Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Your hair is (probably) ugly

This is what my hair looks like naturally:
My hair is not silky. It is not smooth. It is not sleek. You cannot run your fingers through my hair without considerable effort. When I ride in a convertible with the top down, my hair hardly moves, if it moves at all. My hair lacks both luster and shine.

My hair grows wide before it grows long. On rainy days, I sport a halo of frizz. On sunny days, I also sport a halo of frizz. If I wear a hat, there is always the possibility that I will end up with some variation of a Hey Arnold hairdo. It is probable that my hair has more in common texture wise with a golden retriever's coat than it does with any model in a mainstream magazine.

I spent a lot of years struggling to learn to accept my hair. There were definitely days in elementary school when I would come home from school and cry about my hair. Its poofy. Its frizzy. It doesn't cascade or fall down my back and shoulders; it merely rests. When I was younger I went to a Jewish sleep-away camp. The girls in my cabin ritualized hairstyling. There I learned techniques on coaxing my "jew-fro" into a more secular style. When I was 13 I (embarrassingly) spent $700 to have my hair processed with a Japanese hair straightening technique. It didn't work. I still had unruly curly hair, now I just had $700 unruly curly hair.

Hair is something that societies in general ritualize, and not just the image-obsessed Western world. Some groups ritualize it formally, as with the Hindu ceremony of Chudakarana, and some less formally, exemplified by Black hair culture in the modern U.S. It is evident that, as humans, hair represents a lot more to us than just dead cells. Hair represents beauty. It represents power. Hair, or lack thereof, serves to make a statement on who we are, who we want to be, and how others to perceive us.

Whether or not this is fair doesn't necessarily matter. It is a fact with which we must contend to some degree. If we choose not to internalize the importance placed on hair, we must live knowing that others have, and it will affect how we are viewed in their eyes.

What makes this fact worse, at least for me personally, is that media has constructed a dichotomy in which one type of hair is marked as "good," and all other types are designated as lesser. Think about what you wish your hair looked like. Chances are, you probably thought of hair that is shiny, silky, and has a reasonable amount of body. The number of people I actually know with this hair texture I can count on two hands, yet this is the texture that our society has designated as the norm. This is the hair to have, and those of us who do not have this hair type are encouraged to make efforts to get as close as we can to this imaginary standard of average.

This article in Seventeen is a great example of this. The article is a special section for "Thick Waves, Frizzy Curles, or Poufy Hair." There are a lot of things in it that designate this texture of hair as wrong and "the other."

A) Implicit in the title of the article is a belief that thicker hair textures are "misbehaved."

B) Designating this article as "a special section" makes it clear that people with coarser hair are an inferior group. The rest of the magazine addresses normal hair, but frizzy hair girls are relegated to this separate section.

C) The phrase "fall in love with your texture again" implies that there was ever reason to fall out of love with thick hair. It also assumes that most readers have fallen out of love with it.

D) Must-have products include products that give hair smoothness and shine. These are not properties inherent to curly hair. These products are intended to move curly haired girls closer to "average" hair texture, and away from naturally curly styles.

E) Not a single style on this page embraces the natural hair texture of any of these people. All of these styles require blow drying/curling iron/flat iron (except maybe the braid). The bottom of the page is a literal manual on how to make your hair NOT look like its curly. AND every single person on this page is White, thus completely ignoring the fact that non-White readers exist/have hair concerns they may want addressed.

As an experiment I wanted to see what would happen if I tried to do a hairstyle from the normal non-"horrible-and-frizzy-and-totally-unsexy" section. This took me about two hours.



Frankly, I think this hairstyle looks like a community theater left the stage door open and the understudy from Annie escaped. I'm going to sleep on it. I will see how it fares tomorrow.

For some good examples of the "normal" phenomenon in beauty, check out this post on Sociological Images.

70 comments:

  1. I like your natural hair.

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  2. You are amazing and I really respect what you are doing. However, your blog posts run a little long. Tighten them up to keep readers totally engaged. You write very well, just edit it down. I will be back to see how your journey goes! Thank you.(Jessica, 29 from Seattle)

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  3. I have very thick, textured frizzy hair. It isn't exactly curly, it is wavy most of the time but only in certain places. The thing that I find so funny about them making this kind of hair the 'other,' is the rest of the time they are trying to get thin haired girls to buy/learn how to make their hair look thicker or bigger, and how to put their hair in big updos which are a lot easier to do if you have thick or textured hair.

