Black and Natural

Love is indeed the new Black. It is the thing none of us can get enough of. ("Everybody wanna know what my Achilles' heel is. Love I don't get enough of it." -- Shawn Corey Carter) Last Sunday, Solange Knowles got married and pictures were released via Vogue. Those wedding pictures literally shut everything down. It was the only topic of discussion on Twitter that night. The Knowles-Ferguson wedding did indeed #BreakTheInternet. The pictures were breathtakingly beautiful. What I loved the most was Solange's natural hair in her signature afro for her wedding. As a woman who has been natural for over 3 years now, I am totally biased on this subject. I LOVED it. Solange has been a carefree Black girl for years. She does things her way with no apologies. And, that is a sentiment I can get behind. This is actually the second wedding in the last few weeks were the bride's were natural. The other was Demetria Lucas (aka A Belle in Brooklyn). I loved her look for her wedding as well. I never put much thought into wedding day hair. But, I love this trend. I love seeing women being unapologetically themselves, especially on what is dubbed as one of the most important days in one's life.

What I find deplorable is the backlash on social media. I am so glad that I do not follow any of these idiots who thought Solange's hair was ugly or nappy or looked bad. It did not take me long to find the clusters of idiot who had that frame of mind. This was a woman who married her love. It was her wedding day and she did it her way. She, also, slayed effortlessly in every single photo I saw. The sad part is those negative thoughts came from other Black people, mainly Black women. I'm sad to say I wasn't even shocked. The hair that grows naturally out of your head is not bad or wrong or ugly. It's God's work. I was offended on so many levels. This article was written by a Black woman. Why is natural hair such a taboo topic? Why do you care how a woman wears her hair? Her hair, her day, her choice. And, I , for one, am a fan.  Natural hair is not a movement, it's a way of life. Go ahead and accept it. Get into it. 

Loving Black Love

I truly believe in Black love. It's something that I think need to be protected and projected onto the world. I haven't been that big on love these days. But, that has more to do with my personal issues than the overall idea. This weekend, my love for love was restored in a HUGE way. My little cousin got married Saturday. Her wedding was a great display of true love. Everything about it was wonderful. The setting was the gorgeous Benachi House in New Orleans. It was first time being there and I am in love with it. The ceremony and reception were outside. I literally cried from the moment the happy couple started saying their vows. They have been together a while. I've always known how much they love each other. But, something about the act of getting married made it that much more real. They were glowing and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. The groom even wrote a poem as his vows to his bride. They were amazing. I had the best time with them and the rest of our family. Love is great but there is something so incredible about Black love to me. 

What I have learned is that it's not about wanting him back because the reality is we can't ever go back. We are no longer those two people. There has been too much space and time and hurt between us to return. I do not know what the future holds but I know I cannot be bitter about a love lost. The reality is maybe what I thought was a forever love wasn't. Forever does not have an expiration date on it. Love is a beautiful thing. I want to be able to look back on the love I had with a smile. Because the love was amazing. I was changed by it. I loved who I was because of him and love. No one can take that away from me. My issue is with how it ended and the fact that I still do not have a comprehensive reasoning as to why it ended. I guess it will be one of those things I won't ever fully understand. I have given it to God because I cannot figure it out. What I do know is that my thoughts on love and marriage were restored this weekend by my cousin and her husband. I thought I would be sad and a bit envious at the wedding. I was dead wrong. I was so happy and tearful during the ceremony. True love really does conquer all. That is the thought I left with. I was full on love. I'm even open to the possibility of love again. However, I am still not ready to date just yet. I'm too busy loving me all over again. When the day comes, I'll know it. But, until then, I will continue to live vicariously through all of the Black love around me. Black love is e-very-thing!! Congrats again to my cousins!!