Age: 18-29 years
Occupation: College Student
Sometimes, a Black woman’s hair goes hand-in-hand with her journey embracing her identity.
From middle school through sophomore year of high school, YS straightened her hair on a regular basis, “like clockwork,” because she wanted to fit into eurocentric beauty standards. When she started to grow into her Blackness and learn to love it, she started keeping her hair in other styles (long box braids are her favorite, particularly in a ponytail) because she associated straight hair with the period in her life when she was trying to hide her Blackness.
YS remarks that this period of transformation was likely sparked by curiosity about what her curls looked like and what they would look like if they were healthy. It overlapped with the COVID-19 pandemic, which permitted her the space and time to explore hair care.
“During quarantine [...], my life was no longer a performance and I was able to just be me in a kind of liberating way, learn about my hair and how to take care of it, and learn ot see it as a part of my body that I need to care for,” said YS.
She realizes that hair care is an essential part of her health and well-being.
“Just as I feed myself healthy foods and put lotion on my skin, in the same way I take care of my hair,” said YS. “It’s a part of me.”
When asked what she would tell her younger self vis-à-vis hair, she said that she would not provide any advice or lesson. Referring to her past self as “a hardhead kid” in a “vacuum of whiteness,” YS explained that her younger self would not be easily persuaded to change her thoughts or choices. Moreover, her journey was important, and she would not want to tamper with how it transpired. She was insecure, but she does not regret that insecurity. She said that despite the widespread negative attitudes towards insecure women and girls, sometimes they just need care.
YS said, “if I was going to say anything [to my past self], it would not be a lesson or teaching. It would just be, ‘come let me hold you’ — giving you a hug — because you have been burned and you’re taking that out on your hair. You just need to learn that you are loved as you are.”
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