LIONESS MANE aims to encourage and inspire women with naturally kinky, curly, coily and/or afro hair to be proud of the mane that they were blessed with! Now evolving and exploring "black" history, spirituality and culture...
Showing posts with label Big Chop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Big Chop. Show all posts
Monday, 13 September 2010
Congratulations!!
Just a quick video to give some credit where it's due! I was so happy when I got a message from a new friend of mine telling me that she is taking the bold step today, to go to work for the first time with her natural hair (TWA = tiny winy afro!) on display for the first time in 24 years! This takes a lot of courage in a society where naturally kinky, curly, afro hair is not the socially accepted norm! I know exactly how scary this can feel but also how liberating and powerful it can feel too! So congratulations to my new friend, I am so honored to be sharing your natural hair journey with you, and also to anyone else who has taken the bold step to become newly natural!
Much love and God Bless
Levina xxx
Monday, 6 September 2010
Me Then VS Me Now!
Hey everyone!
OK so I’m sitting here thinking about the past and what my hair used to be like then vs right now and how my hair looks to date. A memory came back to me from a couple of years ago when I was sitting on top of a double decker bus (before I used to drive)
[What do you know about the big red bus? lol]
and I was wearing one of those bomber jackets with the fury hood up (remember those?). I was just on my way home from the hair dressers and I had my hair all straightened and layered. I liked the way that it looked but I had a bit of an issue with the length as I’d always hated when I went to the hair dressers and they took off more hair then I would like! Anyways, this guy sat in the seat in front of me and asked me to take my hood off so that he could see my face. I took my hood off and he was like “Wow, you’re so beautiful. Look at your hair, does your man realise what he’s got?!” and all of that talk, ladies you know how the story goes lol. I never swapped numbers with this guy and I never saw him again but in all honesty, he put a smile on my face for the rest of the day! I mean I didn’t spend money on my hair to look ugly now did I? I was happy to be noticed!!
Each time I got my hair done (straight) I could expect to be complimented. It’s a feeling that I got used to! Getting my hair relaxed and straight made me pretty and everybody told me so, so I kept on doing it.
I would say that about a year later I got my hair cane rowed. My hair was still texturized mind you but I really felt the need to get my hair done this way (must’ve been a sign!). I was really pleased with the results, it was the first time that I’d had my hair done like this since school and I just felt like myself. However the reception from other people wasn’t fun! My boyfriend at the time was like “It doesn’t suit you, it does nothing for you” (he really would benefit from some tips from the guy on the bus!! lol). I went to the gym for a workout and as I was getting off the cross trainer, I heard this teenage boy say to his class mate “Err, is that a man or a woman?”. Needless to say I wasn’t happy with the feedback that I was getting and I never got my hair done in cane row again! Well until I went natural a few years later of course!!
It’s right now that I’m thinking how extremely low must my self esteem have been to allow other people (some I didn’t even know!) to dictate to me how I should look! I mean seriously! I was so upset that a school boy and an undeserving boyfriend didn’t like my hair that I stopped being myself through fear of what others thought about me! Well let me tell you that’s changed!!
When I did my big chop, I made the decision to walk with my head up and to be truthful sometimes I had to remind myself to do just that! Every day I get better at it though and I have attracted some AMAZING people into my life since I made the right decision to be myself. People who do not like the decision I have made to go natural take one look at me and know not to even waste their time saying anything negative about my appearance because they can see that I’m happy with myself now.
The image that you give out of your self is the attention that you’re going to attract. If you walk around feeling ugly and depressed with your head down, then you are going to attract crappy people into your life that tell you horrible things about yourself like I did! Now however, I’ve changed MY whole perception of myself and even with no hair and very short hair, I’ve attracted the most lovely people into my life both male and female alike who compliment me all the time in my most natural state! I never would have believed that this could ever happen to me as I had NO confidence with relaxed hair! That was not me! Now I’m myself and I love it!!
Know that you're beautiful with and without hair!! Be encouraged!!
Much Love and God Bless
Levina xxx
www.facebook.com/LionessMane
www.twitter.com/LionessMane
www.youtube.com/LeiLei08
OK so I’m sitting here thinking about the past and what my hair used to be like then vs right now and how my hair looks to date. A memory came back to me from a couple of years ago when I was sitting on top of a double decker bus (before I used to drive)
[What do you know about the big red bus? lol]
and I was wearing one of those bomber jackets with the fury hood up (remember those?). I was just on my way home from the hair dressers and I had my hair all straightened and layered. I liked the way that it looked but I had a bit of an issue with the length as I’d always hated when I went to the hair dressers and they took off more hair then I would like! Anyways, this guy sat in the seat in front of me and asked me to take my hood off so that he could see my face. I took my hood off and he was like “Wow, you’re so beautiful. Look at your hair, does your man realise what he’s got?!” and all of that talk, ladies you know how the story goes lol. I never swapped numbers with this guy and I never saw him again but in all honesty, he put a smile on my face for the rest of the day! I mean I didn’t spend money on my hair to look ugly now did I? I was happy to be noticed!!
Each time I got my hair done (straight) I could expect to be complimented. It’s a feeling that I got used to! Getting my hair relaxed and straight made me pretty and everybody told me so, so I kept on doing it. 
I would say that about a year later I got my hair cane rowed. My hair was still texturized mind you but I really felt the need to get my hair done this way (must’ve been a sign!). I was really pleased with the results, it was the first time that I’d had my hair done like this since school and I just felt like myself. However the reception from other people wasn’t fun! My boyfriend at the time was like “It doesn’t suit you, it does nothing for you” (he really would benefit from some tips from the guy on the bus!! lol). I went to the gym for a workout and as I was getting off the cross trainer, I heard this teenage boy say to his class mate “Err, is that a man or a woman?”. Needless to say I wasn’t happy with the feedback that I was getting and I never got my hair done in cane row again! Well until I went natural a few years later of course!!
When I did my big chop, I made the decision to walk with my head up and to be truthful sometimes I had to remind myself to do just that! Every day I get better at it though and I have attracted some AMAZING people into my life since I made the right decision to be myself. People who do not like the decision I have made to go natural take one look at me and know not to even waste their time saying anything negative about my appearance because they can see that I’m happy with myself now.
If your gonna smile, make sure it's a BIG one!!!
Know that you're beautiful with and without hair!! Be encouraged!!
Much Love and God Bless
Levina xxx
www.facebook.com/LionessMane
www.twitter.com/LionessMane
www.youtube.com/LeiLei08
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