Why Go Natural With Your Hair? by Ayesha Casely-Hayford

Episode 10: “Why Go Natural With Your Hair?”

About Afro Archives

Afro Archives explores heritage and identity within UK society. It investigates images of black women through promotion of self-expression and confidence to be who we naturally are. This project seeks to promote and celebrate afro hair by having inclusive discussions about hair and hair-related experiences with people of all ages, backgrounds, cultures and creeds.

“A Performer’s World”

“A Performer’s World” showcases with comparison the experience of women with afro-textured hair through the eyes of the acting industry, where what we look like, matters. By asking to a diverse group of actors questions like: “Would You Shave Off All Your Hair for a Film?” and “Your Hair Represents Who You Are”, True or False?” we uniquely examine the responsibility of media, and curators of culture, as well as how we see ourselves and how society sees and portrays us. “A Performer’s World” could not have been made without the time, generosity, and collaboration of the featured artists, and co-creatives. Thank you to all involved.

Big Thanks to our host filming location, The Black Cultural Archives, in Brixton.

Creatives: Africa Fashion Plus (Afro Archives Blog Host), Robbie Spotswood (Photography), Chris Lovell (DOP), Imogen Mackay Dall (on-location Director), Loreen Brown (Photography), Livvy BakerMendoza (Music) Ayesha Casely-Hayford (Editor, Producer).

Main Creative Team Creator & Producer Ayesha Casely-Hayford is an actress, award-winning voice artist and employment lawyer of Ghanian descent, born in London and raised in Kent. With her roots in law, specialising in employment law and discrimination, and as former chair of the board of trustees for The Act For Change Project, a charity campaigning for greater diversity in the arts, she is uniquely positioned to see the social, performative and legal issues facing black women in the UK today.

Photo credit: Helen Murray Photography

Director Imogen Mackay Dall is a Sydney-born writer, director and ‘ginger ninja’ raised in Tokyo, Washington D.C. and London. She wrote and directed the award-winning conservation documentar y Mystery of the Gnaraloo Turtles (2017) and is writing features for Pinewood Studios and Same Name productions. Keen to advance social issues in her work, Imogen is also writing Creative Breakdown Insurance, a book to help artists and freelancers manage their mental health.

Photo credit: Helen Murray Photography

Featuring in this Episode and With Thanks To

Jasmeen James

Alice Fofana

Verona Rose

Ann Akin

Ayesha Casely-Hayford

India Ria Amarteifio

Syreeta Kumar

Simone McIntyre

Ketorah Williams

ÂŠ 2018 Ayesha Casely-Hayford

This is a verbatim transcript of our interviews

“Why Go Natural With Your Hair?” Part 1

Featuring actors Alice Fofana and Verona Rose with Jasmeen James VERONA: Ah! Amazing! Black History Month, go natural. D’you know why? ALICE: Why? Because we have to like - I mean I know this isn’t natural but it’s more natural than weave right? Because it’s your hair that’s why you should go natural. And our hair is beautiful, the thing is, sorry you talk, I talk for England It’s alright, go for it babes Do you know what, the thing is, is that, erm our hair’s beautiful and we’re made to think that it’s not. There’s nothing wrong with our hair and I’ve had this conversation before and, erm, growing up, even I think, “oh cover your hair” someone’s knocked at the door, I better cover my hair up because I’m not gonna look nice. No, our hair’s beautiful, there’s nothing wrong with it, and you know what, just for that reason I might not yet, because this is still a bit neat But I might just take this out, go to the shop with no hair, just my hair not even combed, no make-up, no eyebrows, for Black History Month because we’re beautiful the way we are but we’re made to think that we’re not. © 2018 Ayesha Casely-Hayford

