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| Follow Brittany's Journey - IG: @CurlTalks |
NAME: Brittany Dixon
AGE: 32
TALENTS: Curl Girl and Marketing Creative
LOCATION: Los Angeles
What is CurlTalks?
CurlTalks is a speaker series taking place in
the Los Angeles area that focuses on the journeys and experiences many women
have gone through during the discovery or rediscovery of their naturally curly
hair. There are so many forums, websites, YouTube channels all of us curly
girls frequent, so I wanted to do something different and take the conversation
offline and meet in-person where women could come together and bond over
something they have in common - curly hair. I truly believe there is power in
personal stories - they are inspiring - so I wanted to create a platform where
those experiences and topics of importance could be shared and told. Who
doesn’t love a good story?! I want CurlTalks to be more than just another
"event" about hair care products and regimens. It's more about
connecting through the curl and diving deeper into what it truly means to be a
curly girl. CurlTalks is for all women who share in the experience when it
comes to embracing their curl.
What's the goal for CurlTalks?
Every time I looked up events
surrounding natural hair, many times they always seemed to be elsewhere like in
New York, Atlanta and Texas. Not saying that they didn’t exist here in LA, but
they just seemed to happen more frequently in other states! Being that I have
lived in Los Angeles my entire life, I wanted to bring something to the city
and make a mark on the west coast with the goal to hopefully expand to other
states to continue the conversation and open up the dialogue in those places.
Ultimately the goal for CurlTalks is for like-minded women to be able to come
together in-person to connect and learn from each other’s experiences and
perspectives. To have some amazing speakers who will be able to share their journeys
and experiences and panelists who will share various perspectives on hot
topics. It’s about coming together to embrace the hair you have been blessed
with and to celebrate it, discuss it and be inspired by it!
How did you begin your natural hair journey?
I am half black and half white. I
think early on my dad did my mom a solid to help her out when it came to my
hair because it wasn’t always the easiest - she did her best. I did get a
relaxer at a very young age, probably 4 or 5. Growing up I didn't know anything
else other than wearing my hair straight and had very little recollection
except in photographs of what my naturally curly hair looked like when I was
little. I had no clue what my curl pattern was. I would regularly go to get a
relaxer when my hair would grow out and saw other girls that looked like me at
school who wore their hair straight, so I just thought that was the norm. At
some point during either high school or just before college, I went to my
hairdresser to get my usual “touch up”, and she said, "You know, you don't
need to get a relaxer. Your hair will straighten just fine without one"
and ever since then, I never chemically straightened my hair again. I did
continue to get my hair flat-ironed, but never touched another relaxer. The more
and more I let my hair grow out I began to see the curl that I was born with
coming through. I slowly transitioned into wearing my hair naturally curly, but
wasn’t fully comfortable just yet wearing it out. I would rock my curls in a
ponytail pulled back; however, it wasn't until 2010 when I took a trip to New
York City that I decided to wear my hair down and curly. It was a defining
moment for me, learning to be comfortable with my curls and really embrace
them. I definitely felt as though I somehow started along a new path; a path of
self-discovery, a path of self-confidence, it was like a new me.
What's your take on natural hair in the workplace?
This always seems to be an
interesting topic. It’s a little hard for me to digest the idea that an
employer wouldn’t allow me to wear my hair the way it grows out of my head or
that I must somehow conform to a societal standard of what is deemed to be
‘professional’ and ‘acceptable’ in the workplace. It’s one thing if I MAKE THE CHOICE
to wear my hair straight or change it up, but to feel as though I HAVE TO in
order to keep or get a job doesn’t seem right. Like who is making these
rules? Who is to say my natural hair isn't professional?
I had this conversation with my
sister-in-law when she was recently looking for a new job and had an upcoming
interview. She mentioned over the phone, “I just don’t know if I should wear my
hair [natural] it might not be professional.” I had to stop her right there and
ask her why she would think that wearing natural hair equals not getting a job?
I told her she should feel COMFORTABLE wearing your hair however she would want
to for the interview – whether natural, straight in a protective style etc., but
that she shouldn’t feel as though she can't or shouldn’t wear her hair natural.
Even with the recent news regarding
dreadlocks in the workplace, I was shocked and confused. I watched a clip
recently where Whoopi Goldberg was talking on The View about it and educating her fellow
co-hosts on the topic of natural hair and she made some good points. She said,
“Work where the people accept who you are.” I know in this day and age of
looking for a job is easier said than done, but it just seems as though for me,
I would want to work at a place where they determine I am fit for the job based
of my abilities and qualifications and not my hairstyle.
What music are you listening to right now?
Albums and/or artists I am listening
to are Frank Ocean “Blond”, Chance
The Rapper "Coloring Book", Anderson .Paak
“Malibu”, Banks and Kamau “A Gorgeous Fortune”. Songs that keep me motivated Phonte "The Good
Fight", and BJ The Chicago Kid “Dream II”.
What's next for you?
I will be speaking on a Worthy Women panel sometime in October. First CurlTalks is slated for mid-October!
More info to come!
