As a young Black girl, I was always taught that my hair was my crown and glory. Just reminiscing about getting my hair done between my sister’s thighs instantly whiffs the smell of Blue Magic, Sulfur8 and Hair Mayonnaise across my nose. My hair has always been more than just something that grows out of my scalp - I’ve bonded with my mother over my hair, heard gossip in the beauty shop, and remembered the burning sensation of the creamy crack throughout my scalp. All memories, good and bad, that remind me of the simpler time that was my childhood.

For Black History Month, I had the pleasure of having a conversation with natural hair enthusiast, entrepreneur, budding fashionista and my best friend, Sha Ravine. She and I went to college together and for as long as I’ve known her, she’s always had beautiful, healthy hair. Over the years, I’ve seen it grown, seen her cut it, seen the color grow out, but through it all, I respect her journey with her natural hair and know that it wasn’t an easy one.

I know you've probably been asked this a million times, but how long have you been natural and what inspired you to embark on this natural hair journey?

I started transitioning the relaxer out of my hair during my sophomore year at Spelman [College], so it was around 2014 or 2015. I've been natural for about 5-ish years. I specifically remember sitting in my dorm room after having binge-watched a bunch of natural hair YouTube videos and thinking to myself that I was going to commit to the process. After watching those videos, I became enamored with what Black women could do with their hair. I loved watching those videos and came to the realization that I could be versatile without using harsh chemicals in my hair. I could have big, curly, free flowing hair while having silky straight hair without having to sacrifice one for the other.

Perms and relaxers have opposite effects on kinky hair, meaning that instead of their original purpose of curling hair, it straightens out hair that is originally curly or kinky. I was sacrificing my curls to have super sleek straight hair and I did not want to do that anymore; I realized how deeply personal "going natural" is. While I was growing and finding myself in college, I wanted my natural hair journey to be part of the experience as well. My natural hair journey very quickly became a journey of self discovery, self acceptance, relearning and redefining beauty standards, and so much more! One of the best decisions I've made by far!

Similar to myself, you're a budding entrepreneur and the CEO of Resilient Rav Media. You have full creative control of your brand, your look and so many aspects of what you want Resilient Rav Media to be. How does your natural hair play into your brand as an entrepreneur, rising fashionista, and influencer?

First and foremost, my hair has made me become so much more confident in myself! Learning how to care for it and style it has gifted me an abundance of pride in myself and my appearance. There is no denying that my hair can be huge sometimes and people will stare. Occasionally throwing a compliment or hair question my way. I realized at some point I was becoming noticed because of my hair.

All of that has led me to be booked by natural hair care brands and conventions to join their teams as brand ambassadors, convention speakers, a product educator, and being in media campaigns, etc. The natural hair community has definitely supported and helped me to elevate and put the, "Sha Ravine" brand on the map. Interacting with the community helped me to position myself as a micro-influencer and being natural has become a major factor in my personal and brand image. I'm known for my hair and I'm totally okay with that because I get to connect and educate people all over the world about their hair and help them along their journey.

Being natural pushes me to think about new and creative ways to engage with my audience and brands alike because I know they love hair content and I get to experiment with different ways to educate them. This is much of the reason why I've decided to give my supporters the YouTube channel they've been asking for and create educational hair tutorials while sharing all of the fashion, travel, lifestyle things I love on a new platform. Being natural helped launch my brand and career projection as an influencer and gave me a platform to build out and showcase the rest of my passions on and I'm forever indebted to the natural hair community.

For those of you who may be reading this, Sha also works at Good Morning America in the digital department. You've been there for about a little over two years, which is more than long enough to be familiar with the respectability politics and do's and don'ts of the office space. How has your natural hair played a role in making your mark at a large corporation such as ABC or even your previous position at AMC Networks?

Although, I shouldn't have to be thankful, I am because my hair has never been an issue at my place of work. We've all heard the horror stories that people with natural hair and locs have gone through at work for simply deciding to wear their hair the way that it grows out of their heads. It's absurd and insane to be chastised, reprimanded, and or fired for your hairstyle. Personally, I LOVE that all of my colleagues here know that I absolutely love being natural and I'm ready and willing to educate anyone and everyone who shows interest in learning more about it.

I am the only natural in my newsroom and I proudly wear my hair wild and free; my colleagues love to see it and ask about it. By showing up everyday with my natural hair out, I've been able to work on a lot of natural hair stories and social content on GMA's platforms and I take pride in that. By being myself, I can educate my colleagues and our audience on different aspects of natural hair and I can assure that the stories and digital content we put out is accurate and relatable. It’s so liberating to show up to work everyday, boldly and freely. and be able to reflect that into the content that we make.

Can you tell us about a time where you felt as though your natural hair wasn't accepted? I ask this because it's crazy to believe that we grow this out of our scalp, but yet we're punished for it, looked down upon or denied opportunities because of it.

I do not have a moment to share where I was blatantly told something negative about my natural hair or felt like it was not accepted in the workplace. Ironically, when I decided to go natural, it was my family who was more hesitant than anyone else. I was the girl who always had a fresh blowout and never had one fly-away so when I started coming around with my natural hair, it was a big shock to everyone. I got quite a few “Oh, you’re really doing this?”, “We’ll see how long this lasts,” “Are you going to fix your hair?!”, comments. I was very adamant with them that this curly fro is me now; hate it or love it, I’m going to keep rocking it. Double the irony because quite a few family members are natural now and ask me for advice! I get questions and compliments more than anything and I love that people who interact with me have a desire to learn about the hair that grows out my head and not ridicule it.

