Maraji, a Nigerian content creator, spurred social media conversations by encouraging Black women to embrace their natural hair rather than relying on wigs and hair extensions to feel beautiful.
In a viral video, the comedian questioned why Black women are often forced to wear hair textures other than their own, stating the mindset has made her reevaluate her relationship with her natural hair.
According to Maraji, she used to assume that Black people did not have “good hair,” which motivated her to understand and embrace her natural hair.
“Why are we the only group of people who have to wear another texture of hair to feel beautiful? Why are we the only people who have to protect our hair? Like put it in cornrows and then wear another texture of hair.”
She noted that knowing how to care for and wear her natural hair altered her outlook.
“That made me want to know my hair. That made me want to understand my hair. So I started wearing my hair. I started putting it in a bun. It was really short but I just wanted to wear my hair. I was washing it as much as much as I could and then I started to enjoy my hair.”