I just think that it’s important to go natural to be fair because at the end of the day, it’s who we are, at the end of the day. I just think that we shouldn’t - each to their own - everyone, you know people can do what they want to do with their hair But I think for Black History Month I think it just represents us that we should all just let loose and let ourselves out basically. And you know our hair is ourselves, I think - take out all the other extensions, take out the weave, take all of that out and just be you. The other thing is the chemicals and that, damage our hair it’s really damaging. Oh, it’s deadly, deadly deadly. For years I wanted to relax my hair, when I was young I remember being like, ‘cause a lot of my friends in school had straight hair, and I was like “how comes your parents let you relax your hair?” They were like “I dunno”. But I think most of the time as I’ve gotten older I’ve realised a lot of the parents were lazy. Love my friends and their mums and their dads. But a lot of them were lazy. My family were like - you are not putting that chemical stuff in your hair I didn’t understand it, being young, because I wanted to look like everybody else, I wanted to have straight hair and be like ah, straight hair’s pretty and you know that’s just the way to go. But you know, being younger, but you know, as I’ve gotten older and stuff, I realise that I got why my family didn’t want me to do that. It wasn’t about following fashion it was about- it’s gonna damage you. It’s damaging your hair. It’s not good for you. And even the people putting the chemicals in their hair, I remember growing up and putting the chemicals in my hair and leaving it on for too long and then erm, washing it and my scalp just burning and then for like weeks you’re pulling little bits, have you ever had that? You just put it on too long and then you’re pulling little scabs from the front, it’s just disgusting. Why the hell do we do this to ourselves? For me, it was all about trying to fit in. It was all about, trying to feel that, what was meant to be pretty, was straight hair. © 2018 Ayesha Casely-Hayford

JASMEEN: people underestimate how much hair means within the black community. Within the black community hair is everything. You grow up just realising that from such a young age and unfortunately for me, and for a lot of people that have kind of 4B, 4C hair, erm you’re kind of taught not to love your hair and Basically you’re kind of just taught that by the age of about 12 I’m probably gonna have a relaxer, by the age of 18 I’m probably gonna wear a weave. And not only is that cycle within your family, but you kind of grow up and you go through puberty which obviously is an awkward stage anyway And you kind of get that in school but from my experiences it was other black girls and boys making fun of my hair and just for a long time I literally thought my hair was hideous, I thought it was disgusting. When I was younger I used to ask my mum if my hair blew in the wind Because I wanted to be able to flick my hair you know that to me was beautiful and my hair, that hair that basically grows like that [indicates long and down] to my hair which basically grows the opposite I just thought, you know, yeah mine is the bottom of the pile, I couldn’t wait to relax my hair and the minute I relaxed my hair I felt fabulous, I felt gorgeous. But yeah it’s just something I’m really interested about now, because I don’t think it’s normal, and I know that people get bullied a lot. I don’t think it’s normal to have this deep rooted complex about your hair and it just seems the more and more black women I’m talking to, the more I’m seeing that this problem isn’t unique to me And the way I was brought up and I just kind of want the black community to wake up about that, to stop perpetuating that stereotype of bad hair good hair and to love your hair. If I hadn’t took it upon myself to watch documentaries and, you know, to try and educate myself, I would still be here hating my hair and thinking I could never wear my hair natural because I would not be attractive. When I snipped off my relaxed edges it was liberating for me like honestly, my selfesteem has never been higher. You know, in that way. I feel good about myself you know regardless of what kind of hair type you have or what race you are to just accept yourself naturally is just a liberating feeling.

Part 2 Featuring actors Ann Akin, Ketorah Williams and Simone McIntyre SIMONE: Maybe because I suppose Black History Month is a celebration of our roots and our origins, And by not putting the chemicals we’ve kind of been brain-washed to use etc, we are kind of honouring that and honouring our roots and who we are. So maybe, it’s not always practical for everyone, I don’t know. KETORAH: I don’t know I think, if you don’t have chemicals in your hair I have to spend an hour at night doing small twists and again undoing them in the morning and doing a style The maintenance! I’m really crap with hair, number one, and I don’t have patience I have absolutely no patience If you have those things then I think it’s great. Or, if you have a lot of money and you can pay to go all the time to get someone to do it for you. Fantastic, if you can get someone to do it But otherwise, GHD’s are my best friend No! Go for the braids ANN: I am just in such awe of how black women are really taking a hold of this redefining what beautiful is, Going, “d’you know what, It’s okay, to look like how I naturally am” and we all look so different. Like I can’t ask my cousins what product they use, it’s so interesting. Yes some people can share but it’s so individual and I’m really enjoying that, this revolution of us going “this is me, and I am beautiful, and you’re beautiful and you look different.” I went to a launch of my friend’s natural hair magazine, Curly Hair magazine it’s called and we went to this, she did this launch a month or so ago in summer and there as this © 2018 Ayesha Casely-Hayford

