Yes! Yes! Yes! This article is LONG overdue. As an African American women with a young daughter, I cringe every time I see Zahara's hair standing all over her head. I'm sorry for those of you who let your children go out without combing their hair, but children need to be taken care of and their hair is a part of that process. Zahara is a beautiful little girl, but I don't see Shiloh going out with her hair looking like it is not properly cared for. You can say what you want, but what do you think of when you walk down the street and you see a child with their hair standing on end - especially when the mom has her hair done? I know I think negative thoughts about the mother and her lack of care for her child's hair. When Zahara is old enough to take care of her own hair, then she should, but for now she
needs her mother.

Angelina... I love you girl, but please comb Zahara's hair and put it in a nice little bun - no relaxers needed! Just use a nice brush, some scalp conditioner and a nice little frilly ponytail thingy.

One more thing - how many doctors do you know with dreadlocks? Would you go to a doctor with dreads? How about an afro? How many lawyers do you know who have afros? I'm not saying that people can't dress or be the way they want to be, but there is a price. I wouldn't hire someone who didn't look professional and certain hairstyles just don't look professional. Period!

Wow, cause this is the problem in America, not poor education, not lack of health care, and especially not our 9400 nuclear warheads. Thank you Allison Samuels for letting silly little homemakers feel that their opinions matter in the real world.

debiro1, I am so sorry that you have no idea how to care for kinky curly textures. But just because you are ignorant it does not mean you have a right to judge the way others look. Zahara's hair IS combed. People here with similar textures or know of those with similar textures can plainly see it. You obviously have a problem with black females being natural and that's a damn shame. Who cares what dolls look like or that others will judge. If we continue to judge our own the way you and Ms Samuels are doing right now, we'll never be comfortable enough in our own skin to make others comfortable. I mean really, instead of having people adjust to us as we were born, you would rather conform? That would be hilarious if it weren't so sad and pathetic. Perhaps instead of you and the author focusing on the hair of a child, the two of you should seek therapy for the self esteem issues that you have. Oh, and in terms of the hair being messed in in 2 hours, you obviously don't know a damn thing about the many textures out there. I use to try to style my cousin's hair when she was a little girl and within 5 minutes it was a mess again. She did no hard playing, it was just that fine and it could not be contained in a ponytail, even with hair grease (because we were all ignorant back then and thought hair grease was good for our hair...hell, I bet you still think that). Really folks, I'll say it again, in 2009, there is no excuse for the ignorance. Google is your friend. Learn a thing or two and maybe you can actually help those little girls in your class. No, we don't need a bunch of braids and barrettes to look good.

No, pride is associated with stubbornness. Trust me, it's her pride, her ego. She is desperately holding on to it because it's all she has left. She doesn't realize that being open to knew knowledge would be freeing for her. But she can remain in the darkness and continue to have jacked up hair while Zahara walks around looking gorgeous.

It's common for ALL children to ask about dissimilarites in their immediate environment. To flip over the hair coin, her little sister might, in fact, one day ask why she doesn't have curly hair like Zahara's! To put Zahara's question in perspective, it's common for people of both genders and most ages, to obsess about this one natural adornment - hair. No one seems to be satisfied with his/her hair. Curly people want straight and brunettes want to be blondes. I doubt Zahara is dissatisfied with her hair, she's simply stating her awareness, perhaps a desire, to be like the her brothers and sister. It's not an ethnic thing, it's a human thing. Isn't it? For the record, I grew up a frizzy redhead in a family predominantly blond. And though my parents always told me my hair color was perfect, it didn't dissuade me from cutting, straightening, ironing and dying it. Learning how to embrace one's differences is the beginning of a very important life lesson: you don't need to be like everyone else, just be yourself. That said, it's inevitable that Zahara will experiment in the future.

Of all the stupid-ass questions. Why would anybody judge somebody's professional competence by the way they wear their hair? Yes, I know doctors and lawyers with afros and dreadlocks. You act like you're stuck in the 1950's when every black with kinky hair wore it fried, tied and laid to the side. You probably think a conk or a do-rag looks "professional".

