Cheyenne Cochrane: A celebration of natural hair | TED

Prevodilac: Lidija Kacar Lektor: Ivana Krivokuća

I am from the South Side of Chicago,

Ja sam sa južne strane Čikaga

and in seventh grade, I had a best friend named Jenny

i u sedmom razredu sam imala najbolju drugaricu koja se zvala Dženi

who lived on the Southwest Side of Chicago.

koja je živela na južnozapadnoj strani Čikaga.

Jenny was white,

Dženi je bila bela,

and if you know anything about the segregated demographics of Chicago,

i ako znate bilo šta o podeljenoj demografiji Čikaga,

you know that there are not too many black people

znate da nema mnogo crnih ljudi

who live on the Southwest Side of Chicago.

koji žive na južnozapadnoj strani Čikaga.

But Jenny was my girl

Ali je Dženi bila moja drugarica

and so we would hang out every so often after school and on the weekends.

i mi bismo se družile s vremena na vreme nakon škole i vikendima.

And so one day we were hanging out in her living room,

I tako smo jednog dana bile u njenoj dnevnoj sobi,

talking about 13-year-old things,

pričale o stvarima koje se tiču trinaestogodišnjakinja

and Jenny's little sister Rosie was in the room with us,

i Dženina mlađa sestra Rozi je bila u sobi sa nama

and she was sitting behind me just kind of playing in my hair,

i sedela je iza mene, igrala se mojom kosom,

and I wasn't thinking too much about what she was doing.

a ja nisam mnogo razmišljala o tome šta ona radi.

But at a pause in the conversation,

Ali tokom pauze u razgovoru,

Rosie tapped me on the shoulder.

Rozi me je potapšala po ramenu.

She said, "Can I ask you a question?"

Rekla je: „Mogu li da te pitam nešto?“

I said, "Yeah, Rosie. Sure."

Ja sam rekla: „Da, Rozi. Naravno.“

"Are you black?"

„Jesi li ti crna?“

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

The room froze.

Svi u sobi su se sledili.

Silence.

Tišina.

Jenny and Rosie's mom was not too far away.

Dženi i Rozina mama nije bila daleko.

She was in the kitchen and she overheard the conversation,

Bila je u kuhinji, načula je razgovor

and she was mortified.

i bila je prestravljena.

She said, "Rosie! You can't ask people questions like that."

Rekla je: „Rozi! Ne možeš da postavljaš ljudima takva pitanja.“

And Jenny was my friend, and I know she was really embarrassed.

A Dženi je bila moja drugarica i znam da joj je bilo veoma neprijatno.

I felt kind of bad for her, but actually I was not offended.

Bilo mi je pomalo žao nje, ali zapravo se nisam uvredila.

I figured it wasn't Rosie's fault that in her 10 short years on this earth,

Shvatila sam da nije Rozina krivica što u deset kratkih godina na zemlji,

living on the Southwest Side of Chicago,

živeći na južnozapadnoj strani Čikaga,

she wasn't 100 percent sure what a black person looked like.

nije bila stopostotno sigurna kako izgleda crna osoba.

That's fair.

To je fer.

But what was more surprising to me was,

Ali ono što me je više iznenadilo,

in all of this time I had spent with Jenny and Rosie's family --

tokom sveg ovog vremena koje sam provela sa porodicom Dženi i Rozi -

hanging out with them,

družila se sa njima,

playing with them,

igrala se sa njima,

even physically interacting with them --

čak fizički dolazila u kontakt sa njima -

it was not until Rosie put her hands in my hair

sve dok Rozi nije dotakla moju kosu,

that she thought to ask me if I was black.

nije joj palo na pamet da me pita da li sam crna.

That was the first time I would realize

To je bio prvi put da sam shvatila

how big of a role the texture of my hair played in confirming my ethnicity,

koliko veliku ulogu tekstura moje kose igra

u potvrđivanju moje etničke pripadnosti,

but also that it would play a key role in how I'm viewed by others in society.

ali i da će odigrati ključnu ulogu u načinu na koji me vide drugi u društvu.

