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Solange Chops Hair, Is Called "Insane"
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Alessar
07/24/09

In reply to Solange Chops Hair, Is Called "Insane"
I've always wondered about the amount of effort Black women have to put into their hair, and I guess "i. just. wanted. to. be. free. from. the. bondage. that. black. women sometimes. put. on. themselves. with. hair." I wasn't off the mark.

Anyway, it's summer. Why not go short and take it easy on yourself and be cooler? People way overthink things sometimes.
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Beets.Go.On is the Fat Yogini
07/24/09

In reply to Solange Chops Hair, Is Called "Insane"
she's gorgeous and I love her twitter response. Good for her! It's a shame that the world is still intimidated by a woman with short/cropped/shaved hair.
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SisterRay73
07/24/09

In reply to Solange Chops Hair, Is Called "Insane"
I'm not black, but as an Irish/Sicilian with insanely thick hair that was neither curly nor straight, I battled with it since I hit puberty, and it RARELY looked good...messing around with chemicals, treatments, creams, etc...and for what? I usually kept it pretty long, and it did NOT look good most of the time.

Last summer I cut it super short and I'm never going back...I get so many more compliments now, and it's SO SO SO much easier to deal with. Many women say to me "oh your hair looks great, I wish I could do that"...I think more women can pull it off than they realize, whether they're black, white, latina, whatever. If your hair is a hassle, GET RID OF IT. If you really hate it that much, it WILL grow back!
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Poubelle
07/24/09

In reply to Solange Chops Hair, Is Called "Insane"
Oh, and for a non-maddening take on her haircut: Idolator's post on it is awesome. For the hair itself, they say: "It’s an easy way to beat the heat and an opportunity to save money that would be spent on product!" and then they use the haircut as an excuse to remind everyone her album is awesome (which it is).
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Edited by Poubelle at 07/24/09 1:15 PM Poubelle was starred Poubelle was unstarred

Poubelle
07/24/09

@Poubelle: WTF, when I edit to fix a typo I can't have HTML anymore? This is the link.
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Megan
07/24/09

@Poubelle: Maura Johnston is an kick-ass, wise and feminist music writer. Also a good friend. And completely awesome.
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Maura Johnston
07/24/09

@Megan: aw shucks. thanks you guys :)
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t-yo3
07/24/09

In reply to Solange Chops Hair, Is Called "Insane"
It might be worth mentioning, though, that there are pictures around of Solange out at an event later that same day and she's wearing a silky-straight wig.
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Edited by t-yo3 at 07/24/09 1:14 PM t-yo3 was starred t-yo3 was unstarred

DarlingGirl
07/24/09

In reply to Solange Chops Hair, Is Called "Insane"
I bet on some level, not everything every celebrity does is about us. I bet sometimes they do things just for themselves. I don't know, maybe I'm just batshit insane today.

But seriously, who HASN'T dreamt of cutting off all their hair in some ungodly summer heat wave? I lack the balls to do it, personally, but I've definitely thought about it.
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thesciencegirl
07/24/09

@DarlingGirl: I have been threatening to shave my head every summer since I was 12. If I thought I had the features and head shape to pull it off, I probably would have done it by now, just for comfort's sake.
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CoalMineCanary
07/24/09

In reply to Solange Chops Hair, Is Called "Insane"
The motive is still unclear?! Did you hear that LAPD? Get on it, like, yesterday! If my hair wasn't already that short, I'd be LOLing about this BS all the way to Supercuts.
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thesciencegirl
07/24/09

In reply to Solange Chops Hair, Is Called "Insane"
I have always hated how it is seen as a radical political statement for a black woman to wear her hair naturally, when all she's really doing is being herself.
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t-yo3
07/24/09

@thesciencegirl: Well, you know, it's been said that the personal is political. Sometimes being yourself (for anybody, not just a black woman) is the most radical political statement you can make.
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sshacker
07/24/09

@titilayo-yo-yo-yo: I don't think that pressure is fair. So if she wears extensions next year, are we going to hate her. I think the over enthusiastic praises for her decision to cut her hair is just as damaging as the condemnation.
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t-yo3
07/24/09

@sshacker: What pressure? I'm not saying that all of Solange's (or anybody's) choices should be regarded as some sort of bold political/identity statement, or that she owes anything to the race or whatever.

