Gabby Douglas Naps Look Good

It appalls me that a young lady, that is beautiful, athletic, and embraces her natural roots while utilizing the ease of a relaxer is being vilified taking home the gold.Gabby is doing very well, but I am concern about the backward mentality among African American women. It is unreasonable to perform olympic gold level gymnastics in a twist out! The level of balance required to compete in gymnastics is not conducive to a banging hair weave! Runners can wear a weave, because they are not putting that level of demand upon their balance. Sprinters in particular only perform a straight dash for a brief period of time. Gymnast have a time honored tradition of wearing very short styles or ponytails. On a daily basis someone who has participated in the African American form of self mutilation called traction alopecia contacts me to find out how to grow back the hair. When I tell them use a toothbrush in their mouth, not their hair, and wear looser styles, I am talking with someone whose edges begin at their ears. Hooray for Gabby Douglass, she has a bevy of gold medals, a banging body, and luscious thick edges.

Most of the ladies I see have slicked down scalp, and the hairline starts way back at their ears. Traction alopecia is a horrible form of cultural mauling. Our heads look chewed up, but we keep pulling out that toothbrush, and slicking the few hairs we have left down. This eternal search for straight hair is ruining our health. 'Girl, you betta get them edges.' 'My edges were nappy.' Finally, to everybody that said Gabby should have permed prior to coming to the olympic, she has long, pretty, healthy, hair that is not over processed. Relaxers is a chemical, that can cause permanent hair loss when applied too frequently. Some of us have bald spots from over processing throughout our heads.

I rarely see a black woman with thick hair growing from her edges. My hope is that young girls will emulate Gabby's style so we can bring the edge back to the community.

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