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  4. I, also, like your natural hair, and this project. Keep it up.

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  5. Hi Jamie,
    Bravo! In my own experiences growing up around ceramic flat irons and Japanese hair-straightening techniques, I came to realize that, even within my insular Jewish community, social success seemed contingent on hair management. I'm looking forward to following your blog and hope to see more posts about hair- how much time is wasted "managing" it by Seventeen's suggestions, how much it is damaged by subscribing to these prescriptive beauty standards, how much money is spent on the products, if people actually end up treating you differently, if you end treating you differently, if your standard of beauty changes, if following the Ultimate Teenage Handbook assists in stronger feelings of security or insecurity, etc.
    Mazel Tov on your righteous blog!
    Jacky

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  6. I love the instructions they have on supporting curly hair.

    "Flat-iron your hair, then go over it with a curler!"

    It's obvious that they get a single person to write these, a person who has no experience with curly hair whatsoever.

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  7. I normally enjoy what you have to say, but I take issue with your objection to the race of everyone on the page. First of all, I'm guessing you're including Hispanic in "white?" Secondly, African American hair behaves differently than Caucasian hair, so the same advice wouldn't apply. But, if there were to be a "special section" giving advice on African American hair, it seems you would take issue with that, as well.

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  8. I included Hispanic in white. Hispanic is an ethnicity, not a race.

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  9. Here's the totally ridiculous thing - post college, when you hit the workplace, I guarantee that you'll be told that curly hair is "unprofessional."
    ...right.
    I know it's currently part of your blogject, but in case you don't know yet: give up on ever being able to get ACTUAL curly hair tips from mass marketing. You must blaze your own trail in hair care. This is me and my hair, btw: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm4065695232/nm2283838

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  10. wow lacy you have great hair! mind sharing any tips on your technique/routine with me?

    and yeah, i already have got feedback like, "your hair is too messy" when i wear it curly.

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  11. this looks like such an interesting project - I'll definitely be following you this month. And I completely empathize about hair; it's so frustrating that all the "nice" styles involve so much work. It takes me an hour and a half to straighten my hair, which I don't have the time or patience to do every day. It took a few years of tweaking my formula, but now I have gorgeous hair almost every day and require less than two minutes to achieve it.

    - Alexandra, 18

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  12. You're right--none of the advice on that page tells you how to *actually* love the hair you have. It tells you how to make the hair you have look like someone else's hair--and it doesn't even do a good job of that!

    I imagine you're going to run into this sort of thing a lot if you plan on following this magazine for an entire year. It would appear that magazines like Seventeen are less interested in celebrating uniqueness and diversity than they are in encouraging young women to try and fit into a mold which they, along with the rest of the media, have created.

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  13. Jamie: check out www.naturallycurly.com. the site is about 30% silly, 30% please get over your hair, and 40% helpful advice for all kinds of curls - from wavy to tight corkscrews.
    you can look up tips more specific to your hair type there, but in general things started looking up for me when I learned to only wash my hair 2 - 3 times a week, never use shampoo (only conditioner), and to find a mixture of 2 or 3 products to put in my hair - for me it's a mixture of anti-frizz, spiking glue, and leave-in conditioner. good luck!
    ...who knows, this project might end with you making an actually USEFUL version of Seventeen!

    (another frequent magazine-photo offender: how movie stars look fatter with curly hair, thinner with sleek straight hair.)

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  14. I like your natural hair, too. And if frizz bothers you...a few drops of emu or baby oil rubbed in your hands and then put through your hair work amazingly well. I'm 53 and have done this for years.

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  15. I just posted your blog on my facebook. I'm a graduate of the University of Michigan Masters Program in Japanese Studies, where I focused on gender in the last 20 years. (My undergrad was at Denver in cultural studies, where I focused on gender and film.)

    I used to love Seventeen when I was in jhs and hs, but if I cut my (fine, limp) locks short, long, wavy hair was in, and so on. Even though I'm of Western European descent, my hair was a problem--TOO tame!

    I found your blog from Jezebel and I can't wait to see what happens this summer. You have a great start on your career in gender studies (and econ.). I wish blogging had be a thing when I graduated hs in 2003.

    I write about gender in Japanese media sometimes in my blog, so if you have a spare moment, you might fine some of it interesting.

    PS I think you are super cool and I love your natural hair.

    -L

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  16. go you, jamie. this is slammin. also, the root (HA!) of all this follico-normative media is the same enclave from which slavery, american exceptionalism, and eugenics stem: it's the white man. good hair=the white, anglo-saxon phenotype.

