How many of us remember this commercial?
I don't know about y'all, but I would jam every time this commercial came on. Remember how they used to include a tape in the relaxer kit so you could sing along (it may have also included instructions to follow along..who knows) ? Now that I think back, it's amazing how this product was targeted directly to little black girls. Think about how many girls ran to their mommies, like 'Mom, can I please have a Just for Me so my hair can have style, body and shine. A look that's totally all mine?' I'm not even goin' front like that wasn't me.
Since being relaxer-free and even before, I've asked my mom why did she first put in that creamy crack into my head. Her answer has always been "You know, i'm not really sure. You didn't really need it, your hair was always pretty manageable." followed by the *kanye shrug* Over the holidays, I was looking at some old pictures (which I wish I'd snatched so I could scan and show you) and I asked my mom about some of her old styling techniques. There was one picture where I thought for sure she'd done a good press and she's like, "Nope, just washed, dried and styled"...Again I asked why did I get a relaxer. She must have sensed my slight bitterness because she told me that many other girls my age had relaxers at like 5 but I didn't get one until I was 9 or 11 and I was pretty much asking for one.
I blame Just for Me. They had these fancy commercials with the kids singing. I didn't jump on the Jheri curl wagon...wait, did anybody? Anywho, Jheri curls never had kids in their commercials (not that I can remember anyway). Interesting enough, while surfing the net to find the Just for Me commercial or background about the product, I stumbled upon this article written by a white woman who is raising a black daughter. She seemed bothered that the company who sells Just for Me, also makes a Texture Softener product that has been marketed to parents of mixed race or ethnic children as a way to soften their hair and an alternative to relaxing. It's interesting that this woman seemed more bothered by the idea of using chemicals to alter the texture than many of us African American women are.
I say all this to say that it is up to parents to promote healthy hair at an early age, even if the kids are falling victim to the persuasion of all the things that they see in the media. I don't plan to relax my future daughter's hair. I want her to be able to get to an age where she is capable to make her own hair decisions and be able to take care of it herself. I will not have her hang that over my head. She will not give me the *side eye* that I sometimes give my mom. Love ya mom!
Do any of you have any similar stories? Do you remember your first relaxer? How old were you and why did you succumb to the creamy crack.
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I dont remember my first relaxer at all. I was probably 6 or 7. Since that is around the age my mom ok'd my nieces getting one. When I asked my mom if she remembered my hair texture she said no. All she knew is that it was a lot and not easy to manage. The perm was easy and less time consuming. So there you have it. If you are a working mom with things to do, slap a perm in that childs head and keep it moving. Very sad.
ReplyDeleteI hope I didnt just make my mom sound unfit.
I agree! I had my first perm around 7 or 8 and it was because my mom didn't take the time to properly manage my hair. She did the hot comb thing but that didn't last long. Just the sound of the sizzle had me about to jump out the chair! I think that she thought she was doing the best for me and my hair. But now that I'm a mother, I am more conscious about the health of my daughter's hair. She sits there and endures the heat but loves the end result! She has asked about a perm, but knows that mommy isn't having that!!! She likes the fact that her hair can be really straight, but in the summer she can get fun stuff like braids with beads.
ReplyDeleteI have my first relaxer at age 11. I was being picked on by my (black female) classmates because I still wore plaits and ballies in my hair in the 6th grade. Besides the teasing, I craved curly hair (my mom always combed my hair dry so I never realized my hair curled when wet). In order to have curly hair, adults told me I'd need a relaxer. They forgot to mention that the relaxer would prevent me from having curls that lasted beyond a few days.
ReplyDeleteI got the relaxer and it didn't stop the teasing (I didn't wear namebrand clothes or shoes, I raised my hand to answer too many questions.) My face also broke out horribly after I started relaxing my hair, which I feel might be related to the fact that I hadn't hit puberty before age 11 (It's not uncommon for hair texture to change after puberty).
I couldn't have curls that lasted, and 98% of the styles in black hair mags were weaves, so I felt duped. Over the years, my hair went from bra-strap length, to shoulder length (being cut because of 'trimming' from my stylists heat tools.
I had to wait until college before I was free to grow out my relaxer and start over.