Garrett A. Morgan and Madame CJ Walker were pioneers

Garet A. Morgan i Madam Sidžej Voker

bili su pioniri industrije za negu crnačke kose i lepotu ranih 1900-tih.

of the black hair-care and beauty industry in the early 1900s.

They're best known as the inventors of chemically-based hair creams

Oni su poznati kao pronalazači krema za kosu sa hemijskom osnovom

and heat straightening tools

i alatki za ispravljanje kose

designed to permanently, or semipermanently,

dizajniranih da trajno ili delimično trajno

alter the texture of black hair.

promene teksturu crnačke kose.

Oftentimes when we think about the history of blacks in America,

Često kada razmišljamo o istoriji crnih ljudi u Americi,

we think about the heinous acts

mislimo na užasna dela i brojne nepravde

and numerous injustices that we experienced as people of color

koje smo iskusili kao obojeni ljudi zbog boje naše kože,

because of the color of our skin,

when in fact, in post-Civil War America,

kada je zapravo u Americi nakon građanskog rata

it was the hair of an African-American male or female

kosa afroameričkog muškarca ili žene

that was known as the most "telling feature" of Negro status,

bila poznata kao „karakteristika koja odaje“ status crnca,

more so than the color of the skin.

više nego boja kože.

And so before they were staples

I pre nego što su oni bili važan deo

of the multibillion-dollar hair-care industry,

multimilijarderske industrije za negu kose,

our dependency on tools and products,

naše oslanjanje na sredstva i proizvode

like the hair relaxer and the pressing comb,

kao što su kreme za ispravljanje kose ili prese

were more about our survival and advancement as a race

više je bilo vezano za naš opstanak i napredak kao rase

in postslavery America.

u postrobovlasničkoj Americi.

Over the years, we grew accustomed to this idea

Tokom godina, navikli smo se na ovu ideju

that straighter and longer hair meant better and more beautiful.

da ravnija i duža kosa znači i bolja i lepša.

We became culturally obsessed

Postali smo opsednuti kao kultura

with this idea of having what we like to call ...

ovom idejom da imamo ono što volimo da zovemo

"good hair."

„dobra kosa“.

This essentially means:

Ovo suštinski znači:

the looser the curl pattern, the better the hair.

što su opuštenije lokne, to je bolja kosa.

And we let these institutionalized ideas form a false sense of hierarchy

I dopustili smo da ove institucionalizovane ideje

formiraju lažan smisao za hijerarhiju

that would determine what was considered a good grade of hair

koji će odrediti šta će se smatrati dobrom vrstom kose,

and what was not.

a šta neće.

What's worse is that we let these false ideologies

Što je još gore, dopustili smo ovim lažnim ideologijama

invade our perception of ourselves,

da napadnu percepciju nas samih,

and they still continue to infect our cultural identity

a i dalje nastavljaju da inficiraju naš kulturni identitet

as African-American women today.

kao afroameričkih žena danas.

So what did we do?

I šta smo mi uradile?

We went to the hair salon every six to eight weeks,

Išle smo u frizerski salon na šest do osam nedelja,

without fail,

obavezno,

to subject our scalps to harsh straightening chemicals

da izložimo svoje lobanje teškim hemikalijama za ispravljanje

beginning at a very young age --

počevši vrlo rano -

sometimes eight, 10 --

ponekad osam, 10 -

that would result in hair loss,

što će dovesti do gubitka kose,

bald spots,

ćelavosti,

sometimes even burns on the scalp.

ponekad čak i opekotina na lobanji.

We fry our hair at temperatures of 450 degrees Fahrenheit or higher

Mi pržimo svoju kosu na temperaturama od 230 stepeni Celzijusovih ili više

almost daily,

gotovo svakodnevno,

to maintain the straight look.

kako bismo održali ravnu kosu.

Or we simply cover our hair up with wigs and weaves,

Ili jednostavno prekrivamo svoju kosu perikama ili umecima,

only to let our roots breathe in private

a korenu dopuštamo da diše jedino kada smo same,

where no one knows what's really going on under there.

kada niko ne zna šta se zapravo događa tamo ispod.

