There’s almost an assumption that I’m not in touch with my own
ethnicity.
They think that I’m not afro-centric, they think that I want to be more European because of how I want to wear my hair.
And so it’s really funny that you experience what it was like to be on the other side
where people think like, ‘oh you have straight hair, you must be intelligent.'
For decades, women have been on the quest for perfectly pin-straight hair.
People use chemical relaxers, flat irons, blow dryers...
Basically anything that we can get our hands on.
For the longest time, it was the only acceptable way to wear your hair,
regardless of your texture.
Natural hair was still not embraced as it is today.
This sentiment was even worse for women of color with curlier or kinkier textures.
Achieving these bone-straight styles was possible thanks to the Dominican blowout.
Why is the Dominican blowout, as it’s commonly known, so popular amongst black and Latinx women?
For many women, their earliest memories of getting their hair washed and rollers set,
was in a Dominican hair salon with ladies chatting in Spanish, listening to merengue, and Telemundo
blasting on the TV.
In this episode of Mane, we’ll dive into the reasons behind our obsession with straight hair.
Here to talk straight hair with me are Phedra, Kadine, Alana, and Milagros.
Hello everyone, welcome.
[Group] Hello!
I’m really excited today to talk about hair straightening.
Let’s start with childhood. Kadine, you’re from Panama, when’s the first time you encountered hair straightening?
Probably around three or four, maybe five, tops.
But actually my grandmother I think started with the flat iron, or you know, the hot comb.
And that was the worst because you know, you’re always like...
Your ear, and then you have the little scar.
But it started with the hot comb, and then it went to the relaxer.
And I did the relaxer straight through until college, honestly -
and that’s when I was just like, ‘alright, I’ve had enough of this.'
Milagros, lovely curly hair.
[Milagros] Thank you.
Tell me what your background is and then culturally, the significance of hair straightening growing up.
So I’m Puerto Rican...
And I feel like I grew up always straightening my hair, like straight out the womb type.
You know?
It was just regular, every Saturday my mom would take me to the salon.
'Alright, like, let’s go do your hair.'
And it just started out as blowouts, like regular roller set, washing set.
And then when I got to sixth grade, that’s when I started relaxing my hair.
Normally I wear my hair curly, growing up it was naturally curly, but it was too poofy.
So, I would get pressed and by the time I was thirteen, moved up to relaxers.
Now, when you started straightening, was that an influence of your mom, your community, did women around you have straight hair?
Why did you….
Everyone had straight hair and I just wanted long, flowing hair.
Alright sounds good, let’s go.
I feel like all of us at some point wanted to be able to toss our hair, right?
It’s the hair flip, it’s the hair flip we all wanted when we were seven.
Milagos, how often do you straighten your hair?
Umm so, the last time I straightened it was in November of last year.
I always used to do it like every other week.
And let’s talk about the process, like what’s the day of the week, where are you?
So it would be Saturdays, right?
I would make the appointment Saturday morning, because I didn’t want to wait, I just wanted to go in, get out.
I would wait for my stylist, I had one particular Dominican lady.
And then you know, she would wash it, she would deep condition it,
rinse it out, comb it, then she would put the rolos in.
And then I would be under the dryer for like an hour.
An hour and a half.
And I hated that time, I was like ‘wow, do I really need this?'
Do I really want straight hair? And I was like, 'yeah, I do, actually.'
And then I would get out, and she would just blow it, blow dry it straight.
I did not know about Dominican blowouts until I moved to New York.
Maybe it’s not a secret, but that many people have experienced going to Dominican hair salons
and they put relaxers in the conditioners.
[Group] Oh yeah.
See I knew someone- some people would know and some wouldn't.
In the conditioner?
[Group] Yeah.
If Elise comes in, whose hair is very thick and you know, very...
they’re not going to want to like string themselves.
Dominican salon is about let’s get in, let’s get out.
It’s like an assembly line.
So that was me shortly after Phedra had straightened it.
As soon as I walked out, it very much felt like this…
The first thing that I was really surprised about was I felt left out of the natural hair circle.
I would walk around and you see women with locks or curls and it’s like 'aw, hey girl.'
You smile, we had a sweet moment with each other.
But now I have straight hair and it’s like oh I’m not in the club, you guys don’t know.
Me too!!!
It’s funny you say that because as a person that does not often wear my hair in its natural state,
I started experiencing this when I went to college- just the complete alienation
from my sisters who are natural.
And it’s almost an assumption that I am not in touch with my own ethnicity.
They think that I’m not afro-centric, they think that I want to be more European,
because of the choice of how I want to wear my hair.
And so it’s really funny that you experienced what it was like to be on the other side
where people think like, ‘oh you have straight hair, so you must be intelligent.'
Living in Panama and what was pretty was women with long flowing hair, you know?
Who were not my complexion.
It was certainly not women who looked like me.
And so, if you want to be beautiful, and commercials are all selling you this thing,
then that’s what you want to be, but like…
there is something to be said when you think that straight and long is better,
when you’re - that’s probably to me-
like when our hair doesn’t naturally do that, and you don’t think that your natural beauty is okay,
then that’s where I’m like, ‘well where did that come from?'
I have dated people before that have met me when my hair was in a weave
and subconsciously, I knew it was time to take the weave out, but I felt like a little miny panic
like, dun dun, they’re going to see me.
Are they going to like me still with my real hair?
Are they going to look at me strange because my hair is now shorter?
You’re right, it’s not just in the states, it’s everywhere.
Even if you grow up in the West Indies, you want straight hair.
Now, in 2018,
black culture, African culture is now the status quo.
Because we’ve spoken so much about what happens within the black community
and perceptions within the black community, how we grew up,
where - from your perspective - does the Latinx community stand
on blow dry vs. natural hair?
I still get remarks.
The Dominican men are just looking at me like, 'what, you would look so much more beautiful if you straightened your hair out.'
It all goes back to the old western Hollywood and what they see on TV and what they see in Telemundo.
When who you are and what you look like is shunned for so long,
and you work so hard to be something else, to straighten it and do whatever,
and then you come back or you decide that this is the place that I want to go to
there is this big sense of pride.
Is there an issue around straightening your hair?
Is there an issue around blowouts?
Or is it more so the perception from everyone else?
And if so, what can be done
about changing the perception?
Your hair’s your crown.
And you should rock that crown whatever way you want to.
And I think that if we all just embrace our own beauty, and say that there is no right standard of beauty-
Hair is an accessory.
You can wear it curly, you can blow dry it, you can slick it back.
And it’s serious, but it’s not that serious.
It’s identity for some people, though.
Yeah, hair has become very political, but I think if we could
also just embrace the fun.
And how we present ourselves.
You know?
Easier said than done.
It’s a start, it’s baby steps.