Mind you, my shirt clearly says "Don't be trashy. Recycle." in big bold letters. I mentally kicked myself for buying the shirt. I usually don't buy shirts with writing on it because it gives men the lame excuse to stare at my boobs for as long as they want because they "can't read" the lettering on my shirt. But, I thought this shirt was too cute to turn down. Strike #1.
I winced as I continued to the register. And he proceeded to walk to the other side of the store. I was preparing to buy for my stuff, when all of sudden I hear...
"Thank you Lord for eyes for me to see
this fine nappy-headed girl in front of me!"
this fine nappy-headed girl in front of me!"
I looked in my purse and froze. Then I felt myself say "wow" and look at the cashier. He looked at me and then looked at the man. I told him I'd be right back because I just couldn't find my money. Truth is, I was so embarrassed that I didn't know how to feel. My hair was in an afro so yeah, he was talking about me but I just didn't know how to take it. My dude was so loud you would've sworn he had amps in his chest. Then, I didn't know how to react. I felt like if I was rude to him, it would've came off as me not being proud of my hair. But then again, the term 'nappy-headed' has a very negative connotation. But, then I questioned why. Why is it that a term that described my natural hair is offensive? Why didn't I just say thank you when he "complimented" me? Why did (and still do) I have a hard time believing that he wasn't trying to make me feel bad? I really like my hair. I like the versatility of it. I'm not in love with the maintenance but overall, I wouldn't change anything about my hair: naps and all.
So, why did I feel weird when he said that? Is there a problem? If there is, what's the root of the problem? Maybe I just questioned his motives...or his approach. He was obnoxiously loud. I don't know. [shrugs] Something to think about.
1 comment:
Great post! Very interesting topic. I too love my natural hair. I think going natural was one of the best beauty decisions I've ever made, but honestly, I probably would have felt the same way if that (nasty) man had used the word "nappy" to describe my hair. I believe that the root of the discomfort that comes from hearing the adjective "nappy" is that it had always been used and still is used to imply a negative connotation when all it is an adjective! Nappy is a word to describe the texture of hair just like curly or wavy is. I don't know the solution, but I hope that we all can somehow get to a point where we don't hear "nappy" as an offensive description.
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