We adopted these practices in our own communities,

Usvojile smo ovu praksu u sopstvenim zajednicama,

and so it's no wonder why today the typical ideal vision

pa tako nije ni čudo zašto danas tipična idealna slika

of a professional black woman,

profesionalne crne žene,

especially in corporate America,

naročito u korporativnoj Americi,

tends to look like this,

često izgleda ovako,

rather than like this.

radije nego ovako.

And she certainly doesn't look like this.

A zasigurno ne izgleda ovako.

In September of this year,

U septembru ove godine,

a federal court ruled it lawful

federalni sud je doneo odluku da je u skladu sa zakonom

for a company to discriminate against hiring an employee

da kompanija diskriminiše zapošljavanje osobe

based on if she or he wears dreadlocks.

ukoliko on ili ona nosi dredove.

In the case,

U tom slučaju,

the hiring manager in Mobile, Alabama

menadžerka za zapošljavanje u Mobilu u Alabami

is on record as saying,

zvanično govori:

"I'm not saying yours are messy,

„Ne kažem da su tvoji neuredni,

but ...

ali...

you know what I'm talking about."

znaš na šta mislim.“

Well, what was she talking about?

Pa, o čemu je pričala?

Did she think that they were ugly?

Da li je mislila da su ružni?

Or maybe they were just a little too Afrocentric

Ili možda su samo previše afrocentrični

and pro-black-looking for her taste.

i crnački za njen ukus.

Or maybe it's not about Afrocentricity,

Ili možda nema veze sa afrocentričnošću

and it's more just about it being a little too "urban"

i više je samo u vezi sa tim što je previše „urbano“

for the professional setting.

za profesionalnu sredinu.

Perhaps she had a genuine concern in that they looked "scary"

Možda se iskreno brinula da izgledaju „strašno“

and that they would intimidate the clients and their customer base.

i da će zastrašiti klijente i njihovu bazu mušterija.

All of these words are ones that are too often associated

Sve ove reči su one koje se prečesto dovode u vezu

with the stigma attached to natural hairstyles.

sa stigmom koja se kači za prirodne frizure.

And this ...

I to...

this has got to change.

to mora da se promeni.

In 2013,

Godine 2013,

a white paper published by the Deloitte Leadership Center for Inclusion,

belačka studija koju je objavio Deloitov liderski centar za inkluziju,

studied 3,000 individuals in executive leadership roles

ispitala je 3 000 pojedinaca na izvršnim pozicijama

on the concept of covering in the workplace

u vezi sa prekrivanjem na radnom mestu

based on appearance, advocacy, affiliation and association.

u pogledu izgleda, stavova, pripadnosti i udruživanja.

When thinking about appearance-based covering,

Razmatrajući prekrivanje izgleda,

the study showed

studija je pokazala

that 67 percent of women of color cover in the workplace

da 67% obojenih žena prikriva na radnom mestu

based on their appearance.

svoj izgled.

Of the total respondents who admitted to appearance-based covering,

Od ukupnog broja ispitanih koji su priznali prikrivanje svog izgleda,

82 percent said that it was somewhat to extremely important

82% je reklo da je donekle do izuzetno važno

for them to do so for their professional advancement.

za njih da čine to kako bi profesionalno napredovali.

Now, this is Ursula Burns.

Ovo je Ursula Berns.

She is the first African-American female CEO of a Fortune 500 company --

Ona je prva afroamerička žena

koja je direktorka kompanije na listi Fortune 500 -

of Xerox.

kompanije Ziroks.

She's known by her signature look,

Poznata je po prepoznatljivom izgledu,

the one that you see here.

ovom koji vidite ovde.

A short, nicely trimmed, well-manicured Afro.

Kratka, lepo skraćena, dobro ošišana afrička frizura.

Ms. Burns is what we like to call a "natural girl."

Gospođa Berns je ono što volimo da zovemo „prirodna devojka“.

And she is paving the way and showing what's possible

Ona utabava put i pokazuje šta je moguće

for African-American women seeking to climb the corporate ladder,

za afroameričke žene koje se trude da se popnu na korporativnoj lestvici,

but still wishing to wear natural hairstyles.

ali i dalje žele da nose prirodne frizure.

But today the majority of African-American women

Ali danas većina afroameričkih žena

who we still look to as leaders, icons and role models,

koje mi i dalje posmatramo kao vođe, ikone i uzore,

still opt for a straight-hair look.

i dalje biraju ravnu kosu.

