Pride in 3 generations of women’s hair

Justice Marbury

Columnist

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

USA TODAY NETWORK

I am the woman I am today for many reasons – my culture, upbringing and surroundings have molded me into Justice Marbury.

But above all, it was the women in my life – and their hair.

I give much credit to these women and their portrayal of beauty standards.

For me – and many Black women – hair is more than style. It’s a thread between culture and identity.

From afros to silk presses, a Black woman’s hair shows the evolution of Black culture, history and personal expression.

Eurocentric beauty standards favor European features while showing a bias against non-Western features. Many Black hairstyles weren’t considered socially acceptable unless they were a product of assimilation because of these standards.

My mom, grandma and great-grandma did not conform to these standards but instilled in me the importance of individuality and self-love. Growing up, I watched each of them change their hair, but one style stuck out to me in particular – a short brush cut.

Since the standard has always crowned long hair as beautiful, I saw them as bold, standing out by rocking the short look. I also felt, in a way, it must be freeing for a woman to cut her hair, an act of rejecting the beauty standards and stereotypes that come with Blackness, hair and femininity.

'I think it takes some type of courage to be a woman with short hair,' said Shawn Gordon, my grandma. 'It’s very freeing. It’s a statement of confidence and boldness, and I feel like I’m bold in many things that I do. I always wore my hair very short in high school, and people used to talk about me, not in a good way. Part of me loved that I was a trendsetter.'

When I went to college, I decided to cut all of my hair off.

My mind had been made up for months. To me, it felt like a rite of passage.

Through this, I could feel a confidence I had never felt before. I embraced my feminine side, finding new things that made me feel womanly.

I am forever grateful to my mom, grandma and great-grandma for setting this example. I don’t know if I’d have the confidence that I have now without them.

As a Rochester native, Justice Marbury entered the world of journalism to create work where voices like hers were heard – the voices of minority communities. Marbury covers small businesses, neighborhood concerns, and the interesting people who live in Rochester’s 19th Ward. As the 19th Ward reporter, she has helped implement community outreach ideas by asking what people in various communities want to read about themselves in addition to regular news. Contact her on Instagram @justice-marbury and by email at jmarbury@gannett.com.