Le coiffeur d’Oprah Winfrey fustigé par la communauté afro !

André Walker est un coiffeur afro-américain ayant reçu au cours de sa carrière 7 Emmy Awards pour la qualité de son travail et qui a notamment établi la typologie capillaire des cheveux frisés. Il est aussi connu pour s’être occupé des cheveux de la célébre présentatrice américaine Oprah Winfrey pendant près de 25 ans, ainsi que de la fameuse coupe courte et dégradée de l’actrice Halle Berry.

Le 27 juin 2011, le coiffeur a été épinglé par la communauté afro américaine suite à une interview donnée au magazine Elle US où il déclarait que pour les cheveux de type crépu, il valait mieux des traitements chimiques.
A la question de savoir comment prendre soin de ses cheveux naturels par climat chaud et humide, le coiffeur répond :
“I always recommend embracing your natural texture. Kinky hair can have limited styling options; that’s the only hair type that I suggest altering with professional relaxing.”
Et de rajouter que selon lui, les cheveux crépus ne peuvent être forts et sains.
Cette déclaration ayant provoqué une vive réaction sur le net, le coiffeur dont la devise est rappelons le  » Make peace with you hair « , s’est défendu de vouloir stigmatiser les cheveux crépus. Sur son site internet il publie une réponse:
« Let me first say that there is no such thing as “bad” hair, and I have long ago freed myself from being afraid to use the word “kinky” and also from being accused of not liking natural hair. We have become a multi-cultural society that embraces many different looks and styles when it comes to hair. It is my Mission to help you grow strong, healthy hair, and wear it in the style or styles that best suit your likes and particular hair type.
When it comes to curly and kinky hair (there is a difference), I leave the political correctness of “going straight” or staying natural to a woman’s personal preference. Once again, my advice is based on how to best achieve strong, healthy hair. So for those who would like to engage me in a debate about who has more racial pride and self esteem, based on hairstyle preference and use or non-use of chemical relaxers, know that I believe in personal freedom, and in the use of advanced technology when it yields positive results, which many of today’s (versus yesterday’s) chemical relaxers do deliver.
It is a fact that kinky hair (my Type 4 definition) is extremely fragile and breaks easily. Even when you are very careful, something as simple as combing can break this texture. It is very difficult to achieve a longer length when the hair breaks, even with simple combing. That being said, there is the style option of wearing braids, dreads, or twists, which allows the hair to grow longer because it is combed less often. Another style choice is to simply wear a shorter cut, which is very attractive on some women but just not right for others.
So when I say to embrace your natural texture, but consider relaxing kinky hair, am I contradicting myself ? I don’t think so! You see, even relaxed hair can still be worn naturally. If you want a natural look, but find that your kinky hair is difficult to manage, breaks too easily, lacks shine and luster, and limits your preferred styling options, I say feel free to consider a mild chemical relaxer, sometimes called a texturizer, that eases your hair to a more manageable texture and allows you to Make Peace With Your Hair« .

Bref, le coiffeur ne démord pas de sa vision, même si cela revient à condamner la possibilité de porter ses cheveux crépus, dans leur forme naturelle… Dur, dur de faire évoluer les mentalités même au XXIe siècle !