Just for Me...devil in disguise

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.