When did cutting your hair short become a symptom of mania?

Okay, I know the answer to that question. Britney Spears. But for African-Americans, cutting their hair, or doing a "big chop", is not a cry for help, or a demand for attention. It can mean a lot of things.

Solange Knowles didn't really go into why she decided to cut her hair short, and you know what? That's her right to do so, and it's her right to cut her hair whenever and however she decides to.

When I saw the pictures, my first thought was "FANTASTIC!!!!!". Solange has amazingly big, beautiful eyes, so the short cut would accentuate and make them POP. I imagined her rocking some dangling earrings and a fantastic outfit and just looking gorgeous.

I must say that I was astonished at the public response to her cut. Bossip calls her "Boy George" (ha ha hell!), Bow Wow chastising her for being unoriginal (!?!?!?!? GTFOH, Bow Wow) and "tryin to look like boyz" (whatever!) and Lativia (Who got the boot from Solange's daddy out of Destiny's Child) saying she looks like a "Tranny".

It really amazes me in this day in age, black people still have that "if it ain't long, it's wrong" attitude about black women's hair. We look at images daily of sistahs with barbie doll hair on their heads all day and we stop and pause because one women (temporarily?) decided she had enough.

I am not making judgments about weaves, wigs and extensions... I think that if you wear it well and it makes you feel beautiful, then right on! But allow people who chose NOT to go that route should feel beautiful without being told they're crazy or that they "look like a fool"...

I applaud Solange's simply put response to her critics:

I my opinion, I think that Solange should make this a personal statement. I think it would be great if she decided that she's going to no longer relax her hair or wear extensions and be natural. I think it would be kick ass if she decided to no longer be a spokesmodel for Loreal (in solidarity to the people hurt by Loreal's racism) and instead model for Karen's Body Beautiful, or Oyin Handmade, or other products designed with the natural black woman in mind....But I'm prejudiced. I want to see more celebrity nappturals out there!

All in all, I say... Go, Solange, Go!! Be bald, bold and beautiful. And whenever you feel the pressure to conform, take a look at these beauties for inspiration:

damn....damn.....DAMN!!!!!!! (My People, Why?)

I love all the members of the black family, but like family.... sometimes they really need a foot in the ass for the stupid, stupid things they do. I always find myself subconsciously quoting Jean "Stevie" Stevenson's Mama (from April Sinclair's book "Coffee Will Make You Black"), "This is why the white folks don't want to go to school with ya!". And I hate that that thought even enters my mind.. but damn, y'all... our people really really need to get it together!

So last night, I find this thought-provoking and challenging video on YouTube. It's a mock-PSA for "Anti-Coonery", with features Nas saying that TRUE hip hop will die if B.S. like this continues. Finding the video dope as hell, I posted it on my Facebook page, as I am posting it below:



TWO..BLOODY...HOURS later, I find this video and... I don't have the words:



Why is it whenever we make a step forward, people like this seem hell-bent to push us back? I mean the children gobbling down the chicken is reminiscent of that archival footage of the two children eating watermelon. Where does humor end and buffoonery begin? And how can we, on one hand blast Fox News for blatant racism, when our own people are working hard to perpetuate racist stereotypes.

I'm black. I enjoy fried chicken. And you best believe my fried chicken is the bomb... but you won't see me making a video in some slave-quarter shanty town set and feature little children inhaling fried chicken like they were poisoned and Popeye's was the antidote.

I think it boils down to the whole "are we laughing with them or at them"? And that makes me wonder if when non-blacks watch this video... are they laughing with us, or at us?

I think one comment from the Miss Peachez video sums the whole thing up. YouTube user Lailum simply typed, "ＴＨＡＮＫ　ＹＯＵ　ＧＯＤ　ＴＨＡＮＫ　ＹＯＵ　ＦＯＲ　ＮＯＴ　ＭＡＫＩＮＧ　ＭＥ　ＢＬＡＣＫ　ＴＨＡＮＫ　ＹＯＵ　　　　　ＡＭＥＮ"