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  17. um all of the girls on that page are hispanic. hispanic doesn't necessarily mean white.

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  18. YOU ALL ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT HAIR WITH TOO MUCH BODY AND THICKNESS!? Try having fine, thin hair that will not really cover your head, no matter how much you try. You'll be thanking God for all that hair.

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  19. hey jamie, this is a really cool blog. i just wanted to comment on this post because i struggled with my curly, frizzy, unruly hair for a long time—i tried styles like this and they NEVER worked on me. i'm not sure if you've ever heard of the curly girl method. it's basically no shampoo and no hair products with silicones. giving up shampoo really made my hair more healthy and manageable. you can read all about it here: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/all-about-the-no-poo-routine-2

    keep up the awesome work!

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  20. I think you are over analyzing these articles. I have insanely thick frizzy hair as well, and I didn't read it that thick hair is the "wrong" hair or that my hair is inferior. It is addressing the frizzy, poufy part of thick hair, which I think most people would try to contain. It is simply something that people with thinner hair do not have to deal with in the same way, thus it is talked about away from the other hair styles.

    I don't mean to disrespect you and I hope it doesn't come across that way, but it seems extreme to feel that a magazine is saying you are inferior because they have it's own section for a specific type of hair. I have products for smoothness, and it doesn't make my hair straight... it just keeps some of it from flying off my head on humid days.

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  21. I LOVE the last photo it made me spit tea all over my monitor.

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  22. Don't let the "you're taking this too serious, shut up" people get you down! Pshaw, you are doing this project to ANALYZE the MAGAZINE. There is no such fuggin' thing as OVER-ANALYSIS when you are doing a BLOG ABOUT ANALYSIS. What the hay, you people. Seriously.

    I spent my teenage years flipping bleakly through Seventeen (and its ilk) wishing that I could have straight, glossy hair. My curls were ugly! Ugly! I was deviant and unacceptable! I had to step back and learn to actually love and appreciate my hair for what it is. And work hard to figure out WTF to DO with it, seeing as magazines were as useless as you've pointed out. Our hair makes us unique and wonderful. Do we REALLY want to conform, and look like we "should"?

    I had an amusing/awful experience recently. I used a very nice quality wig for a costume, one with straight strawberry blonde hair. I showed up to the event, ducked into the bathroom to change, stepped out, and everyone FLIPPED. Lampdevil, you look fantastic! Wow! So different! Awesome! OMG, let us straighten your REAL HAIR, now, and see what you look like! My immediate reaction was defensive and wounded. It was like... actual proof that my natural curls were inferior, and a FUGGIN' WIG would be an improvement. I've had to spend the last few days talking myself back down from it. You are so, so right, in that hair is so, so important and culturally relevant.

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  23. This project is awesome! I'm 19 and have been reading Seventeen for several years. Having curly hair, the hair articles in this magazine (and most other magazines) always bother me. I don't have several hours to blow dry my hair into a mass of frizz, straighten it, and THEN curl it. And, honestly, why should I? I like my hair, and the people in my life whom I most respect like it too.

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  24. Omg, you have amazing natural hair, don't ever go crazy pants on it.

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  25. Hey, I'll agree with everyone that your hair is awesome and such but since I have hair similar to yours (gigantic and curly and thick and basically bananas) so I thought I might be able to help a little bit.

    Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Mousse (I think that's what it's called. It comes in a purple bottle.) does wonderful things. You're still embracing your curls and thickness, it just helps a lot to keep the frizz in check. I live in Atlanta and the humidity here usually makes my hair explode, so I thought this might help out since it is a product, yeah, but it takes all of three seconds to put in your hair and it also doesn't fight your hair type.

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  26. Wow, you just vocalized so many concepts I've had inside my head for years. This post isn't actually about hair. It's about the idea that American culture picks seemingly random physical traits and designates them, for no apparent reason, as "good" while all others are "bad". That's always been so weird to me.

    Large breasts.
    Long legs.
    Tan complexions.
    Straight hair.
    Straight noses.
    Long eyelashes.
    Thin everything.

    Why are these traits better? They aren't necessarily healthier or more useful. Why do human minds in mass quantities create these illogical standards of beauty? If you have any suggestions for books or Internet resources on the matter, I would love to hear them.

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  27. Your hair COLOR is so beautiful!
    I love your blog; you are an intelligent and witty character.

