Thursday 24 October 2013

Dearest Future Queen, You Are Enough! 'Crowning Glory' By Somalia Seaton


After a very eventful and long day at work the last thing I wanted to hear was that a friend would cancel our girly evening out to the theatre! Nevertheless the show would go on, and for once nothing was going to stop the introvert and 'not so social in public me' from seeing this undeniably amazing production.



Thought provoking, cheeky, bold and full of laughs were just a few of the very many words I could put together on my train journey home, as I thought about what a successful production it was. One that I would encourage you all to go and see before it ends on November 9th.


So what exactly is it about, what is Crowning Glory?

In my very own words, Crowning Glory is a play that challenges the very topic that seems to be at the forefront of many social discussions in the black haircare community at present. "Can you love the beauty of another race and still be proud of your own?" , where are all of the black hair products in national stores, how readily accepted is black hair in society and are we our own greatest enemies?

The play tells the story of seven women, as individuals but also as a collective. The struggle of a wife to gain the attention and appreciation of her husband after she takes a 'liberal' step and cuts off all of her hair

The story of the mixed race woman a.k.a 'halfbreed' who finds herself stuck in the race war 

The 'bounty', condemned by the black female society for 'acting white' yet those condemning her subconsciously alter themselves daily to appear more 'white'

and the story goes on!

This is just a snippet, I really don't want to ruin the storyline but if you're up for a great night out and a whole lot to talk about afterwards then all trains are headed to Stratford!


I had the pleasure of speaking to the lady behind this piece of art [Somalia Seaton], and asked her what she thinks about where young women in the UK stand with regards to their views on how hair defines beauty. Here is what she had to say:


That's an interesting question, I think it's an exciting time in the UK for young women and I've seen a large ripple effect mainly from the US which has caught the attention of women in the UK. Growing up as a teenager you would see some girls with braids and natural hair every now and again, but it was definitely the relaxed look with a finger wave at the side that was in! Now girls are more creative and fashionable with their hair and there definitely is a movement happening online with regards to embracing your own natural hair. Social media has lent itself to a whole generation of young women to redefine their hair, we are conditioned by what fashionable young females do and how they wear their hair. Bloggers enhance that and so do social outlets like Youtube. I remember when [actress] Viola Davis showed her natural hair, it really was a defining moment. The natural hair movement is an exciting one that can only get better but it's also very dark. There are a lot of females who still do not embrace the idea of natural hair but it's definitely something up and coming and it's getting better, it's exciting there is still a lot come!

In finishing I'll leave you with my favourite line from the play, I think it deserves a place in a frame on a wall in my house, I'll get back to you on that but here it goes anyway!

You will learn to know that the kink of your hair, tone of your skin, rise of your smile and strength of your build was not a coincidence. It is one of the most beautiful phenomenons of then all. You just got to be true to you... Dearest future queen you are enough!



*All quote credits from 'Crowning Glory' By Somalia Seaton and photo sources from Stratford East*

For tickets and information click HERE



Avec amour...
Fiona

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1 comment:

Hey lovelies!

Thank you for popping by & leaving a comment!

x Fi