Welcome

This site was created by Nicholl McGuire, Inspirational Speaker and Author. Feel free to comment, share links and subscribe. If you have a business or would like to guest post feel free to contact. Check out topics on this blog and select what interests you. They are found at the bottom of this page. Peace and Love.

Thursday

Hair We Go Again! - the African-American Woman's Hair Raising Issue of Hair Vs. Health


The hair issue seems to be raising its ugly head again. With the recent release of the new Chris Rock film: "Good Hair" the conversation again turns towards the importance that black women place on their crowning glories. The amount of money that women, black women in particular, spend on their hair according to the film is staggering. We spend billions to have our hair "fried, dyed and laid to the side" as they used to say, and because of that, we are NOT going to mess it up. I know women who have claimed to develop awkward sleeping positions, like propping pillows up behind them, so that they could sleep sitting up. Or one young lady I know who claims to sleep with her head hanging off the bed so that she doesn't "smoosh" her do. I for one like a good night's sleep, so I'm not about to allow a style to get in the way of my dreamtime, so the most that I will do is to sleep on a pillow with a satin cover or pull it up at night with a satin scrunchie. Yes fashionistas, I did say scrunchie, and mind you, it's only for sleeping and doesn't go outside of the house.

In that same vein, a hairstyle has never kept me from the gym or my regular workouts. My personal stylist is very used to me saying to her, make it cute enough to last me a day, because it won't make it past the week-end. And many of my colleagues who see me with a straightened style know not to get used to it 'cause it won't look like this tomorrow.

I joke about that aspect, but it's true and very real. If you talk to most Fitness Professionals, especially those who have experience working with black women, the number one reason that they give for not working out is "they don't want to mess up their hair". To that I say, get over it! Maybe at one time that may have been a weak but valid excuse, but nowadays women have so much freedom to play with different styles. With the teaching schedule that I maintain, I work out regularly and still maintain a great appearance from head to toe. The trick is experimenting and finding hairstyles that work well with your lifestyle. You can braid it, get a weave or extensions, buy a ponytail, a wig, wear it natural as a fro, locks, twists. There are so many options, but just don't let the hair issue get in the way of your health. At the rate many of us are going we will be good looking corpses faster than you know it. Imagine the conversations at the funeral, "she was so young...but her hair was always fierce". Some how I just don't think that's how it will play out. At that final stage, who will care about your hair? Your fly and fierce hairstyles won't make a difference when you're not there to enjoy life with your loved ones, especially for reasons that are preventable! For those ladies who get it, I applaud you. I've seen some of these ladies get really creative. Before class they go into the locker room and carefully wrap their hair, and some have even rolled it up in curlers and covered it up with a scarf to keep it in style. When I see them after class or their workouts, they'll smile at me and say, "I love looking good, but I need to work it out and that's more important." What's even better about this whole scenario is that the guys at the gym who see this actually don't mind. Their response is, "I can't get mad at a woman who puts her health before beauty and a hairdo". Did you hear that ladies? They're more impressed that you're working it out. This summer I taught at a fitness event outdoors and it poured cats and dogs. I waited for the director of the event to tell me to stop the workout, but he said keep it going and so we did. Although we lost a few women to the elements, the majority stayed until the very end. And when the rain cleared I said, "Well, that eliminates excuse number one...the HAIR ISSUE. If you ladies can work it out in the rain, you have no more reasons to EVER use hair as a reason to forgo you workout again." They all laughed, but they knew it was true.

So why is this so much of an issue? According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), *80.5% of black women in the United Sates are considered overweight while 54.3% are clinically obese having a body mass index (BMI) higher than 30.

At these raised levels, that means that 80.5% of black women are at a higher risk for weight-related illnesses or chronic conditions that are exacerbated by higher weight levels such as Diabetes, Hyper-tension, Heart disease, Cancer and Stroke. Have the freedom to wear your hair in whatever fashion you choose, but please ladies, do not let it get in the way of your life! As the old saying goes "over my dead body..." if a change in habits does not occur today, that may be sooner than you think.

by Allegra Feamster

*Statistics source: CDC/National Center for Health Statistics; Health U.S., 2008, Table 75
at
Labels: , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Search This Blog

