Though things change, they remain the same, since hair signifies your status in the society much as it was and still is in West Africa where it is believed the African diaspora of the Caribbean originated.
The difference is that while in parts of Africa hair signifies whether you are married, of royal lineage or a distinct bloodline in a tribe, in some Caribbean territories your hair is used to judge whether you are from the lower class, a loose woman from the ghetto or a decent upper middle-class belle.
For some time in Jamaica, a natural haired woman was the image of a Christian, more so, a bible carrying, long dress wearing, foot stomping Pentecostal. Now there is nothing wrong with being a Christian or a Pentecostal for that matter, but it just goes to show the stereotypes we have created when you wear your natural hair and it is not considered to be “good hair”.
In recent times people have come to recognize that you don’t have to be Christian to rock your natural texture. Some men are becoming more appreciative of the natural look and when they like it they will call you out in the street and voice their approval with something like:
“Empress, black queen you look good!” In Quitabee’s YouTube video series “Hair Conversations in the Caribbean”, Brettny a model from Tobago notes that she is accustomed to seeing natural hair in her country since they pretty much embrace natural hair, but for the most part, though the natural hair concept is getting popular it does not mean that it is fully accepted.
Though some negativity still exists, you have to remind yourself that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Whether you have been natural all your life or you are returning to natural, the truth is that you may need to help educate others on natural hair and even then some may still not be accepting.
Do not beat yourself up over it and lose no sleep; all things in their time. The remarks may cause you to waver and rethink your decision to keep your texture but ultimately the decision is yours to make.
Try to surround yourself with people who share your passion or support your decision to keep it natural. We are privileged to live in an era where constitutional rights mean a great deal and may protect your right if you are being pressured at the workplace to “fix” your hair.
Thankfully, the internet is just bursting with natural hair resources for black hair so when you start feeling down you can seek moral support from others who have been battling this negativity.
If all else fails don’t sweat the small stuff, just do like Rachel Crow in her song “Mean Girls” and comb those people out of your curls.
Liz Marie Maysonet Sostre says
The article should have been titled “Natural hair in Jamaica”. These views and attitudes towards natural hair are not prevalent in my home country of Puerto Rico.
Nikki says
Im from st. Lucia and my hair is natural and i have never been called a “negresse.” I have never even used the word or heard it being used by any st. Lucian i know….. This article is “interesting” even laughable.
Kimelle Jemmott says
Everyone everywhere has an opinion on this topic as with any other. As a person with natural hair living in Barbados I find this article laughable. Please do not presume to speak on the behalf of the entire Caribbean. I have many friends and family who sport natural hair, I see people proudly wearing their hair in its natural state every time I step outside of my house. I definately cannot relate to anything this author has written.
Tora-Joy Patrick says
Than you Liz
and kimelle. The author lumped all of the Caribbean into this one article when in fact she is only speaking from her experienced in Jamaica and that’s not fair. While there is some hair bias in my island of Barbados as with everywhere else we for the most part accept natural hair. It is not common for children to get relaxers as parents feel that is too “womanish”. The young children u with relaxers (and not under the age of seven like in America) usually have young parents who either find it difficult to plait the child’s hair or could not be bothered with that.
Regine Gordon says
Im of Haitian descent and I feel like women in the Caribbean seem to wear dreads, twist, and 2 finger twist more often than not.
Tyjondah Marshall says
What real research has this writer done to determine this article a generalization of the Caribbean woman and natural hair?
I am a Trinidadian and as it’s seen here, this article is not a holistic reflection of my country’s women of African heritage/extract…
Redo your research then rewrite a more accurate account!!!!!
Hannah Okorafor says
She even said west Africa is believed to be where the black Caribbean people come from. And a number of suspect things…
Article say she’s from Tobago as well. But, most is focused on Jamaica.
Candie Da-Bosslady says
@Liz Marie Maysonet Sostre….this article should not be titled”natural hair in Jamaica”ridiculous! this is not the Jamaican truth.I can not relate to the things said in the article an I didn’t even read beyond the first page….smh
sabz says
this article is so wrong about st Lucian I didn’t even want to read the rest please do more research before implying that we use derogatory words to naturalistas cause there is no truth to this in st lucia we praise people with natural hair.this is pure nonsense. ps ive nerver heard that word in my life as a st lucia my mom don’t even know it.