Random Rant: curly hair

[Aimskylove]

Why do most people (usually those who dont have curly hair) consider all curly hair "bad hair"?

Most people with curly hair have GREAT hair its just not pin straight. Now yes some people can have curly hair and the texture of their hair can be a bit rough but overall I think curly hair is just as great as straight hair.

I have a friend who was trying to compare another girls hair to mine and she said "you know its kinda like how yours can be when its curly, like kinky bad hair".....-_____-

I know my hair can be curly at times but the texture of my hair is not BAD lol.
I love both kinds!
Okay end of rant!:rant::thud:

[MinderMutsig]

There's no such thing as good or bad hairtypes.

[Kristamommyx3]

Yah, it's never made sense to me either...I was having a conversation the other night with a lady of African American descent, and hair came up. She referred to my hair as " good hair". Because she said you can wash it and leave it and it will look good. I was baffled by this expression, because I have ne er thought of hair types being good or bad, but just different. I told her that it was funny that she valued that, because I valued her volume tremendously, and she laughed and said she'd hard people with straight hair mention volume before, but couldn't imagine wanting more of it. We agreed that the "good hair". Is the one someone else has! Lol

[Aimskylove]

I think every hair type is beautiful! Especially with a little bit of LHC love :) I think society has helped paint that picture unfortunately. most hair commercials show "beautiful hair" as straight and sleek. :/

[Cassie 123]

It's just fashion. It won't be this way forever. My grandmother's generation never wore it straight - curls were a must.

[McFearless]

I'm sorry she said that about your hair. Not cool. Curly hair is awesome and so is kinky hair.

[aisha.christine]

I really don't like it when people use the word "bad" to describe hair type. People I know like to refer to coarse hair or curly hair as "bad" hair, and I just can't agree with that. I think that all hair types have equal potential to be beautiful when they are taken care of, and I also think that all hair types have equal potential to be unsightly if it's not taken care of. I feel like it's a jab to people who have different hair types and textures by basically saying, "You have no chance of having beautiful hair."
It makes me really angry.

[artiste]

I happen to think that curly hair is awesome and beautiful :)

[Shicurls]

I find myself thinking negatively about my own hair's texture, and thinking how much more beautiful I'd be if I blew it out. Then I stop myself, realize that I've been watching mainly t.v. all day (I'm sick at home a lot) and realize that I NEVER think anyone else has "bad hair" because of their texture. I shrug and figure I've let myself fall prey to marketing!

[Aimskylove]

Thank you! I hate how many people are influenced by societies views. It even happened to me. When I was 13 I did a relaxer to my hair because every one told me it would make my hair "better". I hated how stringy it made my hair and my curls have never been the same after I grew it out. My hair is mainly wavy/straight and some parts get more of a curl. I miss my curly hair :/

[MrsGuther]

I agree! I think curly hair is beautiful, AND straight hair, and wavy hair. I think all hair types can be gorgeous!

[ericthegreat]

And guess what, among Asian communities its very popular to get their hair permed. Yes, right now as we speak while naturally curly haired folks here are lamenting about their hair woes and spending a fortune on flat irons and the Brazilian Keratin Treatment, over on the other side of the globe thousands of women in China and Japan are getting their naturally sleek, 1a locks rolled onto perm rods at their local hair salon. They actually want the very look that naturally curly folks are trying to get rid of.

I guess no one wins.

[nellreno]

I've always been jealous of those with naturally curly hair. I think curly hair is beautiful!

If you look at hair product ads, the majority of models in the ads have fairly straight hair. I think people start associating this with "healthy" hair, making curly hair "unhealthy". At least, that's the only reason I can think of for this bias.

[bratz81]

I think part of it might be that most adverts, models, whathaveyou all have straight or almost straight hair. Or wavy rather than curly.

I always used to wish I had curly hair when I was younger, my straight hair seemed so boring. But now I realise that if I had curly hair I'd want straight hair - you always think the grass is greener.
I'm glad I have straight hair though since I can leave it straight, or curl it in sponge rollers if I want, so I can have two looks.

[tigereye]

I love curly and straight hair, and everything in between. There is no such thing as bad texture or type. What always amused me when I was at school was when people would spend aaaages making their hair stick straight, then along comes winter ball or prom, or other suitably formal event, and everyone suddenly wants curly hair.