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  28. I had a PoliSci professor in college who shared with us what the "political image consultants" who visited _her_ class during her studies told her. For her male classmates, their critique was focused on demeanor, style of speech, etc, while for the female students, it was almost purely physical. Their analysis of her? Too tall, and curly hair a no-go (it looks too "dis-organized" and "crazy.") So basically, she was told she couldn't go into politics because of her curly hair.

    Rock on to you and your blog - I'd certainly vote for you!

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  29. I LOVE your hair! in college, i spent hours getting my hair to look like yours :) i also love this project and your writing is fantastic.

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  30. AMEN SISTER!!! I have really short hair and I hate flipping through magazines and only see girls with long flowing locks. HELLO!! there are ladies who don't have hair down to their butts and would like some new ideas to play with to change up their style once in awhile. your blog is fantastic and hope that more girls see the trickery that these magazines publish

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  31. I stopped reading seventeen this year because out of all of my issues from fall 2005 up to January 2010 I remember only ONE article about black hair care and it was only 1 page. I have a feeling that no "teen" magazine will ever delve into the dilemmas with black hair care in a mainly white society. The least Seventeen could do is put a black hair care section in every hair article; instead of looping other black females into thinking that just because there is a black girl in the photo next to the style that it is meant for them, (yes, I fell for this many times!)

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  32. I have naturally very tight curls (although my hair is thin) and I've never been told it looks messy or unprofessional. Weird how we're all told different things.

    Jamie, I know you say that shiny, smooth hair is more desirable to society. I would like to offer the position that this could be because of evolutionary preferences, not necessarily culture. Smooth, shiny hair usually (not always) denotes better nutrition and care, something that a mate would fine desirable. Think birds and their often bright and beautiful plumage (and, while we hate it, one could also argue that society's need to be beautiful and a certain way has an evolutionary basis too). Also, curly hair CAN be shiny and smooth, so to want shiny/smooth hair is not necessarily a statement against curly hair.

    All that being said, ever notice that in movies when an 'ugly' girl gets a make over and becomes beautiful that usually means her curly hair is straightened?

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  33. I find it interesting how you ignore "1" in section D: define your curls. And you said the products were supposed to get girls AWAY from curly hair?

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  34. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  35. @Eli Browning: I am having a simultaneous memory, library, and google failure since I read something related somewhere but I cannot remember an exact reference, my books are far away, and I cannot find the passage on the internet. The passage is a construction of hierarchy along the lines of first differences, then comparisons, and assigning values. I believe it was a paper by Karen J Warren if you are motivated to find it. I suggest looking for material related to the, "logic of domination."

    On a less serious note, I too envy people with hair down to their bum, but springy hair is more fun to play with I'll bet.

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  36. Hey I'm loving this blog! And your natural hair is AWESOME, in my own personal opinion. I read an article about you someplace else that says you just finished high school (congrats)so you probably already know where you're doing post-grad but just FYI, you would fit right in at Smith College.

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  37. This is possibly the cleverest idea ever. I've looked through fashion magazines to see what ridiculous advice they've given since I was a wee maiden, but I was never masochistic enough to attempt to seriously follow any of it. Reading it was bad enough. Good lord, woman!

    I wanted to comment on this post because your hair reminds me of Shaun White's [the Olympic snowboarder dude]. I have thick wavy hair myself [though not quite like yours], and I have finally learned to love it by not washing it all the damn time and shagging it out in a 70s-esque layered do and letting it do its own thang.

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  38. I see it's already been mentioned, but I'd like to give another recommendation to naturallycurly.com. A few years ago, I straightened my hair every day. After being linked to that website by a friend, I learned to love my natural hair. It's completely silly how the implicit message in those magazines is straight hair = good; all other types of hair = bad. Curly hair is just as beautiful as any other type of hair.

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  39. Jamie, your hair is great, don't ever doubt that! I was in my early 30s before I learned how to love my hair in its natural state, so you're ahead of the game. Someone upthread mentioned naturallycurly.com, and I second that; it's a great site. The best advice I have gleaned from the site was to go silicone-free and sulphate-free. It takes a little while to get used to sulphate- and silicone-free products, but once you do, it completely changes the nature of your hair, and the curls become an asset instead of a liability. My life-saving products are DevaCurl Low Poo shampoo and OneCondition, Curl Solutions Curl Keeper, AG re:coil, and Deva's Set It Free. I get so many compliments on my curly hair now.

