On the Nappturality forums, someone started a thread asking how one used to feel about natural hair when they had the  “straight hair mentality.” According to the original poster, this was the meaning of straight hair mentality:

‘Straight Hair Mentality’ – the state of being brainwashed into feeling and believing, either consciously or unconsciously, that relaxed or straightened or looser textured hair is superior (be it “more beautiful”, “more manageable/easy”, “more versatile”, “more professional”, “more feminine” or any other excuse that either directly or indirectly, subtly or overtly is expressed through a number of different actions or words), creates a hierarchy of desired/desirable hair types and puts hair classified as ‘curly/kinky/coily/nappy’ at the bottom or low end of said hierarchy. May also be called ‘permie mentality’, ‘hot comb mentality’ or the lesser used ‘heat mentality’, ‘weave mentality’ and ‘wig mentality’. Examples of ’straight hair mentality’ include negative views and feelings of one’s own hair and/or the hair of others, misconceptions and fears that such hair will doom the wearer to a lower quality of life, and the constant or frequent use of chemicals of various types/heat/wigs/weaves to cover or hide the natural hair out of perceived dependence, insecurity, fear, internal issues/self-hatred, lack of knowledge or conformity into ‘mainstream’ society.

There were a few people in the thread who mentioned how whenever they would see representations of natural hair in the media, they would get offended because they felt they were trying to make black people “look bad.”

This made me think back to a post that a blogger made in the past, who made the statement:

We’re not all nappy anymore.  We can finally afford to having our hair looking right.

When she was confronted about it, a part of her response claimed that she wrote the post in favor of both those relaxed and natural.  That she had no problems with the representation of natural hair, and that she didn’t have any of the negative views on natural hair that many other black girls had growing up; she was just angry at the fact that there wasn’t an equal representation of black women with straight hair, that she felt they were showing more naturals in the media because she felt THEY had a view on negative view on naturally kinky hair, and that they wanted to make us look bad.  (Right…)

When I was both young and relaxed, I was very ignorant when it came to kinky hair.  Those who did my hair were ignorant when it came to taking care of kinky hair, the media that I was exposed to was ignorant to kinky hair, and almost everyone who I was raised around, including the children in the neighborhood (and their parents) were ignorant to kinky hair. 

In middle school, I remember feeling that those who were natural were only natural because they couldn’t afford to get a relaxer. I also can recall when someone went natural in high school, and how the “clique” that I was in made comments stating that she need to “get something done to her hair,” and at the time, I saw nothing wrong with that statement. Now I love our hair for what it is. I have also been in, out, and through natural hair enough to dispel all the myths. (I also know that while they felt nothing was done to her hair, that more than likely, she did do something to her hair.) I also used to think locs were weave that has been left in the hair permanently, causing it to bud over time.

Many of us never really get the guts to face the truth of the negative views on natural hair until after we go natural, and since naturals have been on both side of the fence, we already know how others may view it.  While I’m sure that there’s black women who have never had these negative views, I know there’s plenty people who still do.  You also have back peddlers who try to hide that fact, now that more and more naturals are speaking against it.    It’s similar to prejudiced person saying “I’m not racist!”

Were you ever guilty of having the “straight hair mentality?”  If so, what were your thoughts when you did?