Afros and Hawks
“Afro Sheen handles the hawk!”
I just came across this fascinating old-school commercial on YouTube that at first had me excited to see the iconic 70’s “afro” in its full splendor – and the line of products devoted to maintaining it. But as I watched, my heart sank, as I observed in just mere seconds a not-so-subtle rivalry between nature (in this case birds) and looking good. Sadly, the message of the video was that you have to defeat “mean dirty” nature in order to preserve your crowning glory.
What do you think?
I hear you Rue. I took it that the “hawk” meant the cold or a storm. Isn’t that what they call it on the east coast? The only black woman “do” that would survive the “hawk” is braids or cornrows. On a general note, I’ve been wearing my hair natural for most of my life.
Thanks for your comment Traci! I had no idea ‘hawk’ was an East Coast code for harsh weather. In any case, hair barriers can account for why we don’t explore nature more – and yes, being natural sure makes it easier!
Here is another post I wrote about the subject: http://www.outdoorafro.com/2009/09/fears-of-nappy-hair-in-outdoors/
Have a great weekend in nature,
Rue
I concur the ‘Hawk’ symbolizes the strong winter wind and probably originated in Chicago “the Windy City” and immortalized by Lou Rawls in the lyrics of his song ‘Dead End Street’…
Nice! Thanks for sharing those good bits of trivia!
In the 60s in Germany, the phrase “The hawk is out.” was common among GIs. Used when the weather turns cold and windy.
Very enlightening!