Hair.

No, my hair isn’t natural. Although if you happen to see me on the street, this is usually the way I wear it.

I haven’t straightened my hair is years. One, because I used to live in Southern California and I would walk to work, and sweating out my hair was a waste of money. And two, I was curious as to the type of men I was attracting.

Living in Southern California, is way different than living in Atlanta, when it comes to hair. My mom has had dreads since I was about seven years old. In Atlanta it is very common to see women and men in dreads. I’ve seen a woman who had dreads down to her ankles. Although in Southern California, my mom would often get weird looks or comments of praise, because I assumed they thought she was being “different”. Even with my mom having dreads, she never talked down on me about my hair. Although there did come a time when she didn’t allow me to put the “creamy crack” as they call it, in my hair. At the same time, like a lot of Black women she had little knowledge about hair. She told me she wanted dreads because she wanted long hair.

My mom did not raise me for the majority of my teens years. I started to put the relaxer back in my hair when I didn’t know what to do with it. I honestly didn’t. Although I never wanted bone straight hair. I just wanted to loosen the curl. I would put one in every so many months. And I rarely straightened my hair, because, really, I’m lazy. Although I would wear my hair tied back, to avoid certain comments and questions, not by White folks, but rather Blacks.

As I got older I realized in order for me to get the men flocking towards me, I had to look a certain way. And I wasn’t interested in spending hours in a salon chair to get the boys to come to the yard. It never failed, SOMEONE would ask, “why don’t you straighten your hair? Why won’t you just put some braids in it?” So yeah, regardless of my milkshake my hair didn’t bring the boys to the yard.

But in Atlanta I’m actually getting attention. Sometimes it’s weird because I’m so use to just being invisible. I’ve had certain men come to me who are genuinely attracted to my hair. And it really blows my mind, like word?

I want to start wearing my hair straight though. BUT I don’t want to attract certain types of people. There are certain people who don’t pay me any mind, just because of the certain “swag” I carry. Which is totally fine with me.

I know certain men who are attracted to the long flowy straight hair. OK, that’s cool with me, do your thang. I think it’s cool that Black folks can switch up their hair if they want to. But I do know women who cover up their hair because they think its ugly and nappy. Whatever the case, I know some men see it the same way. I don’t really need to be attracting those types.

Really, I’m just saying if Black men were completely unattracted to the thought of women wearing bone straight hair, I bet you wouldn’t see it as much as you do.

I still would like to wear my hair straight though.

Just a thought.