It seems like everyone went natural at the same time. As I walk around campus, I see less bone straight hair and notice that more girls are rockin’ the fro and the curls that their hair forms naturally. I see videos of people performing the “Big Chop” or learning how to transition their hair from heat to heatless. We have come a long way. Personally, I am loving my natural hair. It is not only easier to manage, but it’s also unique. Natural hair is something that people cannot emulate because while every girl may be able to go natural, we all have different curls and styles that make our looks more powerful when seen all together. Natural girls set a statement – that their own beauty does not have to be altered for people to notice that they are beautiful. But are we truly natural when we ‘go natural’? I thought that cutting all of my heat-damaged hair and kicking my flat iron and blow dryer to the curb was as natural as it gets. But are we even following the “natural look” if we still pile on makeup? Is going natural more than just embracing the curls? Is it embracing yourself…period?
All of these questions went through my mind as my mother told me Alicia Keys’s story about being TRULY natural. Alicia Keys has made a statement about going natural all the way, which means not only will she embrace her natural curls, but she also won’t put product in her hair and won’t wear one drop of make-up.
Whoa! Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. How does she keep her frizz down without product? Do her eyelashes get to shine at their full potential without mascara? Does her hair even grow? And what about her face…? Doesn’t she need to highlight before they turn on the camera? And the answer to all of those questions is that she doesn’t care, and not in the aspect where you have an 8 AM class and you do not care about what you wear or what your hair is trying so early in the morning. She looks fantastic, but she doesn’t care about the standard that society creates for women. I wish I had the guts to go cosmetics-free, but I will admit that the reason I wear make-up is because I am insecure about myself and make-up is like a security blanket.
When my mother told me about Alicia Keys, I felt ashamed of myself. I knew that she was not saying that to make me feel like that, but I just felt that I should learn that beauty is so much more than the outer surface. It has nothing to do with your curls, the make-up, or even the accessories. Beauty is the way you make people feel and how you feel about yourself. That is what Alicia Keys is trying to get across. She is on TV with her hair doing its own thing and her face embracing its natural glow, no highlighter needed. It is just amazing that she has reached that point in her life where she is totally and completely in love with herself! Now, I am not saying, “throw all your 60 dollar Naked palettes out the window, along with your Mac foundation and all of your lipssticks.” No, that is not what I am saying. It may take a while to separate from your make-up, but maybe commit to one day out of the week where you go make-up-free. Who knows, you may like it better. Let’s try to make another movement and go COMPLETELY natural. Let’s become the true natural queens.