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Black females in prominent positions can change the perceptions of their natural hair for young black girls.

Sitting in a friend's bedroom playing PS3, A black female adult told a young black girl who was no older than 7 that "Her hair looks horrible." There were at least 6 or 7 people in the room. Not only did the child have a perm, but there was no reason to embarrass her in front of all of us.

I turned to the girl and said, "Your hair is beautiful sweetheart. Black girls have the best hair." The room went quiet.

Then the woman who told her that said to her, "Say thank you anyway." The said something under her breath.

I looked at the woman side-eyed then returned to my game. I didn't know if she was her mother or her sister. There's no telling these days.

After the 'black is beautiful' movement of the 60s and 70s were over black women seemed to forget how beautiful, important and, necessary showing their natural hair is.

The movement was more than just the limitations of technology behind extensions and sew-ins. It was a movement that rejected the forced assimilation to Eurocentric beauty standards.

But prominent black women eventually caved. Serena and Venus who used to wear their hair naturally braided with beads. But in the 2000s they caved to that standard.

Janet caved. Lady of Rage stuck with it. Nobody gives a fuck about Whoopi. Lauryn still holds it down.

Queen Latifah was talking all that unity ISH, but did it with weave and a perm, even Sista Souljah in her early days can be seen with extensions.

Mya Angelo held out wearing her natural hair until her 70s. Then permed her shit after that. She never wrote a poem on the importance of black females of wearing their natural hair.

Or wrote about the responsibly of prominent black women in America to show black girls it is ok to and important to wear their own hair instead of someone else's. 

On tv, in videos, and in interviews, is great opportunity for noticeable black females to show young black girls that their natural hair is beautiful, expectable, and the standard.

Notable  black females who could have worn their hair natural like Michelle Obama, Queen Latifah, Condoleezza Rice have for years missed a great opportunity.

Black women who black girls look up to have failed their fans for the most part.

Name a black girl group with their natural hair. Beyonce? Please. Maybe once but it was dyed blonde. 

Celebrities and black chicks in leadership positions (God help us), still have a chance to show that for black women's natural hair is important to be seen globally, and consistently.

Most importantly, seen by young black girls who would learn how beautiful and bold their hair is without chemicals or extensions. 

Black women in movies and prominent positions have a chance to normalize black females wearing their natural hair. 

There have been so many missed opportunities for recognizable black females to show young black girls that wearing their natural hair is the best way to be themselves. 

It's a chance that many successful black females pass up. 

I would like to ask these women why they do not take the advantage of showing young black females that it was OK to wear their natural hair. I wonder what their answers would be.

If these prominent black women did wear their natural hair, maybe I wouldn't have had to tell that young girl hair was beautiful. Because she would have already known.

Well-known figures are important to the youth. They are the ones they look up too. Those are the ones they want to look like.

This new crop of black female athletes and artists are simply making things worse. 

There isn't even an attempt by them to set an example to young black girls about their reliance on unnatural hair. 

I don't believe they are doing anything wrong on purpose. I believe the will and the consciousness are simply not there.

The little black girls could have looked at any of them and said to themselves, "She's wearing her hair natural. If she thinks it's beautiful, so do I."

It seems for black females; that all the success, all the fame, all the ambition, can not make you be proud of who you are.