Real Love
This week it's all about authenticity, ASMR, alopecia research and the promise of African and Caribbean plant power.
Take Me As I Am
As Black women, it can be exhausting watching how the fashions, hairstyles, even Tik Tok dances we create are co-opted and profited on by the majority culture. But one thing that they can never steal is the authenticity that accompanies our creativity. This is the reason I love, love, love, what Melissa Butler (founder of The Lip Bar), and Mia Ray (founder of Glam-Aholic Lifestyle), did for their collaboration, “The D Girl” Collection, which is dropping this Sunday. I know I just wrote about The Lip Bar, but this is AUTHENTICITY. ALL. DAY… It needed to be acknowledged. Because they may be repping for their city, but for me, these images hold a more profound meaning about bringing our whole selves to the table and saying '“take me as I am!”
Dr. Yaba Blay has been highlighting the genius of Black women and this very idea for years on her platform, Professional Black Girl. And if you haven’t seen her work, take the time to explore the two seasons of episodes on her YouTube channel. But it also brought to mind an interview my co-host, Kim D’Abreu, and I did on the podcast we co-hosted, Visible Women, which centered on how appearance, diversity, and inclusion impacted the lives and work of women of color. In our first episode, we spoke to psychologist Dr. Loretta Brady about the idea of bringing our whole selves to work and the role resilience plays in our careers. We recorded this episode in 2018, but many of the issues discussed are still relevant today. Check out the clip below.
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Beyond Shea Butter: Why We Need to Celebrate and Document the Plant Traditions of the African Diaspora
When we discuss beauty ingredients from the African Diaspora, the focus is on shea butter. Yes, it is an essential ingredient, but it is not the only one we should discuss. Two of my guests, Eunice Cofie-Obeng, chief cosmetic chemist and founder of Nuekie (this week’s remix episode), and Shirley Billot (episode 51), CEO/Founder of Kadalys, each shares their perspective on the importance of plant medicine as part of their heritage and combining this knowledge with modern science. We’re talking about Africa and the Caribbean, in Billot’s case, the French West Indies.
Cofie-Obeng points out that traditional African ingredients and plant medicine are primarily oral traditions, so it doesn't have the documentation of Ayurveda or Chinese medicine. While Billot mentions how creating a business using Caribbean pharmacopeia was largely forbidden until recent years in Martinique. All I can say is wow to the last part.
What’s the 411? A Study For Us By Us on Alopecia
It is often difficult to understand how diseases present in different patient populations because studies lack diversity. So it’s extremely promising that the American Academy of Dermatology has awarded one of its Hair Grants, (Hair Loss in Alopecia In Research) to two Black female dermatologists, Dr. Amy McMichael, and Dr. Yolanda Lenzy. They've received $200K ($100K per year for two years) to fund a study of CCCA (Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia) in the Black Women's Health Study. This hair loss at the crown gradually grows in a circular pattern that destroys the hair follicle and leads to permanent hair loss. To date, experts aren’t clear on why this happens (although McMichael and some colleagues discovered that many patients had a similar gene). So, we are happy to hear that these esteemed doctors have the funds to dig deeper and perhaps find answers to this puzzling condition.
All That I Can Say: ASMR Afros and Protective Style Videos
Speaking of puzzling, that is the category I put ASMR. But the sounds in these videos are supposed to be relaxing. Nevertheless, this piece on Refinery 29 got me curious, so I went down the rabbit hole.
Here’s what I noticed: The subcategory dedicated to textured hair (not just done by Black folks) proves just how broad the audience is for various relaxation methods. Take this video above, where for 28 minutes, the creator is scratching someone's scalp between their braids (and maybe getting their dandruff). Well, on some visceral level, it might bring back memories of childhood. On the other hand, I found it more familiar than relaxing. But I am not putting it down. The creator has racked up 65K views since January. It’s simply a window. Some people like chanting, others calming music, and still others, the sound of nails scratching a scalp.
But since I used one too many Mary J. Blige song titles this week, I will leave you with this parting thought instead. B.A.P.S. is totally underrated!