Hair can be a point of contention for so many… especially Black hair. Is it nappy, is it long, is it full but not too big, is it easy to comb (or does it break the comb). 

Is it silky, soft, long and manageable. Is it ‘good’ hair? But the questions is… what IS “good hair”? The very idea that a specific type of hair can be ‘good’ implies there must be a type of hair that’s ‘bad’. 

Both my children have shiny, thick, kinky hair; and growing up they both hated to have it combed. My hair, on the other hand, has a much looser curl and a softer texture. My son, who’s mixed-race, would comment on the oddity of my hair being closer to the texture he thought his should be, and his hair being closer to the texture he’d expect of mine.

But I’ve always emphasized to both my children that the only thing that matters is that they love their hair and it’s healthy, because healthy hair IS ‘good hair’. Don’t get me wrong, they both have gorgeous hair – I could only dream of my hair being so thick and full. But this stigma around hair is perpetuated by society and what it means to have ‘good hair’. And being that hair is such a part of our image and identity, what are we saying about ourselves if we have ‘bad hair’? And how if that affecting our self confidence and self esteem? How is that impacting the way we show up everyday? In our professions, relationships, love lives, and how we show up for ourselves. It’s kind of silly to think that our hair could be tied to our earning or career trajectory; but couldn’t it? If all that we do and all that we strive for is connected to how we feel about ourselves, than doesn’t that make our hair a huge factor in the matter?

And perhaps as adults we’ve already been indoctrinated a certain way. But what if we could change that for the coming generations by changing that for our children.

The texture of black hair has always been seen as less desirable and has always been associated with inferiority… certainly not something that would be associated with elitism. Let’s change that for our kids. Let’s teach them to not only love, but also to like themselves and their appearance, regardless of the texture of their hair. There is no texture, color, or length that’s better than another. Healthy hair is ‘good hair’, and good hair is elite.

– Hhigh Society