Have Nø Fear

If you’ve been paying attention to to the internet recently, you’d know that streamer Kai Cenat is going through a “reinvention” after his breakup with his now ex-girlfriend, Gigi.

From timing himself to read more to pushing himself into the fashion world, people have their opinions. Most have been calling him “performative” and I mean… duh. that’s literally what his fans made him famous for.

Criticisms aside, this reminds me of something Lady London said recently in her interview with Cam Newton. When asked about her current taste in fashion she replied,

“You can reinvent yourself infinite number of times. There’s no rule in how many times a person can reinvent themselves.”

This resonated heavily with me, for more than one reason. But, I think the best thing I can compare it to is my natural hair journey.

It started with embracing the ‘fro. My momma looked at me like I had two heads the first time I refused the hot comb. Then, I turned into a braids-and-senegalese twist warrior for some time, before getting her cut real short & sweet at the barber shop right before my auntie kicked me out her shop for good (but that’s a story for another day).

Soon after that I decided to go completely bald. My mother was fuming by this point, I’ll never forget the first thing she said to me, “how are you gonna get it to grow back?!”

Makes me chuckle anytime I think about it, “It’s just hair, ma. It grows on its own.”
This had to be my favorite era, though. I just slapped a wig on whenever I wanted to go out. Quick and easy. She grew back to my short kinky ‘fro and I soon became a crochet warrior before discovering the chunky twist. From there, I met my final form — thee loc baddie you see sitting before you today.

I realized at a young age that my hair was unacceptable to the Eurocentric masses and I focused in on that. Not for them, but, I wanted so badly to accept me because I realized that I was being indoctrinated to hate myself at every angle.

Press & comb aside my aunties were wig and sew in warriors; and, don’t get me wrong, I love a clean unit or a 30 inch bussdown on Black women. We are literally the formula for hair versatility. But, for me, the only way to find self-acceptance was through wearing the hair growing from my scalp, no matter which way she decided to go that day.

I’m incredibly proud of my locs. 5 years down with these babies and we’re not going anywhere, anytime soon. I love that for me. And even though I feel like I’ve found my final form now, I know for a fact that as long as I’m alive I can do it all over again if I please.

There’s always room to reinvent yourself. You just have to move and make it happen.