Refreshing visit to Paris

[Bambi]

Hi!

So I went to Paris last week and I've never felt so comfortable with my hair in my life. In Sweden, where I live, the norm is bleached blonde and poker straight...me with my copper-brown wurly hair was/is never considered beautiful( only by those who came of age in the 80's :) ).

At home it feels like you have to look that certain, made up way to be "gorgeous". I don't really care anymore and rock my hair as it is, that's why I love this place, LHC.

Anyway, in Paris every woman I saw wore her natural texture, wavy, wurly, curly, naturally straight, and they all looked fantastic!
It was an eye-opener for me, and now it feels better and better regarding my view of my own hair. Almost relaxing in a way.

Just thought I would share:).

[midbackorbust]

Wow, Paris! That must have been fun. I'm glad you've come to appreciate your hair more. From what I can see in your icon it looks gorgeous. :)

[chen bao jun]

You're lovely. Stay your natural self. I'm glad you had that good experience. I went to Paris years ago and loved it.

[IGIT]

I'm from paris but recently moved in another city, still in France.
Here we are quite proud to be what we are to be.
beauty is beauty! might it be red straight, blonde afro, black wavy...hair!
Keep being your beautiful self!

[Rosetta]

Yes, visits to other countries can be so refreshing, in so many ways :) I've experienced that many times.

Though I'm surprised to hear that in Sweden the norm is bleached blonde and poker straight, as it's not the case here, next to Sweden...

[Bambi]

Thank you everyone, you're so kind:).

@Rosetta, well in the urban areas it is.

[arr]

I agree Bambi. I was in Paris in December and one of the main things i noticed was how natural beauty is embraced. I rarely saw someone with "styled" hair. And its not just the hair. Makeup was very minimal and i never saw even one set of artificial nails, and believe me i was looking. My sister does nails and so she wanted me to keep on the lookout for that. Most women wore bare nails. Occasionally i saw polish, mainly red. I also thought it was refreshing. Very different from here in the U.S. where I'm used to seeing full makeup, acrylic nails, fake tans and fake or overly styled hair.

[CremeTron]

Well I think that is just beautiful. I love the natural look. Anyway nails and hair grow out of us for free : ) I noticed in Paris that the women went mostly bare-faced as well and still look very groomed and chic.

Bambi you and your hair are lovely. Great waves.

[hikarilu]

I've also noticed, as I also live in France, that the trend here is to natural color/texture.
I see more and more people going natural and lots of teenage girls have waist+ virgin hair! It's true that noticing that is really comforting.
But you can also go to any hairdresser in any town here and you'll see bleached, permed people of all ages !
Most elder women (like my grandma used to be) keep going to the salon once a week for a brushing and every two or three weeks for a perm. That's what they did all their life. Glad that's not a trend anymore :p

[Aderyn]

Glad you had such a nice experience in Paris! Sounds quite refreshing, indeed.


Very different from here in the U.S. where I'm used to seeing full makeup, acrylic nails, fake tans and fake or overly styled hair.

Where are you from in the US? I'm from the PNW, in a pretty laid back area and I rarely see acrylic nails, full makeup, fake tans and fake/overly styled hair. Back in my hometown, which was a lot more conservative, there was more of that present, though mainly for the 40+ crowd, I haven't seen such an emphasis on the above in the younger generations, though.

[xoChesleyy]

You're so lucky! I have yet to visit Paris, but I have always wanted to go there. (Or anywhere in the Europe, for that matter.)

[Syren_Curls]

I loved Paris when I visited and have connected with it in some way through most of my life (my parents fell in love on one of their many trips together to Paris). I noticed the same in Barcelona as well.

I think there is such a great confidence in one's own skin and femininity in doing that. I do wear makeup and nail polish, but I do not make myself look "fake" or like I am wearing someone else's face, lol.

Growing up, I had most of my neighborhood and schoolmates all getting bleached blonde or highlights by the time they were 12 with the same straight hairstyle and length. Everybody wore the same clothes too. The trend continued on and has expanded, at least in my tri-state area, to now include getting lips done (is it collagen implants? I have no idea-whatever that filler thing is that looks like a duck face, lol), boobs done, noses done, cheeks put in, and more. I really can't keep track of it anymore, lol. Cosmetic surgery for deformities or more extreme things, I can understand. But getting it done just because everyone else is and you don't even know what *you* actually look like anymore isn't something I can connect with.

I think it sends a message about femininity and beauty. There is something really special about a woman who can feel her own sense of beauty and femininity *especially* when it is uniquely her own. I like that about Paris and I like that about Barcelona... it frees you up to live, really live, your own adventure of a life :-)

And the food in Paris is quite delectable :-)

I'm glad you enjoyed your trip, OP, and felt connected to your own beauty!

[lunalocks]

Trends do change. I was in Paris when I was 19 - that was in 1976. Every french woman I saw had henna'd hair, and was dressed in an over sized hand knit (appearing) sweater. There was also lemon ice cream on every street - the soft kind that you could get in swirls with vanilla. There was even an ice cream stand under the Eiffel Tower. Fast forward to 2001 when I last was in Paris. No henna'd hair. No lemon ice cream. No big, over sized sweaters. Things change.

Can anyone tell me what happened to the lemon ice cream?

[arr]

Glad you had such a nice experience in Paris! Sounds quite refreshing, indeed.



Where are you from in the US? I'm from the PNW, in a pretty laid back area and I rarely see acrylic nails, full makeup, fake tans and fake/overly styled hair. Back in my hometown, which was a lot more conservative, there was more of that present, though mainly for the 40+ crowd, I haven't seen such an emphasis on the above in the younger generations, though.

Im from Dallas, TX. I agree that it isnt the same everywhere. I grew up in the rural north and when i go to visit i dont see quite the same styles that i see here.