A trio of Black Brazilian professionals speak to Essence Magazine about the racial backlash they have received for wearing natural hair.
In part one of the three-part video series, “Afro-Brazilian Hair Stories,” communications strategist and artist Juliana Luna reveals that after she chopped off her hair, her mother thought she was crazy.
“After that I let my hair grow naturally,” she recalls. ” At the time no one really had that. My mom thought I was crazy … And I was trying to tell her I was not feeling like myself.”
However, attorney Marina Marçal has had a more dramatic response to her natural hair. She tells Essence that her clients have questioned her skills and work ethic because of her curls.
“I’m fighting for this because I want my 1-year-old niece growing up making her own decisions – she can have straight hair and be fine, she can have curly hair and be fine,” Marçal says. “She has to feel proud of herself.”
