But one of the benefits of reading to learn more about being antiracist is that it also encourages me to think about how white supremacy, while not oppressing me, also forces me into certain patterns of behaviour. Reading this book inspired me to reflect on how my relationship with my own hair has changed over the past few years, mostly as a result of my transition. Since that isn’t relevant to my thoughts on this book, I turned that reflection into a companion blog post that you can read if you are interested in my thoughts. This is a cute rhyming picture book about a little girl's search for the best hairstyle for her upcoming birthday party.

De illustaties gemaakt door Allen Fatimaharan zijn heel mooi gedaan. De schutbladen en illustraties binnenin het boek zijn heel mooi gedaan en hebben fijne warme zachte kleuren die je echt een gezellig en warm gevoel geven.

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Het verhaal is echt heel leuk en zelfs een beetje schattig. Ik herken mijn eigen kinderen in het verhaal, die elke keer weer wat nieuws met hun haar willen maar niet weten wat.... Dit boek had ik zo graag gehad toen mijn dochters klein waren! En ik hoor zelfs van volwassen vrouwen, dat ze dit boek graag zelf als kind hadden willen lezen. What is also terrible –and this book made me realize more clearly – is the degree to which we have assumed this standards that we even feel uncomfortable in our skin for not complying with it. Having grown up in Mexico, I am familiar with racism, an attitude that unfortunately exists in our country, but also with the fact of having friends that feel less because they are not thin enough, or have the perfect skin or look young. One thing is to be concerned about one’s looks, and this is something completely normal, but another very different thing is to be obsessed with beauty standards that are not our own. It might sound cliché but we need to understand that every nationality and ethnic group is beautiful and we have been taught to think that if it is not white, or thin, or flawless, then there is something wrong. But why do we think that when half the world population does not meet these standards? And why do we feel frustrated about it? Basically because we have been taught there is something we should aspire to and this thought has become too ingrained in our minds. Want ander haar hebben dat het standaard gemiddelde wordt helaas nog steeds niet als normaal gezien. En dat zou het wel moeten zijn. emma dabiri accomplishes something so beautiful in this book; reading people to filth with elegance while also educating us on the historical and societal significance of afrocentric hair. there were some facts and topics that i didn’t know/wasn’t educated properly on, and i really appreciate the fact that i could learn something new while also heal my inner child. reading about someone who also grew up in ireland was so refreshing istg girls it was like reading a biography. i truly believe this book should and will be on reading lists for curriculums in the near future, and if it isn’t i’m afraid i’ll have to intervene🙄

I've not always understood that my hair is perfect as it is; growing up my mother used to do my hair cornrows, bantu knots, fro babies name it. But like most 4C type hair, mine is really coarse and abhors heat which is something that our mothers never really got. (Hello heat damage!) So I had it relaxed just before going away to a boarding school for my secondary education because I thought and honestly believed that is how beautiful hair should look. Una lectura muy recomendable para entender no sólo cuestiones fundamentales del racismo en contra de las personas de color, sino también para reflexionar y cuestionar los cánones de belleza que se nos han impuesto desde Occidente y que con frecuencia, nos han llevado a poner en duda nuestra propia valía. I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by the author herself and can highly recommend it. Really enjoy her turn of phrase and cheeky asides, please don't skip this eye opening educational and approachable read. Ultimately, those who are struggling need to relearn and keep on learning about their hair to get to a point where they can accept it. Lee finishes by saying, “The great thing is there are so many resources nowadays, whether that’s YouTube or books, that can help. It is trial and error, but constantly learning and finding new ways to manage your hair type is part of the self-love journey”En ese sentido, la reflexión más interesante que me deja este libro en lo personal es la necesidad de cuestionar, y empezar a hacerlo pronto. Es difícil, sin duda, sobre todo porque siempre estamos bombardeados de imágenes de Estados Unidos (en el caso de México) y a ciertos patrones de vida y estéticos a los que queremos llegar. Sin embargo, cualquier cambio parte de una introspección y de invitar a los demás a reflexionar sobre lo que hemos dado por hecho. Otro dato que comparte la autora del libro es que en una encuesta que hizo una revista hace unos años entre sus lectores de todo el mundo, preguntando si se sentían bellas, casi el 40% de las mujeres de color respondieron que sí, mientras que apenas el 30% de las asiáticas lo hizo y solo el 25% de las latinas contestó de manera afirmativa. Dabiri asume que el gran porcentaje de mujeres de color que se sienten bellas lo hicieron porque al interior de las comunidades sobre todo afroamericanas y europeas, a sabiendas de las dificultades que el racismo les depara a lo largo de la vida, la familia y la comunidad se apoya y se dicen constantemente que son valiosas. No puedo hablar por la población asiática, pero pensando en los latinos, no me sorprende: toda la vida pasamos aspirando a un patrón, a ser más delgadas, o a tener más curvas, o a tener un cabello impresionante o a hacer sensuales, y dejamos de vivir el ahora y apreciar nuestras particularidades y nuestra belleza, y no solo física sino cultural y espiritual.

Lorna Byrne Spiritual teacher, international bestselling author and philanthropist Lorna Byrne has dedicated her life to remind humanity of the spiritual potential within us all. She is the author of seven best-selling books, including Angels in My Hair, A Message of Hope From the Angels, and Angels at my Fingertips and she has been published in more than 50 countries and 30 languages around the world. I don't want to sound too negative. This is wholly my own opinion, and I'm sure many people disagree with me. I did enjoy this book, and I definitely learnt a lot from it - in particular, Dabiri explains some complex issues in impressively coherent language - but I just found it a little disjointed and, as such, had to push myself to keep reading. I imagine it's difficult to teach your reader about extensive periods of history in a personal essay format, which is perhaps where I felt a disjunction -- and that is entirely my own fault, for not already knowing this history. I'm definitely glad I read this book, even if it wasn't what I was expecting, and maybe the book's structure will become more apparent to me on a reread. She has been featured extensively in worldwide television, radio and print media including CNN, NBC Today, BBC, The London Times, The Economist, ITV, and many others.Dit boek is dus echt een hele mooie postieve manier om kinderen kennis te laten maken met verschillende soorten haar. En het allerbelangrijkste misschien wel, het zorgt ervoor dat het zelfbeeld postief wordt beïnvloed. This story really evokes memories for me, of going to the hairdressers as a child. I love that the story busts some of those hair gender stereotypes. Showing the sister getting her high top fade and the short crop her Auntie goes for. What a powerful statement this is. I remember being told things very similar to this being raised in the Deep South of Mississippi.