I want to be just like you …
“I want to be just like you”, the honour bestowed upon me by a 7/8 old year student.
Backstory:
For World Book Day I joined the Lions Club of St Andrew’s, Jamaica, to read to Grade 2 children at a local Prep School. Typical of Jamaican students, these 7/8 year olds were bright as a button and sharp as a pin.
I chose to wear my natural hair as I wanted to show the little girls in the room that our natural afro textured hair is synonymous with confidence, beauty, and success.
Unfortunately the remnants of colonialism can be acutely felt in Jamaica in the forms of Colourism and Hair Texturism. Both of these forms of discrimination find their roots in racist ideologies and their burden is often unevenly carried by black women.
I enjoy and embrace wearing all manner of hairstyles, as many of you know 😉 For me, how I wear my hair is a matter of preference, fashion, and style. My hairstyle is no different to me choosing my clothes. However, for children, natural hair is the only option and I wanted to show them that it is a great option.
Samantha Simms reading to prep school students on World Book Day.
I’ve recently questioned how we as women show up in front of our little girls. Are we modelling the standards and beliefs that we are pouring into them? What are we telling our daughters when they never see us embrace our natural hair?
I am not my hair and I sure as hell don’t wear labels that society tries to throw on me. As I told someone recently, “the only labels I wear are designer darling”.
I personally ditched any self limiting beliefs around the “appropriateness” of afro hair in the work place very early in my career thanks to having a white female leader whose fashion forward asymmetrical Bob cut told me successful women can also make bold style choices.
I am truly honoured that a bright little girl looked at me and saw her future self. I also thought I want to be just like her. Imagine how ambitious she must be as a 7/8 year old to be inspired by a 44 year old woman. That little girl is shooting for the stars and something tells me she will more than succeed.