Maybe…just maybe, you want to know why I call myself the afrotasticlady. Well, please push your Coke and your delicious dinner to the side! I’m going to give you an explanation.

If you’ve ever met or even seen me, you will know that I have a FIERCE afro! It’s either locked down in twists or it’s big and out! Yes, I am not my hair but my hair is a huge part of me.

I have been wearing my hair natural for the past 4 years. It has been an interesting journey for me. As a pre-teen, I started getting my hair relaxed as it was becoming too unmanageable for my mom. I was tender-headed and had thick hair. So, off I went to the salon. Like most black women, I had my visit to the hair salon every 6-8 weeks. Doesn’t it sound like I’m talking about going to the doctor?! Well, that’s what it felt like. I had to get the new growth tamed. It wasn’t a nice look to have straight hair and “nappy” edges. BTW, I hate the word “nappy” as it sounds downright derogatory to me.

Let’s fast forward to my college years. I’m still getting my hair relaxed and I’ve had a few, different looks. I rocked the bob and the Rihanna short cut. Then, my racial identity started to transform. I’ve always been aware of my blackness but I learned so much more about African/African American history at Umass Amherst. I even ended up majoring in Afro-American Studies and became enraged at the extent of racism in this country. I also started to think about my hair and how I felt that I was trying to fit into a Eurocentric ideal. I toyed with the idea about becoming natural for a while but I was scared. I wondered…1. Would I still be attractive with natural hair? 2. Would I be accepted by society?

Post-college, I decide on a whim to cut off my relaxed ends. Actually, my mom gave me the haircut. Thus, my journey began. Sometimes, it feels like a struggle as I try to figure how to properly take care of my hair. I ain’t gonna lie;it was easier to care for my relaxed hair. But I am glad that I took charge of my identity as a black woman and went natural. And no, everyone who becomes natural doesn’t do it for political or even spiritual reasons. For me, I wanted to cherish the way God made my hair.

So, I’mma afrotasticlady. Being an afrotasticlady means that you are uniquely YOU in your natural hair! You may even be a little quirky or have an eclectic sense of fashion. You experiment with your hair and embrace the many different styles that your hair can hold. You love your curls because God made them!

Explanation done! Resume the consumption of your dinner now!

P.S. Check out some pics of some of my hairstyles! The last one is my fav as I’m rocking my natural hair.