I’m hurt because the brands that make me happy are messing up and I just need to know who’s hiring these whack creative teams. Like, hire me, please. I will never have you looking a fool.

Anyways, I’m sitting at work l when I open up my Facebook feed. Facebook and Twitter are my sources of news, so I’m scrolling seeing what’s new on the internet. I see SheaMoisture is under fire. This information surprised me because the brand is a staple amongst Black Twitter. So why on earth would they be dragged? So I click on the article and to my surprise, I see an ad with predominately white women. Which is standard for every other beauty brand that often excludes women color. But to see a brand that up until recently supposedly had my back do this, it hurts. It’s a brand that made sure my kinks moisturized and I was slaying with my perfect twist outs. In the name of reaching a new demographic, they left us behind.

I should start off by pointing out what’s wrong with their casting and concept. From what I gathered the brand was trying to promote an idea of hair love for everybody. I am all for people enjoying their existence. What I am not here for is as one Twitter user described the “all lives mattering” of “hair hate.”

shea moisture tryna "all lives matter" my hair products ????

— rad & boujee ????????‍♀️ (@earthtojazi) April 1, 2017

A white woman’s temporary discomfort with her hair cannot be equal to the systematic hatred of black hair brought upon black people and their crowns. The texture of my hair could be someone’s basis for not hiring me, something that naturally comes out of my head. My hair hate was rooted entirely in me wanting to assimilate with my white friends. Throughout my entire life, my hair has made me feel like an outsider, different and other things. I now embrace what makes me different. A white woman's desire for volume will most likely not cost them a job. It should not be seen as equal.

Next problem I had with this ad is that I no longer want to only see the same biracial girl with long loose curls in any ad trying to be inclusive to people of color. I’m not taking away their blackness, but we are an incredibly diverse race concerning pigmentation. We come in a variety of beautiful shades, hair textures and sizes — so why on earth do I keep seeing the same light skin girl with a loose texture representing an entire race?

The faces of the natural hair movement are women with these long loose curls. Because of this, there are people who don’t want to go to natural because they know their hair will not look that. You have people still using the terms “good hair” to describe looser textures. Type 4 hair is out here breaking our necks doing these twist outs so our afros can look “presentable.” I’m not saying those with looser textures don’t face any discrimination. What I am saying is that is it seen as a lot more acceptable and beautiful than those of us with kinkier textures. I want the different people I see in my community represented in the media I consume.

Lastly, I’m coming for this trash apology from SheaMoisture. I don’t understand whose ideas this was. I was kind of on the fence with the last commercial, encouraging stores to desegregate the beauty aisle. Honestly, I should have seen that as a sign of what was to come. I don’t understand how this passed as a good idea. If they were trying to expand their market, they shouldn’t have left us behind. We shouldn’t have been at the end. Being a company that was critical for the natural hair movement. I don’t understand why they would trivialize the struggle of black hair. They should have known better. Their success so far has been rooted in their support for our kinks, curls and coils, so why leave us behind? Why make these whack commercials, knowing good and well Black Twitter is ruthless? I feel more disappointed than angry in all honesty. I am a business major, and I understand that a primary business goal is to maximize profits. But don’t lose your core demographic in an attempt to gain a new one. I’m just tired of brands and people who claim to support me as a black woman continue to disappoint.

I’m still going to finish my products though they’re just not going to see a cent from me in the future.

Ka Lynn Robinson

Writing since November 2016 · 2 stories contributed