Solange’s haircut looks very, very pretty. It allows us to see her gorgeous face and gives us a break from the ubiquitous lacefront. It also reinforces what should be obvious: Healthy Black hair is beautiful hair…
…that’s why I wish she had never made that offhand comment about “going crazy” and “pulling a Britney” before she cut it. She didn’t mean it literally. But with that one little statement, she gave bumbling culture bandits an excuse to define yet another African thing through the lens of Euro-wackness.
The wackness.
Actually, Solange pulled a Jean Baylor…
Jean is on the right.
…or a Badu…
…or a Nina Simone, a Miriam Makeba, or a Masai sister…
There is nothing “edgy” about Solange’s look. Nor is she “bald.” Let’s call this what it is: a Black woman wearing a short, shiny natural with a part on the left.
Solange hit the tweetdeck to shut down the random commenter hateration: “…dont. want. a. edge. up. or a perm. because. im not trying. to make this “a style” or a statement/i. just. wanted. to. be. free. from. the. bondage. that. black. women sometimes. put. on. themselves. with. hair.”
But what if wearing a lacefront wig/weave/whateverelseshehadgoingon was a “statement” and the actual hair that grows out of her head was just business as usual?
Let’s stay woke.
small. medium. large 
Or a Kenrya, lol! I just cut my hair off, too, and I’ve been baffled by the ubiquitous “Why did you do that?” (Not to mention the, “But you look cute, though.” Ugh, the backhandedness of it all.) My answer? “Why not?” Do I have to get into the fact that I was tired of paying someone to put chemicals in my hair to straighten it every few weeks? Or that I hadn’t been privy to my natural hair texture since I was about 8, and I was missing it?
And, thanks for pointing out the not bald thing. So annoying. It sucks that this even needs to be a cause for discussion, but thanks for talking about it.
Never sleepin’…
I’m so happy you addressed this topic on your blog. the day this “news” hit the internet, I was so upset (and hurt) by a lot of the nasty comments written about solange’s haircut. almost all of them were written by young black men and women. when will the self-hatred stop?! And why is the way we wear our hair STILL such a big deal, to the point where people are afraid to be themselves?
Good call with the AK.
I’ve done the “Solange” at least 3 times since I was in college. Each time my mother acted as if I slapped my grandmother. It wasn’t until she was recovering from chemotherapy and growing her hair back that she realized and enjoyed the freedom of a natural.
You were right on time with this. After 8 hours at the salon last Friday (my day off!), I’ve been seriously thinking about going back to the caesar cut.
i rocked a ceasar throughout college. and like kenrya, i dealt with lots of backhandedness like, “see, you can do that because you have a pretty face…” and–unprompted–“i want to do that, but i don’t have courage like you…”
to be honest, i’m very glad the internet wasn’t an integral part of life when i had that hairstyle. i don’t know if i could have read those nasty comments about solange (and about amber rose, even) without internalizing them. (hell, i internalized the vapors of colorism/good hairism/the hip-hop industry when i moved to new york–enough that i grew my hair.)
i don’t think it’s inherently brave to cut off your hair, but i do think it takes a certain level of confidence and external support. it’s a shame it’s such a big decision.
oh, and kenrya and tanisha: you both look beautiful in your naturals. do it, do it!
I love that you posted those other photos. Yes, this is really nothing new. Solange looks beautiful.
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LOL. Thanks, Boo!
I just got my hair cut and it looks just like her’s…although it was an accident. I really didn’t want it that short and now there is no turning back. I love it on her….she looks beautiful, now I just have to learn how to love my own.
I love this post and agree. So glad you did this. Yes, let’s stay woke.
be your self everybody do what you want
The time is NOW for people to see and realize that hair… is something you wear, and it does not define the beauty of a woman.
Yeah man, nice post. Short hair is always a moment of truth in my very humble opinion, when it comes to women. Those with beautiful features–almond eyes, nice skin, full lips, curly lashes, what have you–will lose their hair literally as a distraction and all the attention focuses on the face.
And in this case the first reaction is like “wow, Solange is BEAUTIFUL!” its a nice sophisticated spin for her…
This post is fantabulous. “What if there *were* no n*****, only master teachers” like you? And now maybe that you’re back to this, you’ll stop coonin on my FB page . . .