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Part 3  What Spending A Half A Trillion Dollars on Hair Care and Weaves Says About Us
By H. Fields Grenee
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Submitted by Rickey
Micore Intl Independent Consultant
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The psycho-social ramification of wearing weaves tends not to weigh heavily on the minds of teen-agers who encompass the average age when extensions are first tried. Stacey Clark, a Washington DC professional falls in this category. She first crafted a new look using weave when she was in high school.

“Back then (in the late 80s) I believe everyone tried to pretend (the weave) was theirs,” Clark joked. “Now it’s more of a fashion statement.  Come to work one day with short curly hair, the next day it can be long with blonde streaks.  Changing hair is like changing clothes now.”

But what about when hair placement is more than just a fashion twist? For many African American women, the perception of them as having “Good Hair” is an embedded part of their self esteem. Some can’t and will not be seen without weave despite the cost and the time required to achieve it.

Nikki Walton, a license psychotherapist practicing in North Carolina, routinely counsels women on issues ranging from self-esteem and hair issues to depression and body image.

In fact, since 2000 the number of African American women now suffering from anorexia and bulimia has ballooned. Many say that the increase in these eating disorders among African American and Latino women stems from their buying into the mainstream media image of white beauty – that includes silky long hair and a overly slender silhouette that our fuller shapes cannot naturally accomplish


“We have so many deep rooted issues that we need to overcome in our community to finally make ourselves whole. It’s a shame where we chose to concentrate our efforts,” said Walton, who has chosen to go natural with her hair and councils women on how to do the same.

“In the natural hair community many of my clients tend to go natural because it is a healthier choice for them,” she said. “The vast majority are unfamiliar with their hair’s real texture, because they’ve had perms since they were five or eight.”

Some of the hair drama that she councils about stems from an internalized bias toward their natural hair, she said, so she believe they have to give themselves time to reconnect with their real beauty.

“Just go out and get comfortable with your hair,” she says. “Just embrace the anxiety and insecurity because sometimes you have to fake it until you can make it.”

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