Lately, males in society have been deviating from the traditional low-cuts and fade hairstyles.
Just about everything under the sun has been done, so this current cultural phenomena isn’t new.
During the counter cultural movement in the 1960s, males grew and wore long hair as an act of individualism and rebellion.
In the 1970s, people still grew their hair for the same reasons as they did in the ’60s, but the Afro’s became more fashionable.
From all the new dread head rappers, to Wiz Kahlifia with the mini Afro with the blonde patch, Atlanta natives Trinidad James and Rich Homie Quan sporting the kinky fro, male hip-hop stars are bringing hair back.
There are still some males rocking low-cut styles, but if you notice, the most common male hairstyles now have some sort of length to it.
Evidently, I am a fan of having hair. However, the length to my hair was not inspired by the latest male fashion trend like the female natural movement.
Although this generation of males didn’t influence me, I am following a trend.
I’m following the trend of some of history’s most immaculate thinkers. All of the people who inspire me to be great, all wore an Afro or wild hair at one point.
Albert Einstein, Frederick Douglass, Kobe Bryant, and Huey Freeman motivate me to keep my wild hair.
All of the figures I named are masters of their craft, except Huey, who is a cartoon figure from the hit cartoon “The Boondocks,” but he to thinks at a high level.
Despite Einstein’s hair being wild and crazy, he was still considered one of the world’s best scientists. He made major contributions to society by adding to the knowledge of math and science, all while being a high school dropout.
Being a man from Texas and studying liberal arts, I think Frederick Douglass has the most impact on my hairstyle.
Besides playing a major role in freeing slaves in Texas and being an advocate for equality, he is a prominent African-American writer.
No, I haven’t read every article written by Douglass, but I do live by one of his profound quotes: “If there is no struggle, there is no progress,” said Douglass in his West India Emancipation speech at Canandaigua, N.Y., in 1857.
Kobe Bryant is clearly a lethal assassin on the basketball court, and I am an avid basketball fan. Of course the five-time NBA champion is nearly bald now, but we all know “Kobe with the fro” was hands-down the best guard in the NBA. Now that the 17-year vet is aging, he is still Top Ten in the league according to the Sports Illustrated list and he is viewed as a guru around the league to upcoming players.
Huey makes having an Afro look cool in the animation world, but his mind-set is no different from the people in reality. He too has meaningful opinions on social issues just as injustices, race, politics, religion, the media, businesses and society as a whole. He too is rebellious just as his brother Riley Freeman, but he handles it intelligently.
People often ridicule me because they claim males with hair are unprofessional, but they need to not worry about my hair and just let me be great!
Kevin Keise is a senior mass communication major form Houston.