GG

Age: Under 18

Occupation: High School Student; Elementary School Student

“I don’t think my hair defines me,” said GB, sitting alongside her younger sister GS.

GB explains that while many people use their hair to express themselves, her hair care and hairstyles are based on convenience. She likes to “do what’s easy,” potentially influenced by her many years of playing soccer.

GB and GS are mixed-race, Black and Latina, so their hair texture is often different from that of their peers who are not mixed-race.

“I don’t have a lot of friends that have hair like me, and a lot of them don’t understand the struggles that come with it,” GB said. “Obviously my hair is different than theirs, so it’s easier for them to judge.”

GB and GS both highlighted that they do not like when other people touch their hair.

“It’s annoying when they try to touch it because they have their own hair, but it’s different from theirs. [They touch it] because it’s different,” GS said.

GB mentioned one of her soccer teammates who is also mixed-race, “same as us, [...] similar texture, similar curls, similar challenges.” The two friends talk about hair at school; they relate to each other.

GB and GS firmly like their hair, consistent with the other members of the youngest generation interviewed for this project.

“I don’t really have any other hair,” says GS, explaining why she likes her hair.

GB likes her hair with a sense of ambivalence, similar to many teenagers. Making clear that she likes her hair, she also notes her dissatisfaction with its length and her frustration with brushing it while it is tangled and “knotty.”

When asked her favorite thing about their hair, GS said, “my hair is curly.”

“I like my curls too,” said GB.