Now,

Možda je to zato što one tako žele -

maybe it's because they want to --

this is authentically how they feel best --

ovo je iskreno ono kako se one osećaju najbolje -

but maybe --

ali možda -

and I bet --

a mogla bih da se kladim -

a part of them felt like they had to

deo njih oseća kao da to moraju

in order to reach the level of success that they have attained today.

da bi dostigle nivo uspeha koji imaju danas.

There is a natural hair movement that is sweeping the country

Postoji pokret za prirodnu kosu koji se širi zemljom

and also in some places in Europe.

i takođe u nekim mestima u Evropi.

Millions of women are exploring what it means to transition to natural hair,

Milioni žena ispituju šta znači prelazak na prirodnu kosu

and they're cutting off years and years of dry, damaged ends

i skraćuju godine i godine suvih, oštećenih krajeva

in order to restore their natural curl pattern.

kako bi povratile svoje prirodne lokne.

I know because I have been an advocate and an ambassador for this movement

Znam to jer sam ja zagovarala i bila sam ambasador ovog pokreta

for roughly the last three years.

otprilike protekle tri godine.

After 27 years of excessive heat and harsh chemicals,

Nakon 27 godina preterane toplote i grubih hemikalija,

my hair was beginning to show extreme signs of wear and tear.

moja kosa je počela da pokazuje ekstremne znakove habanja i oštećenja.

It was breaking off,

Kidala se,

it was thinning,

tanjila se,

looking just extremely dry and brittle.

izgledala je prosto ekstremno suvo i lomljivo.

All those years of chasing that conventional image of beauty

Sve te godine jurnjave za konvencionalnom slikom lepote

that we saw earlier

koju smo videli ranije

was finally beginning to take its toll.

konačno su počele da uzimaju danak.

I wanted to do something about it,

Želela sam da učinim nešto po tom pitanju

and so I started what I called the "No Heat Challenge,"

i zbog toga sam započela ono što sam nazvala „izazov bez toplote“,

where I would refrain from using heat styling tools on my hair

gde bih se uzdržala od korišćenja toplote u stilizovanju svoje kose

for six months.

tokom šest meseci.

And like a good millennial,

I kao dobar milenijalac,

I documented it on social media.

dokumentovala sam to na društvenim mrežama.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

I documented as I reluctantly cut off

Dokumentovala sam dok sam nerado sekla

three to four inches of my beloved hair.

osam do 10 cm moje voljene kose.

I documented as I struggled to master these natural hairstyles,

Dokumentovala sam dok sam se borila da ovladam ovim prirodnim frizurama

and also as I struggled to embrace them

i takođe dok sam se borila da ih prihvatim

and think that they actually looked good.

i da mislim da zapravo izgledaju dobro.

And I documented as my hair texture slowly began to change.

I dokumentovala sam kako je tekstura moje kose polako počinjala da se menja.

By sharing this journey openly,

Deljenjem ovog putovanja otvoreno,

I learned that I was not the only woman going through this

naučila sam da nisam jedina žena koja prolazi kroz ovo

and that in fact there were thousands and thousands of other women

i da zapravo postoje hiljade i hiljade drugih žena

who were longing to do the same.

koje su dugo želele da učine isto.

So they would reach out to me and they would say,

One bi mi se obratile i rekle bi:

„Šajen, kako si napravila tu prirodnu frizuru

"Cheyenne, how did you do that natural hairstyle

that I saw you with the other day?

koju sam videla pre neki dan?

What new products have you started using

Koji novi proizvod si počela da koristiš

that might be a little better for my hair texture

koji je možda malo bolji za moju teksturu

as it begins to change?"

dok počinje da se menja?“

Or, "What are some of the natural hair routines

Ili: „Koje su neke od prirodnih rutina za kosu

that I should begin to adopt to slowly restore the health of my hair?"

koje bi trebalo da počnem da usvajam

da postepeno povratim zdravlje svoje kose?“

But I also found that there were a large number of women

Ali sam takođe shvatila da postoji veliki broj žena

who were extremely hesitant to take that first step

koje su veoma oklevale da naprave prvi korak

because they were paralyzed by fear.

jer ih je paralisao strah.

