Curly Hair

Yes! That is a picture of my hair! It's curly, it's messy, and it's mine. I was born with really curly hair. It runs in my family. It straightened out for a little while when I was around four or five, but otherwise, it's always been that way.

Your probably thinking "oh hey, that's cool", or maybe you just don't really care. I don't mind. But, believe it or not, I've received quite a lot of nasty offhand comments about my natural hair from as young as eight years old. Self-esteem is a fragile thing when you're young. All it takes is a few words to make you feel bad about something, and you don't yet know that it shouldn't matter. 

I started straightening my hair when I was thirteen. I'm now almost twenty, and I've only just stopped frying it every single time I wash it. Finally, after seven years, I realised that my curly hair is beautiful. After years of looking at advertisements and TV shows and glossy magazines filled with pretty girls with slick, straight strands, I was finally able to look in the mirror and think "hey, it doesn't matter if I don't look like that. I still look good."

I can't help but think of all the little girls (and boys, too!) out there with wonderful, curly hair that are wishing desperately for it to be straight, that get teased about it, that want to look like what society has deemed "beautiful". It makes me really sad. I know that in the grand scheme of things, being self-conscious about your hair is pretty low on the significance scale, but I want to one day live in a world where embracing and wearing your natural hair is accepted everywhere, for everyone. Imagine, if that can happen, what other amazing things we can move on to. 

If you have curly hair, try not to hate it. Take some time to look in the mirror and find a way to work it. If you still don't like it, then that's fine, too. It's your choice. I still like straightening my hair sometimes. I think it looks nice. But, just remember that no one else should have anything to do with it.

xx