I dealt with this same issue in college. A few sistas who became "au natural" during the Erykah Badu era decided to have all their little fly "revolutionary" poetry sets and always had to find a way to criticize those that were not "natural".

I think all this perm vs. natural is bull. I have been a hair stylist for years. I love the variety of styles that black women can attain. It wouldn't be fun if we all looked alike with locs and afros, etc. I like to see beautiful sistas with locs, braids, wraps, twists, hard curls, etc.

I like being different. I have been fortunate enough to have a fine texture of hair which has allowed me to switch up between natural and permed hair styles on a regular basis. Even with permed hair, my hair would curl up really nicely. I simply liked the versatility in being able to wear a wrap one day and a head full of curls another day.

Going to the hairdresser on a regular doesn't mean that a person is overly concerned with their looks. How about they just like to look neat and well-groomed and try to keep a healthy head of hair? What's wrong with that? I love to see a well-groomed male or female at all times, be it permed or locs. As for beauty-shop maintained locs...what's wrong with that?

Cassandra Wilson???Has anyone seen this women's locs. She is simply gorgeous.Compare Cassandra's locs to, say...., Bob Marley's. Don't get me wrong, I am the biggest Bob Marley fan you'll find and I like his more matted and less-maintained look on him but not her. For a woman, I would expect to see a more maintained look just because that's the nature of women. At the same time, its all good if guys want that maintained look.

I really think that those who knock folks about this whole hair issue should really think twice. Most of you all became natural after years of being permed and if you didn't, it doesn't matter. To me, it seems like the folks that are "au natural" are the ones that care more about how "natural" they look as compared to the vain sisters who are permed. It's like a contest to see who's more afrocentric.

Well, WAKE UP CALL...take a deeper look at the places where locked and natural styles originated (i.e. African countries and Caribbean islands). Look at all the different people in these places. Take the Caribbean for example. What is a Jamaican or a Trinidadian? There is no set look. They are mixed with a little bit of every ethnic group and a lot of their women have the light to cinnamon brown tones with beautiful straight, curly hair that you all say is only for white people. Come on people. Wake up. All of you so called "conscious" people need to take another look around the globe and put more time into your history books before you criticize that sister with "permed" hair again.


***Please everyone, no offense intended, just wanting the "naturals" to see a difference in opinion and take it into consideration before judging...........

REN