My mother has always been against relaxers but her mindset didn’t stop me from being addicted to hair straightening. She used to blow dry her hair a lot in her younger years, before going natural. It heavily damaged her curls and as she didn’t want this to happen to mine she tried to prevent me from doing it, in vain.

My sister is struggling to embrace her hair as much as I used to. She has beautiful curls but won't be satisfied until she has the curl type she dreams of having.
For her, curly hair isn't pretty unless it looks like the looser curls Instagram models have.
I am trying to get her on this hair acceptance journey, but I can't do the work for her, it has to come from her.

This is not an easy process, especially if you consider the fact that mainstream media are not necessarily going beyond my hair type when it comes to representation.
The beauty standards are evolving, but more work has to be done. There are so many versions of beauty that aren’t showcased to the public.
Not seeing diversity can be very damaging, especially for younger generations.

Many women struggle with regards to their hair, but we need to understand that there is a reason why our hair has been given to us the way it is.
Loving it can be difficult when you don’t know how to take care of it but this is a journey we have to get into, it’s nothing but a learning experience.