Taming their unruly hair is quite a challenge for African-American women. Despite the pressure to do up their hair in a “professional” way, many women of color are celebrating their natural Black hair in recent years. This topic of concern gained more attention when a video showed a sweet dad’s affirmations to his daughter who felt that her hair was weird. Taliah Noir (@taliahnoir) shared on TikTok a video of the beautiful father-daughter moment and it sent out a powerful message to Black women about embracing their natural hair.
At the beginning of the GRWM video, Noir can be seen anxious about how she did her hair. Her father entered the room and looking at her worried expression, he started stroking her hair gently. Noir kept saying that her hairline was looking weird and asked him not to mess up the hairdo. But the dad reassured her that her hairline was fine and began combing the unruly hair in place. “This is actually very soothing for me. I need you to schedule the time I can brush your hair on a regular,” said the dad to which the daughter replied that he could do it anytime as she didn’t prefer doing her own hair.
Knowing that her daughter was tripping over her hairdo, the sweet dad said, “You’re self-conscious.” He added, “You need to feel confident. You are extremely beautiful and I’m not just saying that because I’m your dad.” These words of affirmation got the daughter dewy-eyed and definitely lifted her up from the gloomy mood. The video garnered nearly 9 million views and people were absolutely touched by the father’s gesture.
“I think it’s so important for parents to give their kids random encouragement not only as a kid but especially as adults. Because life can be so discouraging and cruel,” commented @m00dytreehugger. “He’s teaching her how she deserves to be treated and talked to. Except no less. You are a beautiful girl,” wrote @mollydelorme. “This is exactly how my father is. I’m so happy you have a great pop. Now go make this hair appointment girl, he has the brush ready,” wrote @christinapalmer_.
Apart from the tons of praise for the supportive father, this video also caught the attention of Black women who ardently favor embracing their natural hair. Speaking to Motherly about this video, Ashly Benford, an educator and a mom of two said, “In the 19th and 20th century, our hair was used to weaponize our beauty and indicate our status. However, if you trace the history of Black hair prior to the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, you’ll discover the ways in which Black hair was celebrated and revered.” Jamesa Hodge, a mom, principal and entrepreneur said, “Our hair is an extension of our identity and how we choose to represent ourselves.”
Black women are now finding it much more liberating that wearing their hair naturally is finally becoming acceptable even in professional settings. “People of color, if they do nothing else, they are expected to groom themselves accordingly,” said Monae Davis, a mental health professional. “Now, natural hair is the standard and relaxers are collecting dust on beauty supply store shelves,” she added. Just as Noir’s father erased her insecurity, more dads need to step up and boost their daughters’ confidence about embracing their natural hair.
