Growing up, the feature people have always noticed me for has been my curly hair. It’s always a topic of conversation when people meet me, and I’ve been asked countless times, “Wow, is it naturally that curly?” Despite how often my hair was talked about and complemented, something always bothered me about it. It seems like pop culture has a big problem with portraying curly hair like it’s ugly.
The first place I noticed this problem was in makeover scenes from popular movies and TV shows. The ones where an unpopular, bullied girl turns into the prettiest girl in school, and it usually included straightening her curly hair. A perfect example of this is Princess Mia in The Princess Diaries. Now, I’m all for straightening your hair when you want to, but why does it automatically have to happen for someone to become attractive? What about someone’s natural hair makes them not seem put together?
Another issue I see is celebrities rarely letting their naturally curly hair loose. When you look at stars like Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande, you would never know that they don’t actually have straight hair. It seems like everywhere, from red carpets to concerts, is filled with just a few of the same hairstyles with no real variation.
While these may seem like minor issues, they only help to continue the stigma that surrounds curly hair. Also, by taking curly hair out of mainstream fashion and media, it is also taking role models away from young girls. When they look at popular celebrities, it’s almost impossible to find one with hair that resembles their own, which can cause them to feel self-conscious. It’s time that all hair types are accepted as beautiful so that everyone can feel represented.
Now, this isn’t meant to bash anyone who does like to alter their curly hair. Whatever works for you is great, whether that’s curly, straight or anything in between. No one type of hair is better than another.
Curly hair isn’t ugly or lazy, and anyone who has it should be able to rock it confidently without the fear that someone may see them as unattractive because of it. I’m proud of my curls, and I wouldn’t change them for the world.