Kinks and Coils: The Ultimate Middle Finger to Eurocentric Beauty

This weekend, I came this close (.) to return to what feels comfortable. It’s been nearly a year since I last shaved my head. It’s easy, it’s familiar, and everyone always says it’s my best look. But you know what? I’ve got nothing to prove to anyone—only everything to prove to myself. And what is that, you ask? That I’m beautiful, no matter what. My hair isn’t just a part of who I am; as a Black woman, it defies every societal standard of beauty.

We often talk big but think small. We’re our own worst critics, walking contradictions. We—Black people—speak of God and yet sometimes say that things created by God aren’t beautiful. That’s like saying my hair is a mistake. It doesn’t wave like Halle’s or curl like Tracee Ellis Ross’s. Instead, it kinks like Viola Davis’s and coils like Issa Rae’s.

All day today, as I walked through the halls of the Black hair care company I work for, receiving comments and compliments from my sisters, my response was that I was (.) close to cutting it. I knew if I didn’t braid it back up soon, I wouldn’t make it to the one-year mark since I last shaved my head.

But then, as I stepped out to grab lunch, the fall sun hit my face as I glanced in the driver’s side mirror at the stoplight, and I saw something. I saw a glow. I saw the beauty of my crown, the uniqueness, and the worth in all the fuss it took to get my hair to “act right” this morning. I realized this was an opportunity to work on my patience—not just with my hair, but with myself. I saw the growth that has taken me over 50 years to embrace. I felt the "f-you" start to form in my mind but didn’t feel the need to let it escape my lips. My hair, in itself, is the much-needed "f-you" to the European standards of beauty. And at that moment, I found what I needed to keep going and to keep growing.

Maybe it’ll be another week, another month, or another year. Who knows? But right now, all I know is that this sister GLOWS!

Have an amazing week, everyone. And don’t forget to follow ALL my social media platforms @beingchloe_b.

Be Blessed My Loves,

Chloe