Old Navy Goes Tribal…Sigh

So I went shopping on 34th street yesterday.  I made a quick sweep through Old Navy to see the new summer items. When I got past the double doors… there it was! A huge poster of 3 models wearing some of the featured items in the front of the store. Apparently, the jungle, urban, or tribal look is in. Sigh…

The first thing that struck me was that in this Caribbean themed display the black, dark-skinned model was in the center of the spread and prominently featured. (I’ve always heard black models get the most work, if any during the summer months because clothes are usually brighter and look better against dark skin.)  Secondly, the black model was wearing a beautiful gold lame one-piece swim suit. Her hair was natural and her skin was glowing. It was here that I stopped being proud.

Beautify Me: My Hair Story

My girl Bella over at Afrobella.com had an amazing post yesterday about comments made by a former employee of Glamour magazine. In case you don’t know the story, an editor from Glamour made a stupid ass statement to some female attorneys last year. The editor thought Afros were not a good look in the work place. (Oh word?) This statement set off a firestorm. (Sistas wore her ass out in letters to the editor.) Readers wanted an explanation. You can read Glamour‘s response here.

In an effort to keep it 100 (%) with it’s readers, Glamour formally addressed the issue with a round-table discussion of professional black women in corporate America and how their hair has affected their jobs in the March 2008 issue. I was especially interested in the article, “Your race, your looks,” as a former co-worker, Jami Floyd of Court TV  (now truTV) was interviewed.

The Afrobella.com post as well as the Glamour article got me thinking about my own hair story.  Currently I have locs, which I love but it wasn’t always that way. Before locs, I too, was a slave to the creamy crack and relaxed my hair. And before that I had braids, a natural, a weave, and yes, a Care-free curl (don’t laugh). My hair styles have run the gamut over my 34 years. But it wasn’t until I cut it all off and began the locking process did I truly love my hair and begin to love me.