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  40. I just read the article and in case there are still doubts about it: Your hair is great. I immediately fell in love with how you look in the 'natural' picture ;)

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  41. Magazine advices on hair care and styling are completely disposable. They are just selling products, you know.

    The 'problem' (it's not much of a problem, much more a characteristic) of your hair, as you described, it's high porosity, and it is not inherent to thick hair. Hair of all kinds, thicknesses and textures might present high porosity.

    For the people who enjoy hair care and stuff - as myself - the best hair care and tratment to porosity is as cheap and simple as olive oil and some herbs...
    But again, this is only for the ones who enjoy it, as I do, and like to spend free at-home time pulling out at-home ointments and treatments.

    My hair is extremely fine and straight, and I have tried way too much to pull off the look you're sporting on the first pic. kind of curly/wavy - and there is no heat styling tool or expensive product on the world that will make my hair look like yours for more than 5 minutes.

    Your hair is beautiful in form, shape and color.
    YOU SHOUL NOT TRY TO CHANGE IT/TAME IT/DISGUISE IT AT ALL.


    If you feel really really really much like doing something to it, the most you should let yourself do is hidrate, and there are plenty of interesting recipes and afordable product indication on the web

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  42. "I included Hispanic in white. Hispanic is an ethnicity, not a race. "

    Race & ethnicity are not mutually exclusive terms by any means, and Hispanic is a term that encompasses both race & ethnicity. I really don't think a Hispanic person would identify themselves as white (no matter how limited choices the US census gives) and vice versa.

    Your original commenter was right in pointing out that it was indeed not all white people in that picture. It is okay to say mea culpa sometimes.

    I find this blog very interesting, in spite of or maybe because of its overly navel-gazing nature. I'm just advising you to use your intelligence & not play so much to the peanut gallery (I mean did it really take you 2 hours to do your hair? I'm incredulous.)

    You can tell me to go to hell, but like I said, I think you're too smart for that.

    --EJ

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  43. Just have to say it: Your hair is my dream hair! I'd kill for a frizzy and poofy hair like yours. Seriously. :)

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  44. Good for you seeing through the hair prejudice of the mass media! Love your hair the way it is. When I was your age (I'm 25) I HATED my curls. It wasn't until college that I realized there were lots of other girls who looked like me. I'm lucky to have a wonderful BF who loves my hair and wouldn't like if I flatironed it into submission.

    Also, ditching sulfates and silicones in hair products did wonders for me. Find a Deva certified salon in your area and you'll get the best haircut of your life.

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  45. My natural texture, from what I can tell, is identical to yours. Only in the past year or so have I come to really think it's lovely.

    I also remember being pissed off about the "special sections" for curly hair in Seventeen as though having frizz and curls were a problem akin to color blindness or enjoying either National Treasure movie.

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  46. hilarious... again.

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  47. I recommend Joico Moisture recovery. It's amazing for thick, curly, dry, frizzy hair (yup I got it too). I use the shampoo and the moisture recovery treatment balm instead of the conditioner.

    http://www.joico.com/products/haircare/moisture-recovery

    It's funny how much crap I got for my crazy hair when I was in high school and how many compliments I get now. I attribute that to the fact I now accept and love my hair for what it is, and have stopped trying to tame it. It is what it is and I'm never going to have the hair fashion magazines tell you you should want.

    My hairdresser told me a few months ago he thought curly hair was 'coming back', but the irony of this is apparently now hairdressers are taught to cut hair only when it is straightened. This is a bizarre trend, especially as that's exactly how many hairdressers cut curly hair - which just doesn't work.

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  48. So, I know I am behind the times on finding this, but I think it's awesome! I just wanted to point out an interesting (and little known) tidbit: the Japanese hair straightening thing you had done? Most people assume that it's Japanese because the Japanese are at the forefront of technology, but really it's because a majority of Japanese women (and, I think, Asian women in general, from what I've heard) have bushy, thick, poufy hair. They simply use straighteners and whitening creams and other products to look "White" or Caucasian or whatever. I just thought you might like to know that. ^.^

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  49. you are very inspirational. I have curly hair and for my entire life others with soft straight hair have deemed my hair as "inferior" and "unattractive" and have just looked at me in disgust even though I manage the frizz and keep it healthy looking in general. I am northern and western European, mostly nordic and french. with blue eyes and curly dark blonde/light brown hair, I stand out. I used to take it really personal whenever someone would ask me what was wrong with me, but I always think that curly hair (including yours) is a beautiful variation.

