Cheyenne Cochrane: A celebration of natural hair
Cheyenne Cochrane: Un inno ai capelli naturali
Cheyenne Cochrane is an ambassador for the natural hair movement. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
I had a best friend named Jenny
un'amica del cuore, Jenny,
Side of Chicago.
di Chicago.
the segregated demographics of Chicago,
della segregazione razziale a Chicago,
not too many black people
molte persone di colore
after school and on the weekends.
dopo scuola e nei weekend.
hanging out in her living room,
nel suo soggiorno,
was in the room with us,
era nella stanza con noi
just kind of playing in my hair,
giocherellando con i miei capelli,
about what she was doing.
a quello che stava facendo.
was not too far away.
non era molto lontana.
and she overheard the conversation,
la conversazione,
ask people questions like that."
fare domande del genere."
and I know she was really embarrassed.
e so che era davvero imbarazzata.
but actually I was not offended.
ma non mi sentivo offesa.
that in her 10 short years on this earth,
se dopo solo 10 anni su questa terra,
what a black person looked like.
di come fosse una persona di colore.
with Jenny and Rosie's family --
con la famiglia di Jenny e Rosie --
con loro --
put her hands in my hair
mise le sue mani tra i miei capelli
played in confirming my ethnicity,
e quanto determinassero la mia etnia,
in how I'm viewed by others in society.
nel modo in cui la società mi guarda.
and Madame CJ Walker were pioneers
e Madame CJ Walker sono stati pionieri
industry in the early 1900s.
per capelli afro nel primo '900.
of chemically-based hair creams
creme chimiche per capelli
or semipermanently,
o semipermanente,
about the history of blacks in America,
degli Afroamericani,
che abbiamo sofferto
that we experienced as people of color
African-American male or female
di uomini e donne afroamericani
"telling feature" of Negro status,
dello status di Negro,
hair-care industry,
dei prodotti per capelli,
per strumenti e prodotti,
and the pressing comb,
e il pettine a vapore,
and advancement as a race
e progresso in quanto razza
we grew accustomed to this idea
ci siamo abituati all'equazione:
hair meant better and more beautiful.
uguale meglio e più bello.
what we like to call ...
quello che ci piace chiamare...
the better the hair.
migliori i capelli.
che queste idee istituzionalizzate
form a false sense of hierarchy
what was considered a good grade of hair
considerati bei capelli
we let these false ideologies
che queste false ideologie
di noi stessi,
to infect our cultural identity
la nostra identità culturale
every six to eight weeks,
ogni sei o otto settimane,
to harsh straightening chemicals
a liscianti chimici aggressivi
bruciature allo scalpo.
of 450 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
a 230°C o anche più,
with wigs and weaves,
con parrucche ed extension,
solo in privato
what's really going on under there.
quello che succede davvero lì sotto.
in our own communities,
nelle nostre stesse comunità,
why today the typical ideal vision
del perché la tipica immagine
against hiring an employee
di scegliere
oppure no, i dreadlock.
per Mobile, Alabama
just a little too Afrocentric
Afrocentrici
it being a little too "urban"
in that they looked "scary"
che facessero "paura"
the clients and their customer base.
that are too often associated
sono troppo spesso associate
attached to natural hairstyles.
alle acconciature naturali.
Leadership Center for Inclusion,
for Leadership and Inclusion,
in executive leadership roles
con ruoli di alto dirigente esecutivo
of covering in the workplace
advocacy, affiliation and association.
affiliazioni e interessi.
appearance-based covering,
basata sull'aspetto,
of color cover in the workplace
di colore è assunto
admitted to appearance-based covering,
ammesso di basarsi sull'aspetto
somewhat to extremely important
o molto importante
for their professional advancement.
per il loro avanzamento professionale.
female CEO of a Fortune 500 company --
di un'azienda nella Fortune 500 --
well-manicured Afro.
ben tagliati e ben curati.