[ylime]

I think people believe it is "normal" for people to have straight hair, and myself have had trouble with my wurly/curly hair.
I know of a girl who hate having curls and everyday she straightens it- yet I thought it was beautiful when she had it natural.

curls are definitely gorgeous and need more recognition :)

[CurlyCap]

Guh. Don't listen.

I have never understood why, esp in AA communities, everyone wants straight hair, even if it ruins the natural texture and health of their own hair. It's one thing to want straight hair for a day or week because it'll be a fun change. It's another thing entirely to reject your hair the way it grows out of your head.

Curly hair is awesome! It always has volume. It's easy to style. Even if you don't style it, it usually comes up with some something slightly different every day.

I actually love super fancy updos. I think they're fun and I have an extravagant sense of style. What used to blow my mind when I was younger was going to salons and everyone saying, "Oh, you can't do that style on curly hair. It needs to be straightened first." Then I would watch as the first thing they did to everyone's hair was 1)Curl it and 2)Backcomb it for volume. I'd sit there with my curl, huge hair and just be so confused.

lol. sorry for the book-long post. Just know that you're not alone. Not matter how pretty my hair looks, someone is always telling me (people from many different backgrounds) that it would better straight.

Hugs.

[bratz81]

Curlycap, I have to say I've never understood that either - they curl everyone's hair before an updo, even if it looks straight. Presumably for volume. But for a curly head of hair it needs straightened, then put it in rollers??

[florenonite]

There's an advert on TV at the moment that irritates me whenever I see it. It's for some kind of serum that you put on before straightening your hair and it keeps it straight for three days or something. Anyway, at the opening the model is shown with messy curly hair (as in, they clearly made it deliberately messy) and the voice-over says 'What can you do with curly, frizzy hair? Straighten it.'

[hisprincess]

I have never understood why, esp in AA communities, everyone wants straight hair, even if it ruins the natural texture and health of their own hair. It's one thing to want straight hair for a day or week because it'll be a fun change. It's another thing entirely to reject your hair the way it grows out of your head.

After being portrayed as ugly, bad, and wrong for centuries, negative thinking about Black racial features has become internalized.

[PinkyCat]

Curls rule. I DO NOT want straight hair. Ever.

That said, it wasn't always the case - because I didn't know what to do with it, or make the curls play nicey-nice. That's probably the case with most other people too - they just don't understand how to make the curls do what they want.

[Amber_Maiden]

I think curly hair is so beautiful. I think people can be very... rude, mean, biased, and hair intolerant (if that makes sense) because of what society tells them to think.

I think all types of hair are beautiful. I think we have to stop thinking of certain things in terms of good or bad.

[uptosomeone]

What..? Where I live curly hair is coveted, not looked at as being bad. :shrug:

[JuliaDancer]

I love curly and straight hair, and everything in between. There is no such thing as bad texture or type. What always amused me when I was at school was when people would spend aaaages making their hair stick straight, then along comes winter ball or prom, or other suitably formal event, and everyone suddenly wants curly hair.

This is very true! I have a friend with curly hair that is wavy and falls into ringlets at the bottom, like Sleeping Beauty. In high school she wanted to borrow my curling iron for an event, and I asked why, when she has curly hair? She was going to blow dry it straight, then add back the curls! I told her she was silly and her natural curls are way more beautiful than any curling iron curls. Eventually she realized this was true.

[Katbo]

I'm amazed at how many times I'll get a compliment on my curls (someone gushing about "oh, naturally curly hair! Pretty! Do you know how many people pay good money to have hair like that?!?" --curlies, you know what I'm talking about), then they immediately ask me if I ever thought about straightening it. Uh, so, you're going to compliment me, then take it back??? :-P And it's not just a simple, curious, one-off question, either. They go on and on and on about Brazilian blowouts and flat-irons, while I shake my curly head emphatically. It has never occurred to me to compliment straight hair, then begin a monologue about perms. In summary, I get a lot of this: "i like your hair, but you should change it! Change it now!" Anyone else experience this?

