In a recent Instagram post, Queen Bey gave us a rare glimpse into her haircare routine – from shampooing to conditioning, the whole nine yards.
And while many celebrated and praised her natural – yes, natural!! – luscious locks, over 59,000 naysayers just couldn’t fathom how this beautiful, successful Black woman could have such long natural hair.
The comments were ridiculous:
‘Oh, Beyonce isn’t Black. That’s why she has long natural hair,’ one critic claimed.
‘Y’all, I saw it. Pay close attention to the front part at the beginning of the video. You will see the weave net in the part. Beyonce, why are you finding it necessary to deceive to sell your products? Now, I don’t trust you. SMH,’ another alleged.
And then there were these ‘gems’:
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Seriously, folks?
Can a sister not even wash her hair in peace without facing scrutiny? Are we really expected to get ourselves scalped to prove the authenticity of our natural hair? It seems like no matter what Beyonce or every other Black woman does with her hair, we just can’t win.
If we rock a protective style, we’re accused of hiding something. If we flaunt our natural curls, we’re met with skepticism. And now, even Beyoncé isn’t immune to the hair police.
And you know what’s even more frustrating?
Black women arguing about and criticizing another Black woman for her natural hair.
Like, what do you want Beyoncé to do? Go bald so that you can be happy? Why do we always go above and beyond to tear each other down? If it were anyone else outside of the Black community criticizing Bey or even looking at her sideways, we would be up in arms.
And what’s with these so-called ‘hair experts’ and old-school stylists claiming they know how Black women hold their hair, so Beyoncé holding her hairline when getting brushed proves her hair is fake?
Listen, Gloria, nobody asked for your opinion. And how Beyoncé or any other Black woman styles her hair is none of your damn business!
And don’t get us started on the hypocrisy of demanding proof of product use from Black women brand owners while giving others a pass.
Have you ever heard anyone asking Jen Atkin of Ouai or JuE Wong of Olaplex to prove they use their own hair products or show us how they incorporate every item in their routine?
No! But when it comes to a Black woman, she has to go above and beyond to prove she uses her products so that y’all can purchase them.
To quote Beyonce and @twinnation15 below, that’s some bullshit!
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So, to put this debate to rest once and for all: Yes, Black women can have natural long af hair.
There’s no inherent quality in Afro-textured hair that prevents it from growing long. The issue is more about maintenance and retaining length rather than growth rate. Hair typically grows approximately half an inch per month, regardless of ethnicity.
Secondly, Black women shouldn’t have to show their scalp to prove the length of their hair. Our natural hair is nobody’s business.
Whether we’re rocking a fierce ‘fro, luscious coils, or sleek braids, our hair is our crown, and we shouldn’t have to defend it like it’s the last slice of grandma’s sweet potato pie at Thanksgiving.
Lastly, it’s crucial for us as Black women to stand together in solidarity.
We are quick to call out white women for cultural appropriation, but when other Black women bully, criticize, and ridicule other Black women for rocking their natural curls, we remain mute and pretend like it’s normal.
It’s far from normal.
This is hair discrimination, and we need to start having conversations around it, especially inside our community, because it’s become an epidemic.
Finally, considering how much progress the natural hair movement has made and the growing focus on hair health over length, the debate about who can grow long hair feels like yesterday’s news – yawn-worthy and passé.
The Black haircare realm is a big, colorful playground – there are thousands of ways to rock your natural hair – so It’s literally NOBODY’S BUSINESS how you choose to present yours.
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