Tatyana Ali: My "Good Hair" Made Me Feel Different as a Kid

Actress and Harvard grad Tatyana Ali sat down with VladTV to discuss what's currently going on in her life and career. During the interview, Vlad asked Tatyana how she maintains her healthy hair, and the conversation digressed. Ali shared her thoughts about growing up with "good hair" and how that was isolating to her as a child.

It’s funny, when I was younger, it was something that set me apart and not necessarily in a good way, from other girls that I knew. Not that I was made fun but it felt like I was made to seem different. It’s interesting, the thing you think is a flaw. 

She went on to say:

I grew up wanting to be able to twist my hair and wear my hair like my mom did and my aunts did. Because I wanted to be like them. I didn’t want to be different.

The wording may have been a bit off, but Ali was expressing a sentiment we hear often from Black women with supposedly more "desirable" phenotypes. When we're searching for our place within a community, being singled out for any reason can harm your self-esteem.

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Kimberly Foster is the founder and editor of For Harriet. Email or Follow @KimberlyNFoster

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