Is It Really The Twists

I recently returned home from a month in East/Central Africa. I decided to give a new look a try since my Kenyan friends had been asking me to get braids. Not big on braids, I opted to go for the closest thing to them - Twist. I had seen my sister wear them and thought since the two of us look somewhat alike - according to people- they may just work on me. Boy, I never knew how right I was.

While I was having my hair done by one of the ladies from a church I visited outside of Nairobi, the pastor was telling me how he really was not into the braid thing, but preferred long hair. Ok, dude your Kenyan and you want the women to have hair like Americans? You may find that, but you will be looking very hard. Of course his fiancee is a very fare skinned African American who has chosen to do the Sister Locks thing. Sorry, your still out of luck friend. Anyways, when they finished my hair, him and another man kept telling me how good the braids looked on me, and how young I looked. "They take years off of you...you look like your 18 or 20!" You know I was all smiles.

That was just the beginning of what the new look would do for me. On my flight home men kept smiling ad looking at me. I took it that it was because they were being nice. But when I came home and was picking something at a convenience store a man told me he could not open the door to get his pop because he was to busy looking at me. WHAT! As I walked out of the store another man called to me. I know it's not the twist. Women get them all the time.

The next week I went to volunteer at a tennis tournament. Now, I love men - especially of the lighter shades, but I have never had several in one week walk up to me all smiles. I have volunteered at this tournament for years and have never had the response I had that week. I know brothers like the Stella got her groove back look, but someone forgot to tell me it turns the Euro American men on too. One after another kept telling me, "I love your hair." Please tell me this is not the first time you have seen a black woman wear twist. You people need to get out more. Who knew the white men in Houston are into black women with braids.

Well, I still have the twist. We will see how long this keeps up. Maybe I should fill out a few job applications while I have them. Think I'll get hired at a big oil firm?