I will say that I do not know if my answer to this would be the same if I had a 4C afro. In this journey I’ve learned that naturals with 4a/b/c kinky hair types have received a lot of backlash because of their tighter, thicker fros and it’s unacceptable. No one should be punished for their hair, especially when it grows out of their heads in the most beautiful kinky, curly, wavy textures. Our hair is not a distraction, it does not speak to our intelligence or capabilities, it does not hinder the next person's work, and it’s not a choice. No one should ever have to choose between their hair and their career. On the other hand, I’m so estatic that there are laws being passed to ban discrimination against natural hair, although we shouldn’t have to create laws. We must fight for and protect everyone in the natural hair community against unjust repercussions.

At Spelman, we've always been taught to be your "best self" when it comes to job interviews. We've had this conversation plenty of times before but I feel like that's code for "watered-down-version" of yourself. How do you feel about the idea of not bringing your full-self to an interview, including not wearing your natural fro or braids, etc?

I wish I could tell you I’ve never considered putting my hair in a bun or straightening it for an interview, but that is not the case. For more reasons than just being judged based on my hair rather than my resume, my natural hair is unpredictable and the last thing I need to do is panic about my hair before or at an interview. Early in my transition stage, I lived for buns because my hair had two different textures, so it was easier for me to slick a bun and go to an interview. Towards the middle and current stages of my journey, I became carefree and prideful. I had worked so hard to get my curls flourishing; I wasn’t going to tuck them away for an interview.

My motto was, “If you’re more concerned about my hair than my capabilities and the work I produce, this clearly isn’t the job or work environment for me.” It got tricky when I decided to move over into news, which is very different from entertainment journalism. Newsrooms, especially on camera, are pretty much known for being “stiff” and not being accepting of curls and fros so I was admittedly hesitant on making the transition. I remember getting called for an interview for my current position and looking in the mirror the night before fussing with my hair, trying to figure out what to do with it. I will never forget looking at myself in the mirror that night and straightening my posture and saying, “Screw it, this is me and I’m not changing that for anything or anyone. If I don’t get this job because of my fro, then it is what it is and it wasn’t meant for me. I’m not going to reduce any part of myself for a job. I love me for me and all of me is worthy.”

I did my best flexi-rod set and sloshed through the New York City snow with my hair flying all over my head and got the job. Altering your appearance for a job is the most ridiculous thing anyone should ever have to consider. It’s all part of institutional racism, discrimination, and micro-aggressive workplace tactics that demean, insult, and dehumanize people of color. It makes me extremely sad and upset that there are people hiding their curls in order to fit in or fly under the radar. It’s saddening that many naturals have a "hide it for the interview and flaunt it after you get the job" game plan because you should never have to reduce yourself to make a name for or sustain yourself. A lot of people do not realize or want to realize how absurd it is that an individual's hair legitimately can hinder their lifestyle and financial well-being due to getting rejections from jobs and opportunities.

I'm not going to lie - when I was growing up, I absolutely hated my natural hair. I didn't think I was beautiful unless my hair was straight like the white Barbie dolls I had and I would freak out when my hair would frizz up from rain or humidity. For our young Black and Afro-Latinx readers, what pieces of advice would you give them about loving themselves and their natural tresses just the way they are?

Honey, you’ve worked hard to have your curls and natural hairstyles flourish. Do not let anyone take that pride from you! Your connection to your hair is much deeper than the surface and you may not understand that yet, but to the outside world, it’s a rebellion to everything they want you to believe is beautiful. Your curls whether they’re loose or tightly coiled are beautiful and so are you. Take pride and ownership of that!

I’ll tell you all what I told myself: “This is me and I’m not changing that for anything or anyone. If I don’t get this job because of my fro, then it is what it is and it wasn’t meant for me. I’m not going to reduce any part of myself for a job, opportunity, or relationship. I love me for me and all of me is worthy.”

You are so worthy and deserving of everything you want in this world and it’s even better when you show up to claim it as your full self! In having the courage to show up in your truest form, you are breaking boundaries; you're opening the door for others who look like you, you're force change! Always remember someone has to lead the way and that someone may be you, so take the charge!

About Sha Ravine:

Sha Ravine is a journalist and digital creator at the forefront of the beauty/fashion/lifestyle verticals with an undying love for storytelling. She serves as the founder and lead journalist for Resilient Rav Media: Sha's way of changing the way that stories are told through a creative and progressive platform. Sha is also set on utilizing her digital platforms to connect, educate, and uplift her audience in ways that are creative and unique to her personality and brand. She’s more than your typical fashionista and wants to help you slay every day and in every way! There’s no reason why you can’t be fly, fierce, and fearless in the boardroom, podium, on set, or at a conference in Sha’s world. Sha’s sharing everything she knows because she wants nothing more than to help her audience tap into their authentic selves and succeed at life, work, school and more! Sha’s putting the beauty back in business because when you look and feel great you’re unstoppable! Welcome to my world, #DigitalBesties!

I Am Not My Hair - Or Am I? A Conversation About Inner Beauty, Self-Love and Natural Hair With Rising Media Maven, Sha Ravine