Stupid Hair Comments, Questions and Weave Checking

I watched Oprah Live! this past Friday. It got me to thinking about all the moments when people have asked me interesting questions, pulled my hair, or just said something really dumb to me about my hair.

I wore micro braids the first two 1 and 1/2 years of college. I wore braids because it was easy to take care of in college and I didn't have a car to go to a salon and I didn't go home often. Before this, I had a bad color my senior year high school and my hair was over processed and I ended up growing out my hair by wearing braids and cut off all the relaxed ends. Spring semester sophomore year I decided I wanted to be relaxed again. I came back to school my hair was probably shoulder length.

-So I'm standing in the lobby of my dorm and this girl comes up to me and says, Girl I thought you was bald!"
I basically gave her a wth look and told her no I just liked to wear braids and walked away.

- I made the mistake of telling one friend that vitamins helped my hair to grow. In reality, they did give me a nice boost, but, as you all can see, it's not a quick fix; I do plenty of other things as well. Every time I saw her all I heard about were those d*** vitamins. Drove me crazy. :-)

- I purposely got a sew in one semester of college because I lived out of state and I didn't trust anyone in that state to do my hair, the water was very hard, and I didn't want my hair to break off. A friend, at the time, commented to me that she wouldn't get a sew in for her hair cause of the whole no washing thing. ( Which you can purchase dry shampoos btw) So after I took mine out and I came back to school my hair was probably about almost bra strap length she told me she was going to get a sew in. (Go figure)

- Away at school, in the middle of no where, I went to Charlotte Russe to get some shoes. I was wearing my hair down and it had just been washed and flat ironed. A caucasian salesgirl asked my how do I get my hair so straight? I responded with a flat iron (duh!).

- A guy told me that I must be mixed cause my hair was so long and then tried to tell me that black women can't grow long hair. Never talked to him again

- At my old job, a co-worker asked me if this was all my hair and I said yes. She tried to tell me I must have Indian or White in my family for my hair to be so long.

- At family dinners, there's always one relative that asks me if I'm wearing a weave and these are relatives that see me all the time!

- Last Easter during the welcome to the visitors at churcH I hugged a lady and I thought her ring got stuck in my hair but NO, she was checking for tracks!

Basically there is a general assumption that if you're black and your hair is long you must be mixed or black women can't grow hair or have healthy hair.

Weave Checking- I don't understand why people do this if it is a weave why do you care and if it isn't one why try to say I must be mixed or say I must have some pieces in. What right do you have to put your hand in someone's hair to see if it's a weave.