I grew up with shoulder length hair but I had a distorted sense of beauty so I felt that straight hair was more desirable then my own natural kinky but soft hair. At age 14 I permed my hair and LOVED IT!

But by the age of 17, I became conscious and that perm was no longer me. I longed to rediscover the hair of my childhood.So I grew out my perm and then CUT IT OFF. I let my hair grow for 4 years and just wore it curly and loose kind of like "Freddie" from "A Different World". After that I was ready for the next step, locs! Although I wanted something that looked organic,it was about blackness for me not Rasta!(or so I thought). I went to a pro and she gave me teeny tiny twists which I hated but I tried to be patient. Over the years my hair grew but it always felt wrong. As I grew into my African consciousness I drew closer to Rasta and after 5 and a half years just when it finally got long(what I a had been waiting for,and everyone thought it was so beautiful...

I CUT THEM ALL OFF! It was drastic and many people were upset but I knew that I would loc again and while I was growing my little picky afro I began the way of Rastafari.

I have been proudly wrapping my hair everyday for like 6 years. Yet just recently I've unveiled them.I wore them out this past summer and many people didn't even recognize me! Now I wear them out in the summer months and keep them wrapped high on my head the rest of the year(away from prying eyes and prodding hands.

This crop of locs is the fruit of all these years of change and growth, pain and satisfaction which have led me to who I am today.

Empress Marjorie