Intern Experience: “Jackie’s Big Chop” – Single Sexy and Free
Posted under: I think since Solange came around looking for her way to get from Beyonce’s shadow, along with the sexy Maxwell and the beautiful Jill Scott, natural hair has been making a comeback! But for women like me who had a life of permed hair with some “hang time” I seriously had to look at this new movement, and do just that, keep looking. HOW AM I GOING TO DO THIS NATURAL HAIR THING WHEN I’M NOT EVEN THINKING ABOUT CUTTING MY HAIR? I’m not saying my hair was swinging lol but I had enough to call it a bob! Then one day during my freshman year, me and my college friends ( S/O to Penn State!)
were looking at natural hair videos and I saw these, what I thought were mediocre looking women transform into these gorgeous, beautiful, exotic creatures, if you will…that showed so much beauty that was hidden under this hair blocked from the world. Needless to say I was still confused -_- and was like “WOW, they’re so cool if only I could get like them.” Then the thoughts and desires got louder and louder in my head and I was like “I HAVE TO MAKE A CHANGE.” So I made a vow to myself I’m going to
no longer perm it and I mean, how bad could it be… they call this the “transition right?” WRONG. By the fourth month my permed ends were holding on for dear life, basically transparent in pictures, and literally shed like a cat in the summer without any type of remorse. I’m sure there were smarter, healthier ways of transitioning but…. Jacklyn did not know of them. It came to the point that I was just holding on to something that was not there, LITERALLY, and I said no, it’s time for the big chop.
To prep myself I decided to get my eyebrows done… idk I felt that since my face was about to be showing out might as well make sure the caterpillars get trimmed and tamed lol. I went to a hair salon and asked them to cut out the perm and was very sure that I was ready to make this decision. Watching dead strands drop, I had no words for them… “You could go now” lol, I was about to see the true Jacklyn. I looked up and I saw me, I never really saw me before and the last thing I noticed were my
eyebrows I just spent ten dollars on! My head is so cute, my eyes are like almonds, and these lips…. Ha! Thank you mommy for giving me such shexxy lips. I saw a side of me I never witnessed… and it was because I never got the chance to. But this was all too erotic for one girl in a salon! I touched my hair and felt free from it all! Free from chemicals, free from society, free from the girl they told me I should be, I freed the true me. All I could do was smile and see the girl in the mirror smile back. She was thanking me for my actions and I thanked her for being there the whole time.
This new love I found though seem to be challenged the minute I walked out the door of the salon and on to the streets of Fort Greene. I received looks as if I was the wrong type of women for this world and my brave actions were not respected, almost as if I stepped out of line. My confidence fell off as soon as the looks continued and I ran to closest mirror when I got home to see what had went wrong. I looked long and hard to try and see what they saw and for the second time I fell in love. My curls stayed loyal
to me even though I was sweating from the nervousness I felt from people’s looks, and my face was so pure. Nothing to block my cheeks from blushing or my forehead from scrunching up when I laughed hard at this realization. I am beautiful in my most natural state and if anything they were confused because they didn’t know about theirs.
“The big chop,” sounds so cut and dry but it’s a lot more intimate than that. It’s a reunion between you and the person you never met before who’s been hiding there this whole time waiting for you acknowledge it presence. A lighter side of me was unleashed, free from the chains of society to create my identity, which is crazy because we’re all born with such different qualities, it’s hard to understand that we can be molded into the same thing. So to all the women and girls contemplating the big chop
or going natural, for me it was the best thing I could have done and it affected me spiritually as well, allowing me to be more in sync with who I really am. I hope I inspired someone with my story.
Are you a slave to your perm? Thinking of making the big chop? Or in the middle of a transition? Tell us your story, let’s talk hair!
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beautiful! loved this!
Thank you so much ! Its been an amazing journey and I’ve learned a lot in the entire process! I see your natural as well and your hair is so beautiful. Lets continue to encourage the movement and I appreciate women like you who honor the value of their natural hair.
Amen Hallelujah etc etc., it’s definetly easy for guys to go through the “big chop” cause organically we don’t let our hair grow to a crazy length (^_-), unless your name is Carmelo Anthony Ludacris or Trey Songz who were once synonymous with braids, and most of us stick with low fades anyhow, unlike moi who sticks with the “baldy-ish type thing-a-majig”. From the preparation, to the “big chop”, down to the multiple love scenes if I may say (^_^), you had me at “chop” haha =D.
-Emmanuel Ambroise (Twitter.com/buryyaself)
Thank you soo much Emmanuel ! Your right, you guys have it a lot easier and nine times out of 10 you end up cutting it all off anyway ! I appreciate guys like you who understand alternative and more healthier ways us women can grow and do our hair.
Much love
I’m in the middle of transitioning. At 23, I really wish I had done this when I was still in college & it didn’t matter as much what I looked like! Right now I’m at a job in a corporate-ish office (it’s a nonprofit with a for-profit structure & feel). To back up, I had mid-length hair (a little below my bra strap) and I’ve been permed since I was 8. As I transition, my hair is shedding like no one’s business. But I feel too confined in this arena to big chop! I’ve been transitioning since January, and I think I’ll have enough by the end of this year to make a pony-tail, which is when I plan to actually chop off the rest of the perm! Can’t wait
I can SO relate to you when you decided to get your eyebrows done before you BC’d! For me, I didn’t even plan on going natural. All of my closest friends have already been natural for a few years or were in the transitioning process. I never had a good/bad hair mentality but when I randomly decided to cut all my hair off one night I look back and know that it was the best decision I could have EVER made for my hair. I’ve been natural since October 15, 2010. ^_^ The worst was getting past the *awkward length* – too big for a TWA but too small for a pony puff -__- Lol. I don’t push for natural but instead encourage HEALTHY hair growth & maintenance.
=)