▁of ▁that ▁pride ." ▁Neg ative ▁per ception s ▁of ▁af ro - text ured ▁hair ▁and ▁beauty ▁had ▁been ▁passed ▁down ▁through ▁the ▁gener ations , ▁so ▁they ▁had ▁become ▁ing rained ▁in ▁Black ▁ment ality ▁to ▁the ▁point ▁where ▁they ▁had ▁been ▁accepted ▁as ▁simple ▁truth s . ▁W ear ing ▁natural ▁hair ▁was ▁seen ▁as ▁a ▁progress ive ▁statement , ▁and ▁for ▁all ▁the ▁support ▁that ▁the ▁movement ▁gathered , ▁there ▁were ▁many ▁who ▁opposed ▁natural ▁hair ▁both ▁for ▁its ▁a est het ics ▁and ▁the ▁ide ology ▁that ▁it ▁promoted . ▁It ▁caused ▁t ensions ▁between ▁the ▁Black ▁and ▁White ▁communities , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁dis com fort ▁amongst ▁more ▁conserv ative ▁African - Amer icans . ▁ ▁The ▁style ▁of ▁af ro - text ured ▁hair ▁continues ▁to ▁be ▁polit ic ized ▁in ▁contemporary ▁society . ▁" Th ese ▁issues ▁of ▁style ▁are ▁highly ▁charged ▁as ▁sensitive ▁questions ▁about ▁[ an ▁individual ' s ] ▁very ▁' identity ' ." ▁Whether ▁an ▁individual ▁dec ides ▁to ▁wear ▁their ▁hair ▁in ▁its ▁natural ▁state ▁or ▁alter ▁it , ▁all ▁Black ▁ha irst yles ▁convey ▁a ▁message . ▁In ▁several ▁post - colon ial ▁soci eties , ▁the ▁value ▁system ▁prom otes ▁' white ▁bias ', ▁and ▁" eth nic ities ▁are ▁valor ized ▁according ▁to ▁the ▁t ilt ▁of ▁wh iten ess — [ which ] ▁functions ▁as ▁the ▁ide ological ▁basis ▁for ▁status ▁as cription ." ▁In ▁turn , ▁in ▁this ▁value ▁system , ▁" A fr ican