam #Ilovemykinks pic.twitter.com/eRQ1wsLpqX
— Namboka Makadia (@MakadiaNamboka) September 29, 2015
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Why did I decide to write this? On Saturday, I had my friend cut my braids because I felt like undoing them. After looking at the mirror, a light bulb hit my head. So I decided to come to work in my short running braids. Several people told me they liked what they saw when I went to church on Sunday. Then Monday, the unkempt hair conversation. My take in all this, is there is beauty in diversity, so respect the women’s style choices.
Ooh! Here are my unkempt braids.
Julieinspire 