[shannonsun]

I just want to say, I have always wanted curly-kinky hair--not just curly, but BIG KINKY CURLY HAIR. I've made peace with my half-straight, half-weirdly-wurly hair and all it's cowlicks and weird flicks in various directions. I like that it can dry and look OK, and I like the "straight/sleek look," (grumble sometimes lanky and boring grumble) but there's something about long, super voluminous, super curly hair that just strikes me as womanly and extremely beautiful, especially if it's picked out to have extra volume or kept as an afro. I feel like it does something to the face, especially on women who have high cheek- and brow-bones. That halo of hair just makes everything pop!

If I didn't have to put the Spanish Inquisition to my hair to get it to look somewhat like that, I would style it big and curly all the time. It's a good thing I wasn't born in the 70s, because I would have been all over the damaging big perms of the 80s.

I guess it's just what you're geared toward. Also, I do think that some people make an effort to denigrate features that they find intimidating. Like I said, I've made peace with my "boring" hair :p so I have no problem appreciating curly hair for it's sexiness and beauty and saying so.

[jessie58]

I have curly hair and I've never really come across anybody who told me that curly hair was bad. My hair can be frizzy, big, voluminous, puffy and crazy but that's the nature of curly hair. I love my hair and I also admire straight smooth hair.
Most of my life, I've met straighties who wished they had curls. I've never really wanted straight hair but then again, I've always loved my own hair type.

[Dragon Faery]

This is so true. But the reverse can be true, as well. It's human nature to want what we don't have, no matter what that is. However, the media insists (currently) on straight and shiny being beautiful. I've seen a shift lately towards promoting longer wurls, so maybe in about ten years Curly hair will be the In Thing. ;)

[allmixedup88]

Why do most people (usually those who dont have curly hair) consider all curly hair "bad hair"?

Most people with curly hair have GREAT hair its just not pin straight. Now yes some people can have curly hair and the texture of their hair can be a bit rough but overall I think curly hair is just as great as straight hair.

I have a friend who was trying to compare another girls hair to mine and she said "you know its kinda like how yours can be when its curly, like kinky bad hair".....-_____-

I know my hair can be curly at times but the texture of my hair is not BAD lol.
I love both kinds!
Okay end of rant!:rant::thud:
I just looked at your pics... your hair is not kinky.... your friend is an effing idiot.
I even googled kinky hair to double check if my connotation was different from the norm. I think she was trying to be rude & bring you down, because you're beautiful!

[liseling]

I often get complimented on my curly hair - sometimes those same people ask if I've ever straightened it, but I never thought that they meant that I SHOULD straighten it - just that they're curious about how it was for me to have straight hair. Most of the time the people who speak up and compliment my hair tell me that they wish they had curly hair too.

I know that there are all sorts of underlying anti-curl messages in media and advertising, but I've never heard people express those sorts of sentiments to me personally (except my grandmother, who doesnt like curly hair because it looks "out of control" - she has the values of another era). If anyone didnt like my curly hair they must have kept it to themselves.

[irishlady]

I don't understand it, I WISH mine was curlier, like my mother's, she has beautiful hair :)

[Orangerthanred]

Curly, wavy and kinky hair is beautiful. Unlike what everyone says... curly, wavy or kinky hair is easy to take care of- once you find out how.

[dulce]

I also have curly,wavy hair.My guess is that's because most[not all] models and actresses wear straight flat ironed hair.It seems to be" in" right now.When I used to go to the hairdressers they always wanted to blowdry mine straight after the cut.So I used to say I didn't want that and preferred it curly so I'd just go home with it wet and style it the way I wanted at home.

[dulce]

I think the general population is into flat ironed straight hair due to seeing the majority of actresses wearing it and all the hairdressers[ except for one],that I have had , preferred it too.Just a guess ,I have wondered about this question too.

[Curly Hermione]

All hair has the potential to be stunning, even more so when given some LHC TLC!
Straight hair is just "in" right now, but I try not to let that sway me, if something is beautiful, it just is, and trends shouldn't change that. If that makes any sense!
I'm sorry your friend said that, you have really pretty hair :flower:

[Avital88]

ohh i wished my hair was a bit more kinky haha...at good days im a 3c but i would love to be a solid 3c