Michelle Obama Helps Curly Girls Get Fit

Keri Hilson in her “Pretty Girls Sweat” t-shirt at the Educational Alliance’s Sirovich Senior Center in New York.

First, Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Initiative, a program launched in 2010 dedicated to changing the way a generation of children thinks about exercise and nutrition, gained media attention as Beyonce championed the campaign with her music video, “Move Your Body,” shown in schools across the country.

Now, the First Lady has reached out to Keri Hilson, the “Pretty Girl Rock” performer, who appeared at the Educational Alliance’s Sirovich Senior Center in New York this weekend to host a series of self esteem-building workshops called Project Butterfly. Hilson was sporting curly hair and a t-shirt that read “Pretty Girls Sweat!” Project Butterfly gave 100 girls the opportunity to speak with Hilson about the way women are portrayed in the media, as well as proper nutrition and exercise.

The t-shirt comes after a statement from the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Regina Benjamin, calling on black women to take care of their health over their hair. Her argument is that a large percentage of black women who chemically straighten their hair opt out of exercise under the pretense that the sweat will ruin the treatment.

The call to action, however, was not just for black women. “Too many women forgo exercise because they are worried it will ruin their hair,” said Dr. Benjamin. “We want to encourage people, and also give women the ability to look good and feel good and to be empowered about their own health.”

To this end, the First Lady and the Surgeon General agree. We have got to get people of all ages and races up off of their couches and staying active. Mrs. Obama’s pull on huge celebrities like Beyonce and Keri Hilson have resulted in hundreds of YouTube videos featuring young women and children dancing to the workout beats, many of them wearing their wavy, kinky or curly hair in its natural state.

Finally, women in charge have taken the first steps towards decreasing American obesity statistics for good by not only getting people active, but teaching everyone to change their opinions on proper nutrition and daily exercise. Curly hair plays a huge role in this process. As we all move away from non-natural and towards organic, a trend that seems to be here to stay, natural hair is at the forefront of the scene.

As far back as we can remember, naturally wavy, curly and kinky women have been making their own natural hair products. Today, larger brands are taking notice and creating their own organic brands – something unheard of even a couple of years ago.

Final Thoughts

So take you cue from the First Lady, the Surgeon General, Beyonce and Keri Hilson. Get up and moving, keep yourself and your hair healthy, and follow your natural passions to the end. After all, that’s what got these fabulous ladies where they are now.