Human Hair!!

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     Coming from a background of color (my mother is African-American), I have seen a wide range of various hair rituals in my time. Heck, when I was a young child I would love when my mother would get weave braided in because I found her new, long hair incredibly fascinating for some reason. I have never gotten weave put in myself because I've been blessed with ferocious hair that refuses to stop growing for some reason so I've never felt a need for it, but I feel like there are some things to be said about the practice even for those who do feel like they need the extra few inches of length.

     I remember a time when the women would rave about how horse hair was the best, and even as a child I knew that was kind of weird. At first, I thought it was exciting because I was young and had this weird obsession with wanting to be an animal, but as I got older I realized how weird that was. Who would want an animal's hair as their own?



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     So naturally, when the public started talking about how Indian hair was a better choice I thought
"oh good, at least it's human." In the essay 100% Indian Hair by Tanzila Ahmed, she argues that it's gross to not know where the hair a person puts on their head is from, but would it be any less "weird" if they did know where it came from?

     I figure it's not "gross" because at least it gives the women buying it a sense of convenience and natural beauty (not that women shouldn't feel beautiful the way they are made). I believe that having human hair woven in makes it feel a little more natural, and obviously naturally long, glossy hair is the ultimate goal for every girl. Women spend hundreds trying to get the hair they fantasize about, and if all natural Indian hair is the way to do that then more power to the practice!!

Entertainment in America...

     It seems like each decade comes with a sort of era attached to it. The nineties into early two-thousands was the high school movie era with greats like Scream and Mean Girls. The early two-thousands into twenty-tens dived head first into the supernatural scheme of things with blockbuster hits such as the Twilight and the Harry Potter series.

     However, if I had to choose my favorite era so far it'd definitely be the current one going on right now. Right now, vampire/werewolf love triangles are being forced to take a backseat to works of literature (yes, comic books included) as well as gruesome horror flicks. Every time I go to the movie theater now it's a combination of books/comic books into movies intermingled with gruesome "watch your back" possession flicks.

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   Everyone knows what I'm talking about. When I said book to movie you probably formed a picture in your head of either some Marvel movie like  Thor or The Avengers. Equally true in regard to the horror topic as well with popular movies such as Evil Dead or Paranormal Activity.

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     From what I can tell the horror fetish is quite obvious. What's scarier than the thought of some malevolent and seemingly unbeatable creature living in your house terrorizing you. I know I was scared to go to sleep without my Bible within reaching distance after watching The Conjuring. I don't know the exact reasoning behind why paranormal entity related horror movies are on the rampage through Hollywood now, but I can only assume it may be because slasher flicks are too easy and the public wants something a little more challenging and unknown.  

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     On the comic book note, all I can say is that the first Marvel movie I ever saw was Spider-man, and I thought it was amazing. Apparently, so did everyone else because then comic book movies started popping up all over the place. I suppose it could be because everyone that ever watched a Saturday morning cartoon about superheroes are mesmerized by the idea of their childhood hero's back story and how that might relate to the world of today, or maybe because it's just nice to have something fresher and a little more alive and outlandish than what everyday life has to offer...

Body Art!!

     Tattoos and body piercings are old practices that still continue into today. Even with the "mainstream" popularity that seems to surround them and cloud the original meaning behind them they still hold a sense of self that holds true even to today's populace. 
  While tattoos may not represent a right of passage in America like they do in other countries around the world such as Samoa. It does still hold a sort of "express your inner self" connotation. People in today's American culture either love them or hate them, but either way they still hold up as a symbol of one's accomplishments or views of the world. 

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   Piercings are a little more tricky. While tattoos hold their own through incredible works of art. Piercings act as more of a "young, wild and free" fad for mostly teenagers. 
   Piercings are a temporary way to appease an adventurous spirit because unlike tattoos, which are permanent unless surgically removed, piercings can be taken out and scars closed.
   As far as whether or not people should be allowed to get either of them is up to the individual who wants to. Obviously, there are some rules that go along with the practice such as a certain image to be upheld at the office or in any professional environment, but if a person is serious about participating that type of thing shouldn't bother them too much. There are steps that can be taken in order to cover one's self properly while on company time.

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   However, while expressing your life experiences on your canvas (a.k.a- your body)is important based on whatever personal values you hold dear it should NOT be a thing used to jeopardize close relationships such as with family. If your family is like mine and they don't "believe" in the art of tattooing I just recommend waiting until either A.) you wear your mom down with pathetic begging techniques or B.) simply waiting until you leave the house to live on your own because your house your rules.

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   **On a last quick note: MAKE SURE YOU REALLY WANT THE TATTOO YOU'RE GETTING PERMANENTLY INKED UNDER YOUR SKIN!! Don't go in "half-cocked" because something looks cute. Make sure it means something personal to you that way you don't wake up one day regretting something stupid.