Thank you for raising this topic for a new generation.

I say it that way because I vividly recall what seems to have been the “first wave” of this movement by black women to reclaim their beauty and identity. That movement emerged beginning in the late 1950s but really hit its stride in the 1960s and 1970s. I can’t say precisely how many black women wore natural hair at that time, but I can attest that it was acceptable and admired, at least in New York and Los Angeles, where I lived then. Possibly not so much in the heartland, but the images were broadcast nationwide.

With our usual clumsy appropriation, white women permed the living shit out of their hair, hoping to achieve a similar look. Ironically, for someone with limp stupid hair, a pseudo-Afro perm is relatively low maintenance compared with other options.

Anyhow, I personally applaud any woman who can come to terms with her own damned hair. If black women really do spend 9 times more on their hair than white women do, I’d say that was good evidence that conquering all the negative baggage tied to their hair was at least 9 times more difficult than for the average white women.

So — kudos and thanks.