Labels

a abortion about us absent fathers abuse abusive men abusive women adopted black children affirmative action africa african american african american achievers african american art african american audio books african american authors african american beauty african american bloggers african american books african american bookstores african american brothers african american business african american celebrities african american children african american chinese african american christian women african american christians african american churches african american clothing styles african american communities african american community african american cuisine african american culture african american dating african american dating sites african american deceivers african american dining african american documentaries african american drama african american drug dealers african american education african american elite african american entertainment african american family african american fathers african american friendships african american gamers african american genealogy african american gifts african american girls african american gods african american grandparents african american grants african american hair loss african american haircare african american hairstyles african american health issues african american heritage african american heterosexuality african american history african american holidays african american home owners african american homosexuality african american idols african american inventors african american korea african american lawyers african american leaders african american lifestyle african american magazines african american marriages african american media african american men african american mental illness african american ministers african american models african american mothers african american movies african american museums african american music african american music videos african american natural hair african american news african american occult african american online surfing african american opinion african american paintings African American parade african american parents african american photographers african american photography african american poets african american police officers african american political prisoners african american preachers African American producers african american prostitution african american radio shows african american relationships african american religion african american researchers african american russia african american samoan african american scholarships african american self-hate african american sex african american singles african american skin care african american skincare african american soldiers african american sons african american speakers african american spirituality african american statistics african american studies african american television networks african american thinking african american thoughts african american tips african american toys african american transhumanists african american travel african american voters african american wealth african american weaves african american wigs african american women african american women groups African American women in science african american women inventors african american workers african american writers african americans african americans and africans african americans jail african americans respect african americans workers african americans workplace african art african consciousness african decor african food african history ai tools american holidays ancestry anger management angry angry black man angry black woman angry black women angry blacks atlanta aunt tammy banks Barack Obama be encouraged bible big girls biracial people birth control bisexual black men black alliance for just immigration black american ignorance black american quotations black american racism black art websites black athletes black attitudes black business black celebrities black celebrity children black celebrity masons black cinema black conscious community black conscious women black dating services black dolls black education black elite groups black English people black family black feminists black grandmothers black greek organizations black history black history month black inventors black love black men black men and white women black music black national anthem black nationalism black panthers party black people and summer time black people attitude black preachers black racists black radio stations black scholars black singles black sitcoms black skin black stereotypes black toys black women blacks with an attitude blessings and curses blog owner boule boxer brainwashed blacks celebrities and god cheating childhood childless women children activities chris brown chris rock christina milian civil rights civil war cold-blooded african americans colorism communication communication skills community assistance confrontation construction in haiti constructive criticism contract with black america controlling black folks controlling men controlling women counselors crazy blacks crisis dark skin dating dating violence death deceased black legends depression difficult people disorders diversity domestic violence down low celebrities dreaming eastern stars economics educated blacks education elderly black folks employment entrepreneur eugenics exes experiences faith family history family issues family secrets fat african americans fearful blacks fema camps financial assistance first black president food stamps fools fraternal organizations free stuff freemasons french african friendships funeral planning funny african americans funny black man funny black people funny black woman funny stuff gay black men generational curses ghetto gifted african americans going green good black men gospel music gossip government Haiti haiti earthquake haiti fault line happiness harlem haters helpful links hidden medical experiments high blood pressure highly sensitive blacks hip hop culture hip hop fashion homosexuals honest black folk housing assistance how to approach a black woman how to get exposure on this site human trafficking hurricane relief ignorant black people illuminati insecure women inspiration internet dating interracial relationships israel jaguar wright jamaicans jealous men jealous women jealousy jobs juneteenth keep it real kwanzaa laboring to love an abusive mate liars light skin lottery loud mouth blacks love lust lynching make money manhood manipulative media manmade earthquakes martin luther king barack obama medicine memorial day menopause mental issues michael jackson michael jackson children mother michelle obama mike tyson mike tyson daughter military mind control minority women scholarships misogyny modern day slavery money moors motivation multiracial celebrities music lyrics music videos narcissism natural disasters negro spirituals nelson mandela nicole richie nonblack not african american Obama obama campaign Obama sworn in obese black people offended blacks old school overweight african americans paranoid paranormal passing for white patience patti labelle paula abdul peace pedophilia perimenopause poems police poor african americans population control positivity post traumatic slave syndrome postpartum depression poverty prayers prejudice prescriptions president barack obama president elect barack obama prideful prostate cancer and black men protests racial problems racism racist republicans rappers rb music groups reality shows recycling reggae music relationships relatives religion revenge reverse discrimination rhianna rich african americans samples and trials SARS scammers scams scandalous pastors scary blacks schizophrenia secret societies self esteem self hate self righteous senator barack obama sex sexual harassment shopping siblings skin bleaching skull and bones slavery social issues social networking society sociopaths sometimey black folks soul food spiritual african americans spiritual warfare sports state of the union address strange black folks stubbornness superstition surveys terri seymore the man threats tired black man tired black woman toxic parents travel trends twitter uncle tom unemotional unemployment ungrateful black folks voter privacy war whistleblowers white american racism white people wisdom women friends work at home youtubers
Creative Commons License
African American Planet: Relationships, Education, Products & Lifestyle by Nicholl McGuire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at africanamericanplanet.blogspot.com.

Translate