Today, March 9, it is exactly 15 years ago that the book 'Kroeshaar, Wat je moet weten en meer' was presented in a packed Koningskerk in Amsterdam. Although the first edition was sold out within a month, even Uitgeverij Conserve could not have predicted what a revolution the very first book about Kroeshaar would cause.
Book sale and signing. Click for Photo Report
Internet Pioneer
The writer Drs. Mireille Liong, originally a computer scientist, developed the website Kroeshaar.com months before the day of publication. This made Liong not only the very first writer with her own website, kroeshaar.com also became the first website where you could pre-order a book.
Besides being the first hair care website, the site quickly developed into the very first e-commerce beauty shop in the Netherlands.
In 2003, the kroeshaar webshop was ahead of its time by offering beauty products from America. In an era in which payment systems such as PayPal and iDeal had not yet been developed in the Netherlands, kroeshaar.com was already processing international orders online.
This is what the very first Kroeshaar Webshop looked like.
Visible social changes
The social changes that the book 'Kroeshaar, wat je moet weten en meer' and the accompanying website initiated, are now clearly visible 15 years later. Where you used to hardly see Afros, curls and braids, these hairstyles can now be seen in all lengths, colours and scents in the street scene, especially in multicultural Netherlands.
Even the product range on the shelves for hair care has become more diverse. With her own brand Going-Natural , available in America, Dio Drogist Suriname and online, the author also contributes to the social changes that frizzy hair brings with it.
Curly hair still has a long way to go
Although developments are moving in the right direction, according to the author and Internet Entrepreneur, a lot still needs to be done.
When it comes to afro hair, even in this new millennium, the laws are based on stereotypes. The reality is that Dreadlocks are as extreme to straight hair as straight hair is to afro hair.
Dreadlocks are as extreme for straight hair as straight hair is extreme for frizzy hair.
A braid that naturally stays in place in frizzy hair will come loose in straight hair if it is not secured with an elastic band. This is simply because the hair types are so fundamentally different.
For that reason alone, the etiquette for straight hair can never be the same as that for frizzy hair. According to the author, it will take years before the penny really drops.
Until then, Black people remain the only race on this planet that does not have the fundamental human right to wear natural afro hair. In order to wear hair-appropriate hairstyles such as dreadlocks in a work environment, one often has to go to court first, with all the consequences that entails.
As many as 73% of Black women experience hair breakage and hair loss as a result of frizzing and weaving in an effort to conform to the prevailing European hair norm.
Anniversary promotion and celebration
With the ultimate goal of healthy hair for Black women worldwide, Liong continues to use innovative technological developments in her own way to continue raising awareness.
For the 15th anniversary, the Surinamese who has been living in America for years will be giving away free products from the recently developed international marketplace for curly and frizzy hair, WhatNaturalsLove.com , via Facebook live.
The 10th anniversary of America's Next Natural Model, the online pageant that Liong set up to promote the beauty of afro hair, is being celebrated with a real life trip to Suriname.
In addition to a photo shoot in the Feng Shui Garden in Suriname, the winner of America's Next Natural Model will show the country from her perspective through live reports, photo and video shoots, via social media.
Curly Hair, What You Need to Know and More is available in all well-stocked bookstores and via bol.com.
Watch images of the very first Sabi Wiri Dei and her show in Suriname