Thursday, October 6, 2016

Meet Brittany Dixon: A Curlista On the Move


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!

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