we like to call a "natural girl."
che ci piace chiamare
and showing what's possible
e mostrando cosa possono fare
seeking to climb the corporate ladder,
che vogliono fare carriera
to wear natural hairstyles.
un'acconciatura naturale.
of African-American women
delle donne Afroamericane
icons and role models,
icone e modelli,
how they feel best --
che si sentono al meglio --
si è sentita obbligata a farlo
that they have attained today.
a cui sono arrivate.
that is sweeping the country
che sta dilagando qui
it means to transition to natural hair,
quello che significa
years and years of dry, damaged ends
di punte secche e rovinate
their natural curl pattern.
and an ambassador for this movement
e ambasciatrice di questo movimento
and harsh chemicals,
e sostanze chimiche aggressive,
extreme signs of wear and tear.
gravi segni di usura.
secchi e fragili.
quell'idea di bellezza convenzionale
that conventional image of beauty
the "No Heat Challenge,"
la "No Heat Challenge",
from using heat styling tools on my hair
la piastra sui capelli
a malincuore
to master these natural hairstyles,
queste acconciature naturali,
ad accettarle
slowly began to change.
dei miei capelli iniziasse a cambiare.
apertamente,
the only woman going through this
and thousands of other women
di altre donne
and they would say,
quell'acconciatura naturale
that natural hairstyle
for my hair texture
per i miei capelli
of the natural hair routines
delle abitudini
to slowly restore the health of my hair?"
per tornare ad avere dei capelli sani?"
a large number of women
che c'erano anche molte donne
to take that first step
with these natural hairstyles?
con queste acconciature naturali?
with friends of mine
from around the world,
da ogni parte del mondo,
molto importanti
identify with their hair.
si identifichino con i loro capelli.
di Mobile, Alabama,
embrace their love for their natural hair,
accettano e amano i loro capelli naturali,
anni di idee
is not beautiful,
non è bello,
express their individuality
esprimono la loro individualità
hairstyles regularly.
pettinatura.
to wear our natural hair in the workplace,
i nostri capelli naturali al lavoro,
and advance professionally.
in campo professionale.
razziale e sociale,
the confines of the status quo.
sopra i confini dello status quo.
or locks draping down her back,
con le trecce e i dred lungo la schiena,
straightening her hair to work,
per venire al lavoro,
ad ammirarla
if that's what you feel so inclined to do.
se è quello che vi sentite di fare.
of others' expectations.
nelle aspettative degli altri.
the decision to stray from the norm
di allontanarsi dalla norma
on the compassion of others.
sulla compassione del prossimo.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Cheyenne Cochrane - StorytellerCheyenne Cochrane is an ambassador for the natural hair movement.
Why you should listen
Cheyenne Cochrane is a storyteller who leverages digital and social media to share her ideas and experiences with her followers and subscribers, seasoned with a dash of humor. A Chicago native and Howard University Graduate, Cochrane lives to inspire, inform and connect with diverse audiences. She is currently the development manager for a national education non-profit. When she's not raising funds to support educational equity for underserved students around the country, she is the creator and visionary behind The Level Up blog, as well as her social media brand, @onmylevel_chey.
Cochrane began documenting her natural hair journey in 2014, while struggling to maintain the integrity of her hair after so many years of applying heat and harsh chemicals. She wanted to adopt a new routine, but like so many other women of color she'd been programmed to believe that straight, long hair was the most appealing, most professional and widely accepted look for a black woman. She knew that deciding to "go natural" would be a journey of self-exploration and would require her to let go of the conventional standards of beauty that she'd adhered to for so many years. What she did not know, however, was how many other women she'd inspire and empower along the way by sharing her journey.
Today, Cheyenne continues to share her natural hair story and lessons with women around the world via her social media platforms and YouTube channel. She also maintains a blog where she posts about all things natural hair and beauty, millennial culture and features young entrepreneurs of color.
Cheyenne Cochrane | Speaker | TED.com