Nappturality

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The term Nappturality refers to hair and is a combination of the terms nappy, natural and spirituality. Patricia Gaines, using the web identity "Deecoily" first coined the word "nappturality" in 2002 and created a website of the same name that year. The term has been used primarily by African American women who have chosen to exclusively wear their hair in its natural, afro-textured state, free from chemicals intended to straighten the hair.

The term nappturality takes the word "nappy", which is typically used in a derogatory manner, [1] and translates it into a word of empowerment. Several commercial hair products and websites have capitalized on the success of the term nappturality. The website of the same name, nappturality.com is the largest online community [2] dedicated to natural African American hair care and aims to "empower Black women by helping them understand and recognize the beauty of their natural hair in its natural state". [3] Examples of napptural hairstyles include afros, braids, twists, puffs, wash and gos, bantu knots and many others. [4]

See also

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References

  1. "Why 'Nappy' Is Offensive". Common Dreams. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  2. "Nappturality.com: It's Your Hair. It's Your Journey. Discover It. - for Colored Gurls". Archived from the original on 2014-09-12. Retrieved 2014-09-12.
  3. "A Place for Us".
  4. "6 Styles for Type 4 Natural Hair That DON'T Require Stretching". BGLH Marketplace. 2014-07-25. Retrieved 2018-09-11.