STERLING - COURT OF THE CRIMSON QUEEN

 "....I technically never straightened my own hair, or wanted to.  My mother belongs to an older generation that believes nappy hair is unkempt and ugly.  As such, my mother started straightening my hair when I was five. When I was a little older, I started getting braids braids - the first time I ever saw my natural hair was when I was taking the braiding hair out to get my hair washed. My hair looked beautiful to me - unique and pretty and it suited me well."

I said this to my mother, she forbade it, and kept straightening it until my last year of high school.  By then, a few black celebrities had gone natural and Good Hair had come out.  I pressured my mother into letting me wear my hair naturally, and she eventually gave in..."

---- Sterling

All images shot by Sterling