There’s a new trend with many races pathetically attempting to appear more European and it’s extremely irritating. In parts of East Asia, it has become a popular trend to have eye surgery to widen the eyes called “Asian blepharoplasty”. It’s mostly prevalent in Taiwan and South Korea. In some countries in Latin America, and even India, face bleaching creams have become very popular. People of color in countries full of beautiful people, so rich in culture with amazing histories are denying a huge part of who they are to appear more Caucasian. Absolutely beautiful, full curly hair is also incessantly straightened needlessly. And right here in America, more and more black women are wearing absurd pin straight weaves that obviously don’t look normal, but they’re obviously not alone.

It’s also strange how people can easily point out a horrible looking weave, but are frustratingly oblivious when they themselves look horrid.

The mere fact that a world so full of various types of people with so many different looks all seem to gravitate toward the same type cast speaks volumes. Little girls all over the world at some point feel the need to straighten their hair, lighten their skin or eyes, or artificially add what they don’t have to appear more European.

Artists like Bob Marley are very few and far in between. Marley did a lot for the black race, as well as all humanity just being who he was. He was staunchly against hair straightening, wigs and many of the things black people do to themselves in complete weakness and disregard for their historical importance and heritage. It’s self-desecration and a strong example of mental slavery. He believed in unity of all people, and detested people showing signs of being mentally defeated and inferior. Not only did he condemn it because it was disrespectful to people of color to doll themselves up as something else, but it was also vain and empty.

People of color don’t set the standard of who gets let in the doors of the entertainment industry. Nowadays, strong, conscious black artists are rarely let through the gates as much. We instead get introduced to more clowns, criminals, extreme personalities, or gimmicky types by the industry gate keepers. Simultaneously, black women entering the entertainment game these days are quickly becoming the biggest weave offenders dishonoring their heritage and natural beauty.

There are some, but very few seem to be on the battle field against modern day racial subjugation. More and more black female celebrities with the opportunity to change the trend are instead going with the flow, going through the motions and weaving it up like never before. We’ve now reached the point where black women are now allowing themselves to be known for it, and even mocked in the entertainment industry with parodies of wigs and weaves pulled out. Instead of any signs of empowerment and freedom from this sort of mental oppression, we’re seeing the opposite. We’re seeing more and more of the weak trying to fit in and succumbing to it. Black female stars in the forefront are as expected in weaves as they are their dresses, and it’s been turned up a notch by this new over the top “Black Barbie” look.

Entertainers like Lil’ Kim and Nicki Minaj were at the forefront of this black Barbie ridiculousness with colored, long straight wigs and weaves, along with sexuality pushed over message or art. I still respect many of these women. And there is something about them and inside them that made them as powerful and influential as they are, but they have forgotten that and feel the need to compromise themselves. Inadvertently they’re denigrating their people and making little girls of their race follow suit in the new culture of self-denial, and anything goes. The hair isn’t real, nor is it even typically black. So little girls of color who idolize them are being walked down the path of acceptable self-denial and vain fraudulence.

There are many reasons why people of color all around the world are showing signs of denying themselves to appear more Caucasian.

Historically, religious imagery inadvertently played a role in subconscious self-loathing in people of color. When many indigenous people around the world were introduced to Christianity for instance, they beheld the graven images, pictures and works of art (that the Bible specifically was warned us never to create-Exodus 20:4) in which Jesus, the saints and everything holy were depicted as white. The ironic truth is that Jesus could not have looked white at all. He was a Galilean Jew with African ancestry and strong ties to Ethiopia. This was also 2000 years ago, before a lot of nomadic movement, intermixing and conversion of white Europeans to Judaism throughout Europe. These images of the saints and patriarchs incorrectly depicted as all Caucasian, has had a long term subconscious psychological effect on the world and how people of color view themselves in the grand scheme of things.

Another effect on people of color is the international modeling industry that has mainly been controlled by a very small European entity, and the standard of beauty has already been defined for the world. Nowadays, there are some black, Asian or darker-skinned tokens thrown in the mix every now and then, but the image of what we think beauty is has already been instilled in us.

The dominance of Western culture and the power of whatever it promotes is unmatched. Even cartoons, and dolls little girls play with are one-sided and subconsciously impactful to how people of color rank and position themselves. Hollywood also had a history of race-bending and white washing that they’re only beginning to correct. Even historical heroes and heroines who weren’t white were depicted as white in films. When all things are considered, it isn’t difficult to understand what we’re now contending with all over the world. People will want to look like what has been glorified before them. It’s only “natural”.

I’m a realist. With that said, I always call things as I see it and try very hard to think with my own mind. People can inadvertently make you conform and surrender your innate ideals and blur the lines of your wisdom, reason and principals if you allow them to. And if many people are afflicted with the same sociological flaw, they can influence you to believe there isn’t a problem at all. Weaves worn to the degree in which they are worn now by many women of color is obviously indicative of an underlying issue. Nor is it even physically or psychologically healthy. If you really dissect and think about it in terms of weeks and months, it’s not even realistically sustainable. Worn as an attachment or as an occasional style is one thing. Worn every single day, looking obviously fraudulent, blowing huge amounts of money for maintenance or replacement, possibly damaging and not nurturing your own natural hair, refusing to ever be seen without it, all while attempting to look like what you clearly aren’t naturally is quite another. There are several deep-rooted reasons why weaves have become so popular in the black community, but oblivious denial of those reasons has been the strongest response.

If you feel inwardly that you can only look better and attract people by wearing obviously fake adornments like a long weave in your hair, and you feel like you need to conform to that and defend it, then there’s no question that there’s something wrong. Whether a person has the self-awareness to admit it or not is another thing. Many of the women of color who have successfully brainwashed themselves to believe there’s nothing wrong with the over-use of weaves and that it’s a women’s prerogative, have chosen to ignore and block out the huge self-depreciation and psychological imprisonment that exists. Also, in various ways, people of color are still wrestling with mental slavery. Many women of color are trained and socialized very early in life to put dangerous, toxic chemicals in their hair and skin to be more socially acceptable. And now, walking around wearing weaves and wigs to have long straight hair has become customary.

A very sinister, deranged and criminally insane entity has been in control very early in our history. Consequently, a maniacal history of racial subjugation and categorization has permanently damaged how people of color view themselves to this very day. We’ve evolved from those days, but there are still lingering effects that haven’t yet been channeled.

Naïve bad advice is all over the place, and people don’t understand what they haven’t yet challenged themselves with. We’re in an age in which people are born into a preexisting form of bondage, but fish just swim with the school, and don’t attempt to analyze who they are and we’re they’re going. Many people, mostly dedicated weave wearers of course, say things like “It’s your hair, do whatever makes you feel good.” How is supporting the culture of pretending you have what you don’t have realistically making yourself feel good in the long run? It’s worldly, unenlightened logic and reason from those who have subconsciously surrendered. Call it what it is. It’s a commitment to putting on a costume every single day for perceived social acceptance. I will concede that everyone should do whatever they like, and do what makes them feel good, but at least understand exactly what it is without hiding behind socialized justifications. We’re currently in a culture that cultivates dealing with shallow things we don’t like about ourselves with deception. Being honest about what we want to change about ourselves, aware of the reasons why we want to change them, and honest about our methods of dealing with them is a truer step toward wisdom, wholeness, positive esteem and mental health. Without honesty, love and respect for ourselves as we are, who knows to what length the weave epidemic will grow.