My point was that sometimes you make a statement by just being yourself, especially in a world where there's lots of pressure to conform to certain standards, to be/look/talk/behave a certain way. If you can ignore all that and choose to just do you, even if "you" is something that's not the norm (especially when it's not the norm), that's a personal choice that can also be quite radical and political; not in, like, a Black Power, racial-identity-affirming, Movement sense, but in a declaration of individuality and self and self-determination sense. What I like, in addition to Solange's new hairdo, is her unapologetic (and sensible) stance on it, and her long history of being her damn self, even when she takes heat for it.

And I wouldn't condemn Solange for wearing extensions or a weave or a wig (which she did the very same day the photo featured above was taken). I don't hate or condemn Jill Scott for straightening her hair. Or Erykah Badu for wearing fake locs. Or India.Arie for wearing extensions. Or Beyoncé for being weaved to high heaven all the time. But I do appreciate it when somebody steps outside of the box and says, "Know what, I'm a do something different right now, just 'cause I feel like it." I think that's hot, and it's a powerful statement.
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Edited by t-yo3 at 07/24/09 2:29 PM t-yo3 was starred t-yo3 was unstarred

notheretomakefriends
07/24/09

In reply to Solange Chops Hair, Is Called "Insane"
Afrobella. Has. covered this. as well: http://www.afrobella.com/2009/07/22/bald-is-beautiful-and-nothing-new.../
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thesciencegirl
07/24/09

In reply to Solange Chops Hair, Is Called "Insane"
Solange has always sort of flown under my radar, but I kind of love her for that awesome twitter response.
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confusedforahotsecond is a sodemombeech!
07/24/09

In reply to Solange Chops Hair, Is Called "Insane"
Amen, Solange. Vagina Power!
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t-yo3
07/24/09

@confusedforahotsecond is a sodemombeech!: POW!!!!
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BetteD
07/24/09

In reply to Solange Chops Hair, Is Called "Insane"
But what does COSMO have to say about it??? She can neither tie her hair up in a flirty ponytail that 71.6% of men love, nor can she flutter it over his genitals, as 46.9% would prefer!!!! What about the menz!!! And where will she keep her scrunchie!!!
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thequeenofstartingover
07/24/09

In reply to Solange Chops Hair, Is Called "Insane"
I think people are getting up in arms because it seems that there is a trend among alot of R&B starlets recently of haircuts, and for the moment, that's all they are getting attention for. In the past couple of months, Cassie, Rihanna and Ciara have all shaved/cut their hair. Now since Solange isn't a "big name" as her sister, people are calling foul cause it seems like she's doing it for attention. Which I don't think she is. It's hot, and homegirl got tired of the upkeep, so she hacked it off. Big deal. While I see why people are going nuts over the whole issue (it was a slow news day yesterday in music blog land) its still rather stupid that people were totally upset when its not their hair to begin with.
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EKane
07/24/09

@thequeenofstartingover: I definitely agree. It's not about Solange being practical, people are turning this into a WHO-CAN-BE-MORE-EDGIER competition and it's stupid. Solange cut her hair off when she was pregnant a few years ago, and no one said anything then.
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BetteD
07/24/09

In reply to Solange Chops Hair, Is Called "Insane"
I am amazed that someone raised as Solange has been, both in the limelight and in the shadow of her famous sister, has grown up to be composed, responsible, and unapologetic about the choices she makes as a woman. FUCK that noise Solange. Her twitter statement should serve as an inspiration to all young women, including young celebrity women, that you don't have to regurgitate the tripe you're being fed by Hollywood or the media. FUCK that noise.
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t-yo3
07/24/09

@BetteD: I know, right? She's a badassl Right now, in my eyes, out of all the young black women celebs out there, Solange is definitely the baddest bitch. I'm, like, nearly 10 years older than her, and I'm inspired, for real.
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t-yo3
07/24/09

In reply to Solange Chops Hair, Is Called "Insane"

I commented on this in the Dirt Bag After Dark thread from last night, and I'll comment again. Borrowing an expression from the fab Miz Jenkins and applying it to Solange:

GODDAMMIT, I LOVE THIS BITCH!

Do your damn thing, Ms. Solange. Fuck the haters.

Also, she's done this at least once before, when she was pregnant with her son, as seen in the picture above. And she looked gorgeous then too.
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