ÉRIKA GONÇALVES SAID: "I’m tired of hearing that I have cabelo duro. [Literally, hard, meaning frizzy, hair]".

It’s a term that’s present in the speech of many Brazilians when they we refer to our kinky hair. This phrase is so embedded in our “culture” that people don’t realize how prejudiced and racist it is to say this. How many times have I heard this phrase that to me resounds like an insult? How many young girls of African descent with kinky hair have heard this? And how does this affect their growth, auto-acceptance and self-esteem?