Member-only story
I Don’t Cornrow And Never Cooked Collard Greens
My awkwardness and differences don’t stop there though…
First, I want to apologize to all those who are about to read this. This is a super honest essay that needs to come off my chest. Writing about being the odd Black woman who does not fit a stereotype, along with some phobias, is very cathartic to me.
I was not born with nimble fingers for twining hair. I just wasn’t. My fingers are great at basic plaits and twisting — easy. I watched a few YouTube tutorials years back, and compared to the videos teaching cornrowing hair, the ones on how to slick “baby hairs” and do simple twists were my kind of thing. Even now, my go to hairstyles are: pull back ponytail, wigs, simple twists — that’s it.
My little sister, however, was gifted with braiding and cornrowing skills along with her newly developed skill of doing nails. She’s worked in nail salons; she’s done my hair since she was a pre-teen. Some even think I am younger than her and not the other way around. She taught herself to drive, has a Bachelor’s degree, two beautiful children and a home.
I digress.
In Black communities across America, there are some skillsets that you must have to survive and not be viewed as awkward. You already know what I’m about to mention…
