Unbeweavable

You would think being an ocean apart from the States, I would finally be among black women who are not subjugated to the unfair, unrealistic, and quite honestly false standards of white beauty that so often are embedded in the minds of women of color back home.  Unfortunately, I have found quite the opposite.  In my efforts to pack lightly I even left out shampoo, conditioner and hair oils because I was certain it would be easy to find in a place where natural ingredients are at a surplus.  Again to my dismay, I was mistaken.  Maybe a leftover sentiment from the European invasion of the continent, or perhaps a longing to mock the images that make there way through media and pop culture to the Senegalese youth has caused this abandonment of our natural beauty.  Though I have not personally seen them yet, I hear lightening creams are stocked high in cosmetic stores and what I have witnessed, the plethora of overfried bad perms, God-awful tracks, horribly matted sew-ins, braids galore (though rarely with our own hair) and  even full coverage wigs sadden my heart. I was shocked...It's Unbeweavable.

Where are the beautiful fro's, authentic locs, where is the pride in the color of our skin.  We are all around, we are amongst our people, we are at home.  If we cannot be comfortable here, if we cannot embrace our beauty here, what are the hopes of doing so elsewhere? I encourage us all to thank God for our hips, praise the Creator for our sun kissed skin, embrace our kinks and most importantly love ourselves.  My black is beautiful, your black is beautiful...Black is Beautiful!