Beauty and Hair - Hair and Beauty

I didn't identify with my "womanness" until I was probably 22. Let me clarify. I always labeled myself as "black" - period. I didn't realzie that some of the issues that I struggle with at times are related to being a female in a patriarchial society. I just assumed that all of my issues dealt with race, until I was in a Social Class and literature course and the topic of hair came up. At the time I was struggling with norms, specifically, why I chose to continue to straighten my hair. My professor pointed out that hair is a woman issue, meaning, it has been and is still a sign of beauty for women. And of course, black beauty is in a category all own its own (i think). For many "nappy hair" is bad and ugly, while "straight hair" is "good." While i don't agree with these imposed norms, I do understand that these norms have been adopted. After today, I wonder if hair is just a "woman's issue".

I have a male student who was being disruptive in class today. I pulled him out into the hall to scold him (because frankly, his behavior was getting on my nerves and I felt as if I was about to shake him until he straightened up). When I called him out in the hall, I noticed something different about him...his hair. Now his hair usually catches my attention, because he never seems to comb it, and it often looks quite messy. But today, the messiness was different. I asked him what he did to his hair, and he said he permed (relaxed) it. His hair was a straight MESS. I asked him why he did it, and he said because it was too nappy. What he didn't tell me was that on the previous day a student referred to his hair as "carpet." In NO way did his hair look better straight than natural in my opinion. Adding a perm is not going to do anything for you if you refuse to comb your hair. If you knew this kid, you would never think that he would be influenced by such nonsense. His a very big boy, a blood (as in crips and bloods) I might add, and he "appears" to be very tough. From what I thought, straight hair was only cool for pimps...and Snoop. Who/What is he identifying with? Is he starting a new trend? I for one am not ready for seeing male students with roller and straw sets. More seriously, I want to know when this whole war between the straight and nappy will stop. I was more understanding when just women were relaxing their hair, since hair is something we "do" in order to seem more attractive, but I don't know how long I can sit by while these norms now infiltrate the minds of boys.