Motivation

Miss Kinky Hair 2010
Kroeshaar.com in collaboration with SME-OMROEP

Why this competition?
A disproportionately large percentage of Black women suffer from hair breakage and hair loss, yet out of shame, this issue is often not discussed, let alone addressed.

While the hair problems are a direct result of the use of chemicals to defrizz the hair, the deeper cause lies in an undeniable cultural and societal pressure that every Black woman will have to deal with sooner or later. How else am I supposed to wear my hair? Can I wear an afro, cornrows or dreadlocks? The limited options that we are familiar with are certainly not always accepted in the workplace.

The alternative of going natural also creates a deep heartbreaking battle in the subconscious of the Black woman in which frizzy hair is usually the loser. The fear of being laughed at or rejected for frizzy hair is so painfully deep and the idea is so painfully terrifying that many women prefer to choose bald spots and hair loss. A dilemma that dates back to the time of slavery and still divides the black community into good and bad hair today.

With this competition, kroeshaar.com not only aims to promote the natural beauty and versatility of kinky hair, the organization also wants to draw attention to the tolerated pressing problem and make it discussable from various angles in order to work on a solution.

Kroeshaar.com
Even before her successful debut with the very first Dutch book on kinky hair, Drs. Mireille Liong-A-Kong developed the website kroeshaar.com. She has since used her degree in Computer Science to develop the site into an impressive one-stop-shop that is leading in the field of kinky hair and completely up-to-date when it comes to new technology.

SME-TV
Franklin Esajas, co-founder and now director of SME-TV, has been making high-profile radio and television programs since 1998. He is best known for the program “Surinamers anders bekenen”. His goal is to secure a permanent place within the public broadcasting system with SME-TV.