What it’s like being the only girl in a black family.
Moving can be tough, starting over with new friends, a new school, and everything new! One factor to consider is dealing with your hair. As a black girl with 4b hair, I unfortunately don’t know how to style it myself. In my defense, I didn’t have a sister or mom to teach me. While online sources are an option, I struggle with online learning, and finding tutorials for my hair texture is challenging.
I should’ve known how hard (and expensive) it is to find a hairstylist in North America. The hairstyle I want is knotless mini twists with extensions, and after searching for three weeks, I found a stylist who can do it for $100. If you’re unfamiliar with hair costs here, that’s the cheapest I could find for the style I want. However, I can’t do it because I’m 16 and still need my dad’s consent (and money).
I appreciate the idea of being an independent woman, but at 16 with no part-time job, I lack the means to do it on my own. I have skills, but I don’t know how to monetize them, and even if I did, I’d still need my dad’s consent, which he doesn’t see as important. We’ve been discussing the hairstyle for three weeks, and I’ve been patient, but I can’t leave my hair out for too long, or it’ll break off.
Suddenly, my dad changes his mind after agreeing for weeks. He wants me to keep my hair in an Afro, expressing it’s good for my culture. While I have no issue with that, I need a protective style for my hair’s health. I can’t maintain an Afro consistently every morning before school, especially since I have to leave the house at 6:55 am, and a girl needs her sleep. I got frustrated with how ignorant he seemed.
As a 16-year-old without a job or income, I can’t necessarily challenge my dad’s decision to stop me from doing my hair.
What are your thoughts on his sudden change of mind?
I don’t support it, so I’m considering alternative ways to express my perspective without resorting to a hunger strike. (That was my first thought until my dear friend google advised me not to…)
