“Oh my gosh, can I touch your hair?” Every girl with natural curls, coils, kinks, twists, or braids, has experienced that question before. For so many reasons, natural hair is celebrated, awed, and of course, excessively touched. Urban dictionary describes a naturalista as a woman who wears her hair the way exactly how it grows out of her head. For some women, this is a normal occurrence. Other women, specifically those in the African American community, chemically straighten their hair, changing the curly, kinky, coils to straight and sleek strands. “Going natural” means no longer using chemicals, and wearing one’s hair in the same texture that it grows from the follicle.
There are several campus organizations that celebrate the diverse range of women on UNC’s campus. The Black Student Movement sponsors CBW or Celebration of Black Womanhood, which is an organization that seeks to “build an inclusive environment for women of color at Carolina.” Self-love, and embracing one’s natural beauty is a focal point of the organization.
“UNC-NGDNC”, or Natural Girls Discuss Natural Girls, is a new campus organization. All women, but especially those with natural hair, are invited to discuss everything from deep conditioners, to stress, to relationships and, of course, which type of shampoo works best to tame frizz. Spaces like this are important because they allow women to connect with others who share similar interests or concerns.
“I admire the naturalistas on this campus because they are many women who wear it proudly! It goes to show that even at a P.W.I. (predominantly white institution) black women are choosing not to conform to societal standards of beauty.” says Michaela Rankins, a junior at UNC from Charlotte, North Carolina.
Danielle Harlan, also a junior from Atlanta, Georgia says, “Being natural is an individual decision, but so many beautiful women inspire me to continue on with my journey every day, many of them being apart of the UNC community.”
Being a naturalista on UNC’s campus means embracing who are are, and how your hair looks, curly, kinky, or coily! It also means showing the world that although Carolina girls come in all different sizes, shapes, colors, and hair types, we are all beautiful.
For more information about BSM’s Celebration of Black Womanhood visit: https://twitter.com/unc_cbw
For more information about Natural Girls Discuss Natural Curls visit: https://twitter.com/unc_ngdnc