room full of beautiful woman of all shades, all hair lengths, even women who were there that had a weave and relaxed hair - who cares! who cares?! That’s something that I just find so, it warms me, it really does warm my heart when I see how we are suddenly re-defining and WE are saying this is what it is and suddenly we’re noticing that the fashion industry are getting on board with cane rows and calling it something else or finger waves and calling it something else. I saw, my friend sent me a message about an article where - it said “even you can have an afro” it was a white model and somehow they put her hair into afro and it was this article in like, I want to say Marie Claire But a European white woman magazine Showing a white woman how she could have an afro but that’s because of what WE did. You know in as much as I could sit back and be like - I just don’t have time, I don’t have time for that. But at the same I go, well because WE have taken hold of what it is to be beautiful and we’re so proud and unapologetic and suddenly go, your definition of beauty is great but this is what is beautiful, that they have to turn around and play catch up and go, let’s jump on to what they’re doing and that’s amazing to me I really love that I can be me and I can proudly be me and I can watch my sisters be themselves and be proud of themselves and not have to burn their heads with these products and change for the sake of this imposed definition of what beauty is. And we’re suddenly going “yeah my hair’s different to yours but this is beautiful and it’s a struggle yeah it’s hard but still, the only reason it’s a struggle is because we have to re-learn” We didn’t learn - to accept ourselves for the way that we are and I’m really proud of the natural hair black movement and I’m really proud of that being imposed on me and suddenly myself having to look in the mirror and going, yeah do you know what yeah, this is great I love this. I love this. I really struggled at first with accepting my hair as something beautiful because it wasn’t what I was used to, knowing was me, looking beautiful.

Part 3 Featuring actors Ayesha Casely-Hayford, India Ria Amarteifio with Syreeta Kumar INDIA: I think I should, I think you should, but I’m not gonna force you! AYESHA: Why should you and why should I? Erm, because that’s how I - I like my hair like this And I mean, it’s more of a turn off not to have, for me not to have, for me the reason I would never relax my hair and I’m saying this, I would never relax it One my mum would never let me And I wouldn’t allow myself either And I don’t think the agency would be very happy if I did. But I don’t, it just seems like, you’re completely ruining your hair and it’s not your hair anymore. It basically might as well be me getting a wig and just put it on because it’s basically not my hair, it’s [a] completely different feel, texture, the way I would have to treat it, the way I would wear it is different, it’s not my hair anymore so You know if I want to keep me looking the same then I have to keep my hair. It’s such a weird thing because I do think it’s quite unique to black women what we do to our hair I’m not sure many other races, sexes do what we do as far as straightening, weaves, all of that sort of thing. No. And I wonder, can you actually know yourself if you’ve not lived with your natural hair? Like can you actually properly be who you are if you’ve never just had your own hair? I think you can I think for certain people if you are cast, like especially for actors and actresses, if you are typically known for your hair like a lot of black actresses, or black actors, then I think that you would, because that’s who you are. Your job is to be different things? Yeah, I don’t necessary think it would make a difference. © 2018 Ayesha Casely-Hayford

You don’t have to be so attached to it? Yeah, because, hair is just hair. SYREETA: At the moment I’m 47 years old and erm, I went grey quite young and I’ve been dying my hair for many many years. Probably about 20 years, and probably 15 [of those years ] because I had to As in it was going grey, and working as an actor you don’t see a lot of women on the television with grey hair And erm, that’s a bit of a shame and I think I’ve fallen into that trap as well of not allowing myself to go grey because of what it represents And that is something I do feel very silly and guilty about.