Fear of the unknown --

Strah od nepoznatog -

what would they now look like?

kako će one sada izgledati?

How would they feel about themselves with these natural hairstyles?

Kako će se osećati po pitanju sebe sa svojim prirodnim frizurama?

And most importantly to them,

I najvažnije od svega za njih,

how would others view them?

kako će ih drugi videti?

Over the last three years

Tokom poslednje tri godine

of having numerous conversations with friends of mine

brojnih razgovora sa svojim prijateljima

and also complete strangers from around the world,

i takođe sa potpunim strancima sa svih strana sveta,

I learned some really important things

naučila sam neke veoma važne stvari

about how African-American women identify with their hair.

o tome kako se afroameričke žene identifikuju sa svojom kosom.

And so when I think back

Kada se osvrnem unazad

to that hiring manager in Mobile, Alabama,

ka onoj menadžerki za zapošljavanje u Mobilu u Alabami,

I'd say, "Actually, no.

ja bih rekla: „Zapravo, ne.

We don't know what you're talking about."

Ne znamo o čemu govoriš.“

But here are some things that we do know.

Ali evo nekoliko stvari koje znamo.

We know that when black women embrace their love for their natural hair,

Mi znamo da kada crne žene prihvate ljubav prema svojoj prirodnoj kosi,

it helps to undo generations of teaching

to pomaže da se ukinu generacije učenja

that black in its natural state is not beautiful,

da crno u svom prirodnom stanju nije lepo,

or something to be hidden or covered up.

ili da je to nešto što treba da se sakrije ili prikrije.

We know that black women express their individuality

Mi znamo da crne žene izražavaju svoju individualnost

and experience feelings of empowerment

i osećaju se osnaženo

by experimenting with different hairstyles regularly.

redovnim eksperimentisanjem sa različitim frizurama.

And we also know

I takođe znamo da,

that when we're invited to wear our natural hair in the workplace,

kada smo pozvane da nosimo svoju prirodnu frizuru na radnom mestu,

it reinforces that we are uniquely valued

to ojačava osećanje da nas zasebno cene

and thus helps us to flourish and advance professionally.

i prema tome nam pomaže da se razvijamo i napredujemo profesionalno.

I leave you with this.

Ovim završavam.

In a time of racial and social tension,

U vreme rasne i društvene tenzije,

embracing this movement

prihvatanje ovog pokreta

and others like this

i drugih sličnim ovom

help us to rise above the confines of the status quo.

pomaže nam da se uzdignemo iznad granica statusa kvo.

So when you see a woman with braids or locks draping down her back,

Pa kada vidite ženu sa pletenicama ili loknama kako joj padaju niz leđa,

or you notice your colleague

ili primetite svoju koleginicu

who has stopped straightening her hair to work,

koja je prestala da ispravlja kosu za posao,

do not simply approach her and admire

nemojte prosto da joj priđete i divite se

and ask her if you can touch it --

i pitate je da li možete da je dodirnete -

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

Really appreciate her.

Zaista je cenite.

Applaud her.

Aplaudirajte joj.

Heck, even high-five her if that's what you feel so inclined to do.

Dođavola, čak joj bacite kosku ako osetite da to treba da uradite.

Because this --

Jer ovo -

this is more than about a hairstyle.

ovo je mnogo više od frizure.

It's about self-love and self-worth.

Ovo je o ljubavi prema sebi i sopstvenoj vrednosti.

It's about being brave enough

Ovo je o tome da se bude dovoljno hrabar

not to fold under the pressure of others' expectations.

da se ne poklekne pred pritiskom tuđih očekivanja.

And about knowing that making the decision to stray from the norm

I o tome da znate da donošenje odluke da se udaljite od norme

does not define who we are,

ne definiše ko smo,

but it simply reveals who we are.

već jednostavno otkriva ko smo.

And finally,

I najzad,

being brave is easier

biti hrabar je jednostavnije

when we can count on the compassion of others.

kada možemo da računamo na saosećanje drugih.

So after today,

Tako da se, nakon danas,

I certainly hope that we can count on you.

zasigurno nadam da možemo da računamo na vas.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)