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  50. I accidentally stumbled upon this. I also have hair that is naturally frizzy/curly. I especially loved the photos of your curler experiment. I think the expression on your face pretty much matches mine every day I look at my hair and try to do something to it. I still want average hair, but its nice to know that others have experienced the same difficulties obtaining it and gotten over it.

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  51. Great article! I'm one of those "lucky" people who have straight hair, but I hate it. It's literally so straight, when I put it in braids and my hair was still wet (a technique for making straight hair wavy), it was STILL FLAT! *ugh*. Rant aside, just wanted to let you know that I envy your curly hair, so I guess the whole want what you don't have situation applies here. I don't really read magazines, so I was surprised to see that sleek, silky, straight hair is in. I thought loose ringlets were in......oh well.

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  52. i think you real hair is just fine!!
    i would kill for that bounce!

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  53. I'd kill for your hair.

    Mine's a long, super-straight dark blonde. It's so soft nothing will hold, no curls or hairspray or anything that boosts volume. I'm jealous of you ;_;

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  54. This is a really good point. I have "suffered" with having curly hair my whole life. Magazines like 17 teach insecure girls that there is something wrong with them. Though you can manipulate your hair to look mildly similar to these photos, it is always a Cinderella story when, at the end of the night your curly hair comes back. I have cried over my curly hair and felt like a freak now, I kind of understand why. Just this year I have given up on the hour and a half process I went through and have started leaving it natural (my hair naturally looks identical to yours). I have seen a drastic improvement in the condition of it and have definitely met more men because of it. I get WAAAAAAAYYYYYY more attention with Botticelli-esque curls. So, those bitches at 17 who made me grow up hating a part of myself really don't know what men want. I think Shakira looks way hotter than Selena Gomez or whoever supposedly has that hair. On a last note, it's a matter of feminism additionally, why should I spend a million years getting ready and a man just takes a shower?

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  55. I like your natural hair. It actually looks so soft. And you're so lucky to have that haircolor. :) I have a thick, black,curly and frizzy hair and i give it a rebonding treatment annually which lasts for only 6 months. So i always end up with a half-kinky and half-rebonded hair. You can't cut it cause It'll surely end up puffing out without any help of static electricity. ugh. Im crying now -_-.

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  56. I like your natural hair. It actually looks so soft. And you're so lucky to have that haircolor. :) I have a thick, black,curly and frizzy hair and i give it a rebonding treatment annually which lasts for only 6 months. So i always end up with a half-kinky and half-rebonded hair. You can't cut it cause It'll surely end up puffing out without any help of static electricity. ugh. Im crying now -_-.

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  57. Ha! I remember, in the 1980's, damn near everybody got perms because they would've killed for hair like yours. It really is fantastic.

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  58. I love this. I for one do not have any of these issues at all, because I'm white with blonde hair but I would LOVE to have big textured hair...I think it's amazingly pretty.
    I also agree with the whole seventeen magazine thing, they definitely do that... Just a way to market those products.
    It's all about money.

    My advice to you though is when you get out of the shower, wait until damp and put some leave in conditioner. Garnier fructise has a good one.
    It well keep your hair natural but just eliminate the frizz. Good luck to you and your beautiful hair, rock what God gave you and never straighten it !

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  59. You have lovely hair. It is so nice and thick!

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  60. I love blog and your hair! It's great!! You've got awesome volume! Have you ever heard of the Curly Girl Method?
    After hating my own curls (and maybe everyone else's) for the first sixteen years of my life, I finally discovered the Curly Girl Method and now, I'll never go back to straightening my hair. Okay, at first, I was horrified. I mean, people LIKED or even LOVED their curly hair?! I thought they were nuts.
    But I still tried the tips. Actually, I became obsessed with them! I started following the entire routine religiously, but I still hated my hair! It was too big. And too thick. And too rough. And too, well, curly! I wanted hair that would swing and blow in the wind--not pouf and spring while I was walking! Yet, I continued the method. I couldn't help but hope that sometime, my hair would magically turn into Greek goddess worthy curls that I would be proud to show off!
    Obviously, that last part about the Greek goddess never happened. But I do LOVE my hair! It's weird and sometimes I still panic when it begins to rain or if a practically big gust of wind comes--but it's been almost a year since I started with the Curly Girl method and I haven't straightened out my hair once!
    I realize this blog is rather old, but I wanted to share anyway! This blog really is amazing. I really enjoyed reading it through. Thank you!
    ~Abby from Southern New Jersey

    ReplyDelete
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