I remember growing up in Jamaica with thick, coarse hair — the type of hair that would break combs. I had the type of hair that would make me scream when it was wash day (my mom really enjoyed trying to style my hair…NOT). I ended up wearing braids often to avoid dealing with my hair.
When I got to primary school, I eventually noticed that many of classmates had relaxers (or cream as Jamaicans refer to it). The relaxer seemed to make things so much easier. My friends had straight, manageable hair, and I wanted it too. For months, I bothered my mom to relax my hair. When I was 10, she agreed.
I loved having a relaxer. I got to whip my hair back and forth (like Willow). I started to regret it the older I got. About a year ago, I decided to stop getting relaxers. I missed my real hair texture.
Sadly, I still struggle with dealing with my hair. I would love to wear it curly often, but I haven’t figured out how to style it. I also recently reverted to a texturizer because the transitioning process got tough.
Last night, when I saw Davina Bennett standing on the world stage at Miss Universe, I was beaming with pride. Not only because she is Jamaican, but because she proudly wore a crown that is not man-made (her natural hair). She gave me hope, and I’m sure she gave many others hope too, especially young girls who do not always see natural hair being embraced on television. Thank you Davina! You’re a winner in my book.
“I did not win but I got what I was seeking. I won the hearts of many, I got to highlight Deaf awareness, I stand as the first afro queen to have made it thus far, I represented my little island and I received allll the love one could possibly wish for.” – Bennett on Instagram. Read the rest of her caption below.
“No abuse should be tolerated.” – Miss #Jamaica when asked about sexual harassment. 👏🏾👏🏾#MissUniverse pic.twitter.com/zmLaycq8C3
— Anna-Lysa Gayle (@ABC7Annalysa) November 27, 2017
