Dating and Natural Hair

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I found this article courtesy of Leave In The Kinks blog site by someone named Alycia(?). I found it so enlightening, I wanted to share.
I have had my own concerns about the impact that going natural would have on my dating life. Mostly because my sister, whom I was on this journey with together to grow out our hairs and then do the Big Chop, chickened out of doing the big chop due to this very concern.
Anyway, here is the article:

Just the Way You Are

A while ago, I was reading one of the posts on this site, “Hair-A Man’s Perspective.” It brought up the much-debated question about whether men are attracted to women with natural hair. After reading that post, I reflected on my earlier thoughts about guys and natural hair.



I remember the anxiety that I had when I was transitioning. I grew up associating long, straight hair with beauty. In movies and on television, the women with the willowy, flowing hair were the ones who always got the man, not the girl with the naps. As the date for my planned big chop grew near, my apprehension increased. With one snip of the scissors, would I be killing my dating life in one fell swoop?



Throwing caution to the wind, I cut my long hair anyway, and gasp!…my social life was not destroyed. In fact, my little kinky afro became the center of attention. The men I encountered showered me with compliments and lauded me for my uniqueness. Five years later, I’m still proudly wearing my natural hair. I now have a wonderful husband who said that one of the first things he noticed about me was my hair.



I know other women who have faced the same anxiousness that I did when deciding to go natural. To satisfy my curiosity and ease their concerns, I decided to do an (unscientific) survey of men to get their thoughts on Black women and natural hair. Here is what they told me:





“There's something about the attitude of a natural-haired woman that is magnetic.”



“I appreciate someone who is courageous enough to show the world who they really are—including wearing the hair they were born with.”



“Women with natural hair are truly comfortable in their own skin.”



“Natural hair on a woman maintains the beauty and integrity of our heritage.”



“I love natural hair on a woman because it is an indelible part of her.”



Men are not attracted to women with natural hair? That is a myth! As all of us wavy, curly, kinky, nappy ladies know, real men honor and appreciate every part of us. They love us just the way we are.

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