Curly Hair
I have naturally curly hair.
I always have.
I was born this way.
I think my personality and temperament have been formed based on this fact.
How?
Well, from an early age I learned that I cannot control the universe as I cannot control my hair.
Unlike many of my curly haired counterparts, I like my curly hair. I look absolutely ridiculous with straight hair. I have a long face and a long nose. Straight hair seems to emphasize this. For those of you that remember the photo from my "makeover" for my 40th birthday- I looked like the daughter from "The Incredibles"- it's not a good look. My hair is coarse and heavy and when I straighten it, it doesn't move and doesn't look shiny.
During the monsoon season, as my friends fight their hair, I am happy. My hair springs into shape and looks just like it has every other day of my life.
Curly.
In fact, my only complaint about having curly hair is the unsolicited advice I get from people- friends and strangers- on what to do with it. Seriously. It's almost as bad as people touching my belly when I was pregnant.
I like my hair.
I like that it does whatever it wants, whenever it wants.
I like that I don't waste hours (and cumulatively days and months) on styling my hair.
I like that I have three hairstyles- up, down and short. It saves me time contemplating and more time to focus on more important things. Like which shade of lipstick to wear.
I like that when I get out of a pool, I look pretty much the same as when I went in.
I like it. Just like I like me.
I was a junior in high school when I completely gave up trying to fight my hair. Growing up in a fairly WASP-y area, there were only a handful of us that had curly hair in my graduating class. I definitely got teased about it- even had the nickname Pube for awhile in band (fortunately, I shot that one down pretty quickly with some smart ass comment)- but by the time I was 17 I figured, screw it.
This is also about the time that 2 things happened for curly haired women-
Hair mousse and Hope on "Days of Our Lives" with her curly, flowing hair.
Suddenly, I didn't look like a frizzy haired freak.
I will always remember my friend Steph's mom coming up to me after a band concert and giving me a big hug. She got a kick out of watching my bobbed, curly hair bounce up and down while I played my trombone (the rest of the girls in the band all had long, french braided hair and played nice woodwind instruments). She told me to never change. I haven't.
I let my hair grow long in college because I couldn't afford hair cuts and suddenly I became known for my gorgeous, long locks. I had some friends with similar hair (college was a bit more diverse than my high school!) and we would sit together and were known as The Wall of Hair. It was the first thing men noticed. It was a great accessory in my 20's. I didn't get any more Pube jokes, either. Oh, and Julia Roberts, Andi McDowell, Julia Louis-Dreyfus all helped with mainstreaming big, curly hair.
And now, as a mom, with a short cut, I just toss it a bit, and I'm good to go. I don't worry about windy days- it always looks the same. I don't worry about humid days- it doesn't matter. It's a curly mop atop my head.
I've learned a lot from my curly hair. I've learned patience. I've learned that it's always better to go with what's true to you and not what everyone else thinks. I've learned that it's more important to embrace what's good about yourself rather than focus on the bad. I've learned that it's best to be me.
So if you see me and have the urge to offer me advice on straightening my hair- don't. I like it just the way it is.
No, wait, I love it.
You can keep your irons, your chemicals, your glazes, your constant fear of the slightest bit of moisture.
As for me, I will keep my big, crazy, unmanageable, uncontrollable, unkempt curly locks.
Consider it my rebellion.
I always have.
I was born this way.
I think my personality and temperament have been formed based on this fact.
How?
Well, from an early age I learned that I cannot control the universe as I cannot control my hair.
Unlike many of my curly haired counterparts, I like my curly hair. I look absolutely ridiculous with straight hair. I have a long face and a long nose. Straight hair seems to emphasize this. For those of you that remember the photo from my "makeover" for my 40th birthday- I looked like the daughter from "The Incredibles"- it's not a good look. My hair is coarse and heavy and when I straighten it, it doesn't move and doesn't look shiny.
 |
| My hair would not move and I could not see out of my left eye. No joke. |
During the monsoon season, as my friends fight their hair, I am happy. My hair springs into shape and looks just like it has every other day of my life.
Curly.
In fact, my only complaint about having curly hair is the unsolicited advice I get from people- friends and strangers- on what to do with it. Seriously. It's almost as bad as people touching my belly when I was pregnant.
I like my hair.
I like that it does whatever it wants, whenever it wants.
I like that I don't waste hours (and cumulatively days and months) on styling my hair.
I like that I have three hairstyles- up, down and short. It saves me time contemplating and more time to focus on more important things. Like which shade of lipstick to wear.
I like that when I get out of a pool, I look pretty much the same as when I went in.
I like it. Just like I like me.
I was a junior in high school when I completely gave up trying to fight my hair. Growing up in a fairly WASP-y area, there were only a handful of us that had curly hair in my graduating class. I definitely got teased about it- even had the nickname Pube for awhile in band (fortunately, I shot that one down pretty quickly with some smart ass comment)- but by the time I was 17 I figured, screw it.
This is also about the time that 2 things happened for curly haired women-
 |
| Ain't no stopping me or my hair. |
Suddenly, I didn't look like a frizzy haired freak.
I will always remember my friend Steph's mom coming up to me after a band concert and giving me a big hug. She got a kick out of watching my bobbed, curly hair bounce up and down while I played my trombone (the rest of the girls in the band all had long, french braided hair and played nice woodwind instruments). She told me to never change. I haven't.
I let my hair grow long in college because I couldn't afford hair cuts and suddenly I became known for my gorgeous, long locks. I had some friends with similar hair (college was a bit more diverse than my high school!) and we would sit together and were known as The Wall of Hair. It was the first thing men noticed. It was a great accessory in my 20's. I didn't get any more Pube jokes, either. Oh, and Julia Roberts, Andi McDowell, Julia Louis-Dreyfus all helped with mainstreaming big, curly hair.
 | |
| It was a very humid day for the college senior pictures. |
And now, as a mom, with a short cut, I just toss it a bit, and I'm good to go. I don't worry about windy days- it always looks the same. I don't worry about humid days- it doesn't matter. It's a curly mop atop my head.
I've learned a lot from my curly hair. I've learned patience. I've learned that it's always better to go with what's true to you and not what everyone else thinks. I've learned that it's more important to embrace what's good about yourself rather than focus on the bad. I've learned that it's best to be me.
So if you see me and have the urge to offer me advice on straightening my hair- don't. I like it just the way it is.
No, wait, I love it.
You can keep your irons, your chemicals, your glazes, your constant fear of the slightest bit of moisture.
As for me, I will keep my big, crazy, unmanageable, uncontrollable, unkempt curly locks.
Consider it my rebellion.
Comments