YJ

Age: 30-64

Occupation: Professional Tennis Coach

“Now that I’m forty and I look at who I am, I’m just in awe of how I can be myself,” said YJ.

Growing up in the deep South, in the Bible Belt, YJ said that it was important for Black women to look “presentable” — which never meant wearing Black hair in its authentic state, how it grew naturally. YJ permed her hair throughout her youth.

“The fight for being presentable in different ways has to do with your hair,” YJ said. “Being presentable, in a certain way, you are safe. Our hair is a safety net of sorts.”

In other words, presentable, straight hair served as a defense against white people’s negative bias toward Black women. Even still, when YJ graduated college, she cut off her permed hair and donned an afro for a few years, even though she was concerned that it might create difficulty getting a job.

“It was a trying time,” she said. “My friend showed up to the salon with a ‘happy to be nappy’ t-shirt, and we both cried.”

Her hair did not prevent her from finding career success, although she received microaggressions about how surprising it was that she was so presentable. Despite these comments, YJ was comfortable in her natural hair as not only presentable but also beautiful.

“Our hair is beautiful,” she said. “It can be a fro, it can be straight, it can be curly, it can be whatever. It speaks to resilience, in that, now we own our image.”

In her mid-twenties, YJ started locs. Moving to Washington DC, she noticed that many Black people had locs, which gave her a sense of comfort, confidence, and belonging.

“When I moved to Washington DC, everyone had locs. You see yourself in people who are professionals. You don’t have to have those asinine conversations about hair. That was new for me,” YJ said. “I definitely appreciated being here, and it made me more comfortable.”

YJ recognized the value of an environment where natural Black hair is seen and accepted. Likewise, she recognized that an environment that is not suitable for Black hair (e.g. lacks Black hairstylists) might not be inclusive of Black people. YJ avoids coaching jobs in areas where she will not be able to find anyone to do her hair, because she knows the environment is not for her.

She loves how more Black people are learning to accept and embrace their natural hair today.

“It is loving yourself; it is accepting who you are,” she said.