Linda ‘Mosetta’ Jones is on a mission.
‘I want to inform people about and destroy stereotypes and misconceptions that people have about black women and their hair,’ Jones says from her Dallas home. ‘With black women, hair is of a special interest because it’s more than just a hairstyle. It’s about politics, culture, heritage. I wanted to get at the negative stigma and tell women that there is nothing wrong with wearing African-style hair.’
So kinky-haired kindred spirits are invited to hear Jones read from her book “Nappyisms: Affirmations for Nappy-headed People and Wannabes” (Manelock Communications, $12″> at the Natural Trend Setters hair salon, 5100 W. Commercial Blvd., Tamarac”> at 6 p.m. June 6. The event is free to the public and is a prelude to the grand opening of a second salon in Delray Beach.
‘Mosetta opens up people’s eyes to the good side of what so many of us have seen as negative,’ says Symone Hylton, co-owner of the salon. ‘I want to inspire women to embrace their beauty inside. A lot of times that means going back to your natural self.’
Jones says her book uses humor to get across some serious ideas. There is ‘nappy headiquette’ to teach the uninitiated how to approach and engage a nappy-headed person in casual conversation. Helpful hints: don’t ask the wearer if she washes her hair and don’t even think about touching without implicit permission. And then there are the snap-backs.
‘Snap-backs are verbal ammunition. For example, if someone says, ‘You need a touch-up.’ Then you say, ‘You need a beat-down.’ I told this one woman during one of my talks a new curse word. I told her that when someone says something rude about her hair that she should just say, ‘I don’t give a follicle what you think.’ She was so excited because she had always wanted to say something back. Now she had something. She couldn’t wait to use it. But no one ever said anything about her hair. I think it was because she carried herself in a different way, a way that repelled negative comments.’
Jones says her message is even being heard in Europe. ‘A woman in Belgium e-mailed me to tell me that this thing is affecting women globally. Then I heard about a group of women in Germany who get together and call themselves the Euronaps.’
For more information, visit www.nappyhairaffair.com
