Embracing Natural Beauty Dy Esosa E.

As a woman of African descent who continues to evolve, I took a moment to retrace my experience and understanding of natural beauty. When I was a little girl, the word beautiful felt somewhat out of reach. It was something that seemed to require maturity. 

Back then, my friends and I were called cute or pretty. Our favorite Barbie dolls were pretty, and we imagined them conquering the world because of their gorgeousness which drew all things good to them, including the man of their dreams named Ken. I thought that my dolls were also beautiful because of their long straight hair, and I hoped that one day my hair would look just like that. As I grew up, beauty took on new shape and form. 

Over and over I heard the phrase that beauty is only skin deep, meaning that to get to the true essence, the true beauty of any human, you have to go further than external looks and into the spirit. I took note that kindness and joy could immediately boost the magnetism and attractiveness of any person. Although I finally had the long straight hair my dolls had when I was young, I started not to like it. It felt stringy, it was high maintenance, and without the fullness I desired. When I attended college, I started to see women and men with natural hair, and I was in awe. They looked regal and beautiful with their hair in its natural form and they wore it with pride. 

I started to learn about the benefits of abstaining from chemical treatments, and one day I decided to make the big chop and go natural. I’ve never looked back.