Study Reveals Some Black Girls Exercise Less Due to Hair Concerns

Sometimes, skipping a day at the gym in favor of perfect “I woke up like this” hair is necessary. But Beyoncé herself knows that a great sweat sesh can’t be passed up.

A recent study found that some black teenagers avoid sweating and exercise because of the result it has on their straightened hair.

Most of the 36 girls surveyed opted for flat ironing, chemical straightening, hot pressing, extensions, or weaves over natural or braided hairstyles. “When selecting photographs of hairstyles they found most attractive, participants almost universally selected long hairstyles that required heat or chemical straightening,” the study revealed. “While there was an acknowledgement that some short or natural hairstyles could be nice, it was viewed that these were only attractive for certain people whereas longer, straighter styles were attractive for most types of faces and bodies.” Many thought that women with natural hairstyles looked like they didn’t care about their appearance or societal preferences.

Girls tended to view natural styles as more juvenile and straighter ones as more mature, and none said that they never straightened their hair. They felt that braids and natural hair were best for exercise, and those who exercised were concerned about their hair becoming “puffy” or “nappy,” with a tendency to “refrain from too much exertion in order to protect their hairstyle.” 1/3 of the girls surveyed were either overweight or obese, and chances are, if their hairstyle preferences were less impacted by our society’s narrow beauty standards, they would be more likely to exercise.