A Man's Perspective

Lately I've been thinking more and more about black men and how they feel about natural hair.  I went above and beyond and emailed a few questions (four to be exact) to some of my black male friends to see their thoughts.  The consensus seems to be that it doesn't matter as long as she takes care of herself and looks good.  I think they are starting to get more and more used to the idea.  Below is one of my friends answers to the questions.  Just for some demographics, he is a thirty year old professional who is currently dating but not currently in a serious relationship.

Does a woman’s hair play a large role in whether or not you find her 
attractive? Not a large role. Having a fly hairdo is nice but it's 
just one of many things that factor into whether or not I find someone 
attractive.

What kind of hair do you find most attractive if any? I love medium 
length, curly hair.

How do you feel about weaves and wigs that are worn almost exclusively 
in place of a woman‘s “real“ hair? Weaves can be beautiful in 
moderation but I hate wigs. And after a while of continuous use I'd 
start to wonder about why she always feels the need to "enhance" or 
cover up her real hair.

Do you know many black women who wear their natural textured hair and 
how do you feel about their decision to do so?  I know some black women who are exclusively natural but I don't hold them in higher regard than I would a sista with a relaxer. I'm indifferent. Not every type 
of hair style is for every woman. As long as it looks good and she's comfortable/happy then I'm all for it.


So there you have it, naturalistas.  The man just doesn't really care.  He goes on to say he doesn't hold women who are natural in higher regard but I think that is because some men don't understand how much pressure there is on women from society to look a certain way and how hard it is to go against the grain. I can't tell you the countless women who have approached me since I've been natural and told me they want to go natural too but a) they're too scared or b) so and so is discouraging them or c)  they don't have the right kind of hair/face shape/nose, skin color/earwax, what have you.  I add the earwax part just to show how ridiculous and absurd it is. But you get my drift.  Anyway, I'm off my soapbox :)

Ciao, Bellas!!