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My curls would not curl and brush-outs were nearly impossible, she says.
Sarah Lee
I grew up in Hawaii the time I was six years old until my preteen years.
This ended my relationship with the ocean.
I couldnt submerge myself in water, for fear of messing up my straightened hair.
In April 2021, LA County supervisor Janice Hahn announced plans to return Bruce’s Beach to Charles and Willa Bruce’s descendants.
We are not alone in our experiences.
I was already teased for being a Black swimmer, and there were insecurities around that.
For some Black female surfers, feelings around the sport are even more complex.L.
Renee Blount, a creative strategist and athlete, felt the same struggles.
Blount found herself at odds with her love for surfing and the toll on her hair-care routine.
She eventually decided to go natural.
I put my wellness first.
Since going natural, shes come to appreciate the way her hair looks and feels.
I love the color the sun turns my hair and the feeling of not hiding, she says.
According toSurfer Today, approximately23 million people surf worldwide.
I was already teased for being a Black swimmer, and there were insecurities around that.
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Racist stereotypes and generations of conditioning played a large role inMaggie Lower’searly struggles with surfing.
Thankfully, I wasnt raised in a community that is highly influenced by white America, she says.
I could see the flaws of their conditioning.
Maine says her mother had similar passed-down beliefs.
According toSurfer Magazine, surfing originates from Senegal and Angolawithout influence from white expeditionists or Polynesians.
The first account of the sport was written in 1630, in what is now known as Ghana.
California also has a rich history of Black surfing.
Sadly, sometimes we even do this to ourselves.
Kinney hopes the film will help alleviate pressure Black surfers feel about the sport.
I was even closer to Hawaii, which made for more spur-of-the-moment surf trips back to my hometown.
But most important, I found a community.
Black Lyons foundChelsea WoodyandMartina Duranon social media in hopes of building a community for Black female surfers.
If your beauty is defined by hiding yourself, you will never feel beautiful.
Finding beauty with my natural hair required a lot of unlearning and self-acceptance, she says.
Learning to love and care for my curls changed my relationship with my hair.
When it comes to hair, Woody, a global surf athlete for Vans, prioritizes moisture and hydration.
But most important is her mental health.
I attempt to keep my hair routine simple and not let it control my happiness, she says.
I see other Black surfers paddle out with that same confidence, the same aurora of belongingness.
Black Lyons uses styling cream fromSunBumandCantu, while Duran recommends theBread Beauty line.
Blaides and Lower live byTracee Ellis Rosss Pattern products, especially theIntensive Moisturizer.
Its the only product that has been able to keep my hair from drying out, says Blaides.
A little goes a long way, adds Lowes.
Finding the right hair care goes hand-in-hand with finding confidence in the water.
Im kind of cocky, in a respectful way, when I enter the water, says Lower.
The confidence I have in a surf lineup is what makes me fit in.
I see other Black surfers paddle out with that same confidence, the same aurora of belongingness.
