Dear Curly Hair,
We’d like to take this moment to apologize. We know we haven’t always been the greatest of friends. You see, rather than accept you for who you are, we’ve attempted to change you over the years. We’ve made it our mission to tame your “bad-girl” image and “wild” mentality in order to blend in with the conventions of beauty standards seen on the pages of magazines. We’ve ironed you, watched your ends scream in pain, oiled you down flat as a pancake, and even used deep-conditioners and relaxers to try to “fix” your scraggly waves. But you’ve always been persistent, doing you no matter the weather – uncontrollably frizzy in heat and rain, and matted coarse and flat in the depths of winter. When we go to the beach, we can always rely on you to bring the sunshine and salty waves back with us – literally, as we find chunks of sand marooned at our roots weeks after the tan lines have faded. You are the relentless conqueror of our beings, Curly Hair. Though in the past we’ve abhorred your resistance, lamented to our families and friends how annoying you are for never submitting, we realize now how foolish we’ve been.
Those advertisements about straight, beautiful hair are cruel constructions, based more on imagination than true reality. As are the plethora of articles that point curly-haired gals in the direction of sleek, “sophisticated,” “sexy” locks. Who has the right to say that bed head isn’t the new bob? What makes straight hair any sexier than wavy, short, long, brunette, blonde, black, or curly hair? And why should we have to tame our manes when we can embrace them instead?
We shouldn’t make you something you’re not, Curly Hair, nor should we force ourselves to be people we’re not, in spite of you. As two 22-year-olds, we’ve learned the difficult, lifelong lesson to rock your locks and be proud of them.
We envy your unbridled tenacity, Curly Hair. You are steadfastly comfortable in your appearance, while we have struggled to accept ourselves. You bounce back no matter what we put you through, while we sometimes grapple with self-confidence. We have attempted to manipulate you and get you to adhere to our ever-changing ways – styled you straight, wrapped you around the top of our heads, and even masked you as we slept – but your will has always prevailed. And for this, we will always look up to you – literally. Thank you for those rare good hair days and frequent, well, curly hair days. With your persistent guidance throughout the years, we have learned not to compare one person’s standard of hair beauty to another. Instead, we must accept that straight, wavy, short, long, or curly hairstyles are all uniquely beautiful.
Stay classy, you curly mix!
xoxo,
Your Girls with Curls