We know you consider it a part of your beauty, but do you guys have to talk about it, stress over it, even cry about it so much? Not to mention the overnight hair experts that are taking over Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Do you guys need so much advice? Here is a better question, why are Caribbean women so obsessed with hair?
Throughout the ages and in every culture, hair has been linked to a woman’s beauty. It represents how they are seen, what they do, what they believe, and how they are identified. For example, Amerindian women wore two side buns called “squash blossoms” until they married, then they would have a single braid down the back. Up until about 50 years ago, Indian widows were forced to shave their heads as a form of devotion to their husbands as it was deemed they had nothing more to live for. In Africa, around the 15th century, hairstyles were used to indicate a person’s marital status, age, religion, ethnic identity, wealth and rank within their community. After slavery, hair became more of a matter of labour. Even within the Chinese community, hair helped distinguish between the Han people and other ethnic groups, as the former tended to have it bound, while the other grew their long hair unkempt. In the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), hairdos with different shapes evolved into a symbol of class status.
Mixing all these cultures in one place should ultimately intensify the obsession. Is this the reason why Caribbean women are so obsessed with hair? Whatever the reason women are more than their fabulous, enduring crowning, yet essentially dead organ, on top of their heads. They should be forgiven for shedding a well-deserved tear for it once in a while, but evidently, there is more to life ladies. Not so?
Photos courtesy
Pink and Purple©Dionysius/Flickr
My Hair©Haburashiko/Flickr