You sit in the salon chair for 4 hours as the hairdresser washes, combs, and blows out our hair. Then it’s parted and braided in cornrows, tightly wrapping around in a crop circle around your head. Then, the sewing needle goes in and out through the braided hair and the long, beautiful, and expensive extensions are attached.
You can buy it in any length, color, texture, and even ethnicity. It ranges from 40 to 200 dollars and young girls of all races are lacing up and sewing in the hair of their dreams. Weave or extensions are being promoted everywhere, from social media to television, and has become a popular choice by the women on campus.
"I see more girls with weave than natural hair on campus," said Celesté McElveen, a senior at Saint Peter's University. "Girls of all races wear weave on campus."
According to Chris Rock's Documentary, Good Hair, the hair industry makes 9 billion dollars a year and 65% of hair care revenue comes from women buying weave or extensions.
"I think all females on campus care about their hair", said McElveen. "It’s a fight just to get to the mirror in the bathrooms. Everyone’s always checking themselves out."
A study was done by Dove in 2011, and found that only 7% of women in the United States love their real hair. A weave has become the remedy, making women feel better about themselves.
"When I was younger I thought long hair was a necessity to be considered beautiful", Celeste says. "Every model I saw on television had hair down their back and that’s what I wanted."
For Tashea Mccray, a sophomore at Saint Peter's University, hair is the most important accessory.
"If you're having a bad hair day, even if you look nice, you still don't look nice." She said seriously, rolling her eyes. "Your hair is the most important. Like if you look bad, but your hair is done, you feel better about yourself. It's just a thing."
A passage from Black Women and Identity: What's Hair Got to Do With It? said, for African Americans, hair can affect how they are treated, and in turn, how they feel about themselves.
According to author Nowlie Rooks, African Americans can be accepted or rejected from certain social classes, and can possibly open up career opportunities based on style.
Weave is the easiest way to insure that you and you're hair look perfect. Many young women are looking at celebrities' long locks and feeling they need to add some length to be accepted.
According to Chris Rock in an interview with CNN, Janet Jackson spends over $5,000 dollars on her hair before she goes to the Grammy's.
"Some women wear weave because most women in the entertainment industry sport weave. Young women have a desire to look like celebrities," said McElveen. "There are more women wearing weave in the industry than those sporting their natural hair."
Whether it's weave or natural, people are choosing the hairstyle they prefer fits them best.
"Some people think wearing weave is bad or wearing weave isn't embracing your real hair", Mccray says. "It's what you feel like what you look best in."
"It's what you feel makes you look good, and not about anything else."