“Why would you DO that to your hair?” “That doesn’t ‘fit’ you” “All that pretty hair…what a waste!” “Your hair used to be so pretty”
Believe it or not, all of those are statements I have heard from people, in one form or another, when I decided to lock my hair as well as my daughters’ hair. It can be very disheartening when people make such comments and even more so, when the remarks are coming from people you love – family members, close friends, a spouse or lover.

“Why would you DO that to your hair?” “That doesn’t ‘fit’ you” “All that pretty hair…what a waste!” “Your hair used to be so pretty”
Believe it or not, all of those are statements I have heard from people, in one form or another, when I decided to lock my hair as well as my daughters’ hair. It can be very disheartening when people make such comments and even more so, when the remarks are coming from people you love – family members, close friends, a spouse or lover.

So what do you do? How do you handle it? A lot of people end up not getting the locs at all. Others decide to totally overlook the negativity of others and do what is in their hearts.
I’ve known people to actually get divorced and sever relationships over it. What is my advice? It really all depends. It depends on the level of your relationship with the individual(s) involved for example:

I personally would NOT advise divorcing or even allowing major friction between you and your spouse over a hair style. However, I would present as much information as possible and really let the spouse know how important this is to you. The same goes for any other close loved ones who show disdain for you locking.

Now don’t get me wrong, in most cases you do NOT need to explain anything to anyone nor gain their approval. As much as I love my mother in-law, when she and some of my other in-laws expressed disapproval for me locking my hair and my children’s hair, I did not try reasoning with them. I simply continued on with it and eventually the comments stopped.
So to recap:
· Depending on your relationship with the opposing person will determine your reaction as well as your action
· If the opposing person is a spouse, share the importance of your choice to lock as well as information to inform them and possibly clear up and dispel any misconceptions and/or hang-ups they may have
· In the end, the decision is ultimately yours to make as to how you will handle the situation

By Cherie M. King