I Was Taught to Assimilate to Whiteness at an Early Age
I was taught to assimilate to whiteness at an early age. I can recall sitting down at the salon on a bi-monthly basis to get my hair straightened. Hot combs and flat irons never competed with rain and humidity, and so, perms (as we called it) seemed like the only option for Black women in the 90s. The discrimination we would experience for appearing to be unkept or unprofessional outweighed the damaging chemicals and burns of a perm. Month after month, year after year, I attempted to deny the kinks and coils that grew from my crown. To internalize the hate from the world is to become it, or at least, thats what it felt like.
I was taught to assimilate to whiteness at an early age. I can recall sitting down at the salon on a bi-monthly basis to get my hair straightened. Hot combs and flat irons never competed with rain and humidity, and so, perms (as we called it) seemed like the only option for Black women in the 90s. The discrimination we would experience for appearing to be unkept or unprofessional outweighed the damaging chemicals and burns of a perm. Month after month, year after year, I attempted to deny the kinks and coils that grew from my crown. To internalize the hate from the world is to become it, or at least, thats what it felt like.
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