"you just are. you are free to be" - Lizzie

Instagram : @lizzie_dd
Twitter     : @LizzaieLDN
Blog         : http://lizzdavies.blogspot.co.uk


Our edited conversation in a pub.

So you were telling me about why you started your natural hair journey.
It was never one of those "youtube my hair is relaxed and I'm going to transition moments". I've always had natural hair, I just didn't look after my hair. My mum, she didn't know how to look after my hair either so I would just straighten my hair and dye it. I would do anything to get it straight, erhm, I blow dried it all the time so it just got damaged over the years and then one day I saw, I don't know if you know Chrisette Michelle?
I know her, once upon a time I spent the whole night with 'a couple of forevers' on repeat. Swaying.
...I saw her with her shaved haircut and then I was just like I want to do my hair like that, I'm going to do my hair like that (I think she mine, my heart says she mine. But I don't know she mine < If you know you know #random) . I think a week or so after I went to the barber and I told them "shave it off!" and they were like "really? you're going to shave off all your hair?" and I said "yeah, shave it off".  From then I kept my hair short and shaved for about three months. I kept going to the barbers and shaving it. I started growing it when I felt like growing it. So I was never part of this whole natural hair movement but it did really help me.

so what do you think of the natural hair movement?
I feel like it was a movement in the beginning, like natural hair is the way to go, but I feel like now its moving towards natural hair is just taking care of your hair.

Do you always have to explain your hair?
I feel like that, I find myself explaining my hair. If it's out in it's afro state everywhere I go whether its work or going out around other people who are natural, I find I have to explain myself and why I styled my hair the way I did. I remember having a conversation with someone in Uni, it was really rude. Someone was like "Oh erhm are you gonna comb your hair?". I thought I had a twist out (laughs) but she thought that I didn't comb my hair. Another person said "oh my gosh your hair is so nice it's so full and long". You do almost feel like you have to explain to other people about the way you want your hair to look like.

Does your hair ever introduce the race topic?
I think it does subtly, very subtly cause no one will actually say, you know, oh okay so does black people hair grow like this? they would just sort of bring it up subtly like  oh your hair is so... I don't know... different.

Is your hair who you are?
I'm not gonna lie! before I used to carry my hair around as a statement trying to be different until all y'all heifers went natural (we laugh rather loudly...Melville Road joke). So I used to carry it as Lizzie. People know me as Lizzie, the girl with the natural hair. The girl thats a bit funky. Now I don't see it as, I don't know, as part of who I am anymore. Now I'm just seeing it as this is the way my hair grows out of my head.

Even if you have come to accept that this is the way your hair grows of your head. For the sake of other people, should they be more conversations about the fact that your hair grows out of your head like that? Is black hair a conversation that needs to be had? 
From those statements! (comments about faux locs on Zendaya) theres definitely conversations that still needs to be had about black people's hair. Maybe just explaining the obvious this is how our hair grows, we wear weaves, we wear hair extensions,  we shave our hair off, extensions are not our real hair. This is how we  apply  weave. People need to know because even at work I feel a bit weary when I want to change up my hair. For example, when I want to wear a weave on my head, I feel like I'm going to come into work and no one is going to recognise me or I'm going to come into work and they're jus going to know that this girl is wearing a wig (giggles) or why is she trynna have our typpa hair? but thats just a thing within myself.

But do other races have conversations explaining their hair?
(lol) thats the funny thing, but the thing that I've realised is when you're in a country like Britain or America, It's always going to be an issue. There are more caucasian people in this country than black people, so they are the majority, and we are the minority and it's something different that they are seeing. I guess for us we've always grown up seeing white people on tv, seeing them in music videos and yeah just seeing them in the limelight. So we saw straight hair as the norm and never questioned that in our heads because its already the norm.

"Am I going to have to explain to my daughter that she's black, she has natural hair? Is this a conversation now? That other people may not understand her hair? Am I supposed to tell her that her Identity in this country (England) is different from her identity in Zimbabwe?"

Twisted mini buns are high fashion. My bantu knot is a political statement.

Is there a difference then in Identity in England and  Identity in Nigeria?
There would be, but in the same way as a white person coming to Nigeria. Even though there are lots of white people in Nigeria and in Zimbabwe. It would be the same amongst a crowd of black people. One white person coming in, erhm, they would have to explain themselves if people ask.

So who I am in England and in Zimbabwe changes because of my hair?
This is the thing, Our God image doesn't translate with any of the things Ive said. Our God image actually releases us from all of the things Ive just said from us being a minority in England and having to explain our hair, to my natural hair being a political statement. Or my my pride even. I think our God identity breaks all of that and just says "this is who you are, this is who I created you to be. You're made in my image and likeness." Theres no division. No she's better or she's worse. You just are. You are free to be.

And who has God called Lizzie to be?
Thats a question! well I feel like God has called me to be a woman without limits. Someone who just takes big steps for God.

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I don't know what my writing wants to prove or my conversation with one of the people who inspired my own natural hair journey want to achieve. I just know that my hair gets attention. Sometimes I'm "unbothered" other times I'm flattered but sometimes I allow annoyance to creep in. I love my hair but I really don't love explaining it all the time. Is it ignorance? Is it ignorance that questions my hair but gladly displays bantu knots as mini twisted buns? Is it even that deep Kumbirai?