Females all over the world have experienced the big chop, the stories I like to hear? The real ones, the everyday chops. International model and consultant Jasmine M. Staten hailing all the way from Queens, New York is such an example. Below she pens a brief insight of her experience and relationship with her hair.
Full name: Jasmine M . Staten
Current occupation: Professional Model & Consultant
Country and City of origin: USA, Queens, New York
What was your relationship with hair growing up? Growing up I've always had a healthy relationship to/with my hair and hair in general. My mother would make sure my hair was done, neat and pretty no matter what. That's what I remember. My mother did my hair every single morning, telling me, "Jasmine, grab the grease and brush". This is how I live to this day; you will never catch me out on a day where my hair isn't together! My mother never wanted to process/relax my hair; she wanted to keep it natural because it was beautiful and she knew how to care for it and to be honest, I only relaxed my hair because I knew it would look longer if I did. So I did and took care of it accordingly.
Year of first big chop: 2012
Number of big chops: 2
Reasoning for chop/s: First time I did the big chop, I was being advised by a spiritual mentor, mind you, this was at a time when going natural was not the trend. Anyway, my spiritual advisor Prophet Samuel gave me a word about cutting all of my hair off and the mass success it would give me in modelling. It was hard for me because my hair was so long at the time but I did and that was my reason for doing it. A part of me was bored and annoyed with processing my hair because it was thinning out bad but I chopped my hair with belief that my modelling career would thrive & IT DID!
The second Big chop was due to bleaching my hair and it causing major damage! Although it was a very hard time in my hair life, it was one of the better decisions I could've made. My journey has been nothing less than AMAZING, HEALTHY & HAPPY!
Craziest hairstyle to date: Bleached afro!
Current relationship with hair: My current relationship with my hair is just LOVE. I love moisturizing it every day, I love washing it, I love deep conditioning, I love styling it, I love sharing my techniques and hair wisdom with other women.
Would you or would you not recommend the big chop and why? Recommend, I'm not sure. When a women chops, there must be a state of mind there, a knowing of what it entails, a knowing & purpose of why it's being done. I would never recommend a BIG CHOP for a STYLE or LOOK. Being natural is a lifestyle, not a look.
Stay tuned for the big chop table talk video with her and other beautiful ladies sharing their emotional and hilarious experiences with hair as women of colour!
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