You are not Zahara's mother and it is none of your business how Angelina styles her hair or doesn't style it. That child is only four years old. When she is older she will probably have all kinds of ideas of her own as to how she wants to wear it, and Angelina will spend a small fortune in Zahara's beauty parlor. For now, Angelina is smart enough to pick her battles and not make an issue out of Zahara's hair. Too bad you aren't.

Tell that to all the lawyers I know with afros. Tell that to all the lawyers I know with locs. All with lucrative jobs by the way. Certain people are living in a subset of society to think that neither of these professions have PLENTY of women AND men with afros and locs. Please save your ignorance. Move out of your little world for a bit and see more.

You judge a little girl by how she wears her hair? Do you judge her parents by how she wears her hair? Do you judge everyone you meet on how they wear their hair? Zahara has two parents and five siblings who love her very much. To suggest that she will grow up feeling unhappy or inferior because her mother has sense enough not to make an issue of her hair at the age of four, tells me that you are an incredibly shallow individual, not to mention stupid beyond belief.

Allison Samuels you are so full of your self it's unbelievable! You have no right to tell another parent how to parent their child. Zahara is not your business, and neither is her hair. Worry about your own hair and question why you have yet to embrace and love your own true texture!

I don't know what black communiity you live in, but it must be one that is stuck in a time warp and still has hang-ups about natural hair. Zahara is loved and cherished for who she is, not for what her hair looks like. She will grow up strong, proud and confident in her African roots. You act like you can't stand to look at a black chilld unless she has a load of goop on her head plastering her hair down flat. You probably grew up to be ashamed of your own natural hair. And God forbid your mother would let you out of the house with ashy legs in the winter time, right?

Forget that natural stuff on top of your head, chica -- you need to see a shrink about the mess inside your head.

I just want to know what Jolie said to Zahara when she asked her why her hair looked different from everyone else in her family. She is a cute girl, but it wouldn't kill them to pay SOMEONE to braid her hair up. Ponytail or something. Help a little sistah out!

I just want to know what the answer was that Jolie gave Zahara when she asked why her hair looks different from the others in her family. The little girl is a cutie don't get me wrong, but it wouldn't kill them to pay SOMEONE to braid her hair up..ponytail, whatever. Help a little sistah out!

After "reading" your post, I don't know which is scarier, the post or the fact that you are a teacher. You are TRYING to compare Zahara with children uncombed and unkempt hair. For the record, Zahara's hair IS COMBED. It may not be to your liking, but that's your problem. You are not her mother, so you are not responsible for her welfare. This child has practically travelled the world, and seen how others live, oftentimes not as fortunate as she, so I'm sure she will have a healthy perspective as she becomes older, and will not rush to judgement, say she saw some little girl sporting her natural hair.

Ms. Samuels,

You are unbelievable. You're not content with your first article about Zahara's hair that there's a need for you to write another one!!! Wasn't it enough for you???

It seems you're just being defensive because majority of the comments criticized your original article. This latest article is even worst than the first one.

You know what, I think you're doing this not really because you are "concerned" about Zahara's hair but you simply want to get hits. I don't even know why I still bother to post a comment about this.

Ok, here's my last post:

PLEASE STOP YOUR OBSESSION...... STOP WRITING ABOUT ZAHARA's hair because in the first place she's NOT your daughter. Mind you own business.

PLEASE STOP HATING YOURSELF & USING ZAHARA to release this pent up hatred of yours.

Learn to love yourself, Ms. Samuels by accepting who you really are & not living a life trying to please what people might say.

Just give it a rest, PLEASE!

You feel sorry for Zahara? I feel sorry for YOU. Zahara is growing up loved and cherished by her parents. They don't feel they have to "socialize" her into their multi-cultural family by frying her hair to death or making her look like them. You had to have your hair beaten into submission in order to feel socialized into your white neighborhood. Did you have your skin lightened as well? You know, to fit in better with the neighbors so you wouldn't look so "different"? Or have your nose shaved down to an acceptable size? Maybe get a lip job too?

If you want to see the end result of what self-hatred like yours and Allison Samuels' can lead to, all you have to do is take a look a Michael Jackson's overprocessed hair and mutilated face.. That should give you a clue.