Oprah says she once considered chopping off her hair entirely, just to avoid the dilemma of whether to straighten it or not.

Facebook.com/O, The Oprah Magazine

he image: The September issue of O, The Oprah Magazine just hit stands, and the joyous cover model is, predictably enough, Oprah herself. One key difference: Oprah is wearing her hair naturally, with no blow drying, chemical treatments, or straightening. (See the image at right and below.) Oprah typically sports the au-naturel look on the weekends and on vacation, but never in public. Oprah notes that, like many black women, she's long had a complicated relationship with her hair, and at one point considered cutting it all off. "I wanted to wear it close-cropped, à la Camille Cosby, but her husband Bill convinced me otherwise. 'Don't do it,' he said," she recalls. "'You've got the wrong head shape and you'll disappoint yourself.' I took his advice."

The reaction: This is definitely a "notable occasion," says Dodai Stewart at Jezebel. From a young age, black women are socialized to believe that their hair is somehow bad or "uncivilized" — the preponderance of black women with straightened or chemically treated hair in ad campaigns seems to imply that the natural, kinky version is a no-no. So it's a "big deal" that Oprah is proudly sporting her "beautiful" natural look. Absolutely, says Hilary George-Parkin at Styleite. "This eye-catching magazine cover — starring a curly-tressed version of one of the country's most celebrated African-American women — is certainly a step in the right direction." Take a look: