Thandie Newton Goes Natural For Her Kids (817 hits)
(BlackDoctor.org) --Thandie Newton is taking a new kind of role: a positive role model for her daughters. The British-born actress, 39, revealed she decided to stop straightening her hair in a bid to discourage her daughters, Ripley and Nico, from feeling insecure about their natural curls.
Earlier this month, Newton told longtime friend and make-up artist Kay Montano, "I didn’t want my daughters to judge their beautiful curls." She added: "The stigma with some black women seems to be that 'nappy hair' (natural afro hair) is almost as bad as a loo roll trailing from your shoe. I've always let my daughter’s hair be wild and scruffy...in the States, I had remarks about how I don’t take care of their hair. The truth is I choose to keep it that way."
Newton went on to say, "When I see hair that’s been pulled, stretched, brushed till bullet smooth I just think 'ouch'. I have my limits, sometimes I have to beg Nico to let me tidy it up for fear of her looking like she’s been neglected!" The Londoner also said her own mother suffered at the hands of prejudice when Thandie's convent school refused to allow her in a group snapshot.
The nuns were said to be "appalled" at the braided cornrows, leaving Thandie "embarrassed" and "ashamed". Thandie said, "I read this year a piece in The Independent about a student who appealed against not being able to wear his hair in (what the school felt was a hoodlum style) braids, and he won. That’s 30 years since the nuns dissed me… This s**t keeps going round."
The inspiring, Academy Award-nominated actress actress Viola Davis of "The Help", drew glances as she sported her natural hair at the Oscars on Sunday evening, looking jaw-dropping in a green gown. Viola added, "If you want to wear wigs for your career, that's fine, but in your life wear your hair. Step into who you are."
