Its funny how our perceptions of human behavior are often just that, our perceptions and perhaps not reality. Watching a video about people wanting to touch the hair of black women, reminded me of living in Portland, ME in the 1980s. I had a lot of very long, curly hair. I wore it in a half-back with fancy bow clip barrettes, some of which i created myself like mini works of art. People constantly asked if they could touch my hair. Of course they did and I got that. Im a tactile person...i understand things better when I touch them. I always want to touch your sweater or that interesting fabric or yes, even your hair. I delight in texture. I love to photograph texture. One of my favorite past times is to be in a towel store and feel all the plush towels; sometimes I even refold them while pretending to look at them. Follow me down an aisle in the fabric store and you will see that I touch almost every bolt of fabric. I have always done this. I remember a pink satin binding on a blanket I had as a child and a fluffy white stuffed kitten with blue glass eyes, two items that I would caress as I fell asleep at night. These things brought me comfort and delight. I loved to feel the tide bury my feet in the sand and trudge along the beaches, dragging my feet to make a sound like corduroy. Putting my lips on the soft forehead of my baby and still now touching my childrens faces. No, I dont think I would just randomly touch someones head without asking but would I ask? You bet! I dont think its always about objectifying someone or trying to make them feel different or wrong. Its just my way of experiencing the world, of connecting to life. I believe its just part of the human experience.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 11:51:13 +0000