Fad-u-lous

This week I received my much anticipated copy of Redbook magazine. I was immediately taken in by the cover story; no not the one about how Rebecca Romijn got a flat belly after twins; the cover story about the 31 Greatest haircuts of all time. I opened to haircut feature first thing. Upon first sight the glossy pullout page was quite eye catching; but with closer examination I noticed that the majority of the haircuts featured were of Caucasian women. This got me to thinking about the celebrities who've influenced my hairstyles over the past three decades. I began to look through old photos of myself, and being that I haven't taken the time to put them in a photo album, there were quite a few. My earliest hair memory was 4th grade, it was at that I washed out my Jheri Curl and my mother decided she would no longer comb my hair; I had to get up every morning before school and do it myself. It was the 1987, and Salt N Peppa's "Push It" ruled the airwaves. I was fascinated with their stack curls, asymmetrical cuts, and Peppa's blonde tresses. I practiced with my own hair daily, using my curling iron to form four rows of neatly stacked curls, only to use my claw comb and tease them apart. I would gaze at my reflection in the mirror pleased with my efforts. I even begged my mother to dye my hair blonde, but she repeatedly refused. My box cut with stack curls and teased bangs made me feel mature and confident. My hair was never long so wearing my hair in a short popular hairstyle gave me a boost of confidence. My Salt N Peppa elementary school days passed, and in 1993 I entered middle school, it was within that same year I saw the movie Poetic Justice and Janet Jackson debuted her "Dookie Braids". It was also at that time I fell madly in love with Tupac Shakur, but that's a story for another day...back to Janet. Yes the braids, up until then the public had only seen Janet sporting a weave, giving her a look that appealed to the mainstream media. But those braids, they were everything. Never before had Janet looked so real, so relateable, so...so...so... much like a young black girl like me! Those braids gave Janet an edge, a sort of street cred, and I had to have them too, but I hadn't a clue how to obtain such a look. Little did I know that one of my aunts had a friend who showed her and my aunt could then practice what she had learned on me. I sat on a pillow on a floor for literally hours, my butt and legs going numb, but I did not care. When my aunt was done I looked in the mirror and was in complete awe of the image that stood before me. I mean sure I had braids and beads as a kid, but I had never had anything like this. It seemed dookie braids was an overnight solution to my short hair crisis. But as great and versatile having braids was, they couldn't be worn forever. Once my braids were taken down I went into what I like to call the "Mushroom Era", which due to rising innovations in microwave ponytails didn't last long. As high school progressed, so did my hair styles. I alternated between braids, to short cuts, to weave ponytails, and even went as far as to wearing a fade with a texturizer. With each new celebrity reveal, emerged a new look. After high school I left home and went to college, and while I failed to obtain my degree in business, I gained a Masters in weaveology. I rocked every sort of weave, ponytail, braid, and up-do imaginable. I went from blonde to jet black in a semesters time. My hair was fried, died and laid to the side, it took a brutal beating. All the relaxers, and dyes, and braids left my hair a shambled mess. So it was with a mustered courage I took the plunge and got a "freedom cut." I felt strong, confident, and for the very first time, I felt like a woman. I currently wear my hair in locs (which I refuse to call "dread locs") and I love them. My hair is healthy and growing at a pace I never knew it could. I thought having locs would limit my styling efforts, but it's quite the opposite. I've roller set my locs for a curly look, and I've recently gotten my tips dyed. This hair of mine has been through some changes and my...the stories it could tell. I'm pretty much set on the look I have and wouldn't change it for the world. My five year old on the other hand is obsessed with Nikki Minaj, and is set on dying her hair pink when she becomes a teenager...I'm already dreading the fourth grade.