My curls simply represent a major part of my identity and I love them for that. However growing up in the south of France where most girls have straight hair made it difficult for me. I was born in 1979 so you can imagine that no products were available at the time, and the knowledge about curly hair was non-existent. In addition to that, hairdressers always made a point of highlighting how difficult of a process it would be to care for my hair and style it.
The way I perceived my hair changed when I moved to a Parisian suburb that was extremely diverse, where curly hair was a thing, where products were available and where compliments about my natural curls were constant! People often talk to me about my hair – it became a conversational hook.
I am a teacher and the youngsters I work with are super interested in my hair, they give me advice, comment on it on a day-to-day basis (generally in a positive way) but they also make sure to let me know that they don’t like my hair when the curls aren’t perfectly defined. This to me is very interesting as it shows that curls are accepted and loved but under limited conditions.
Curls are also source of fascination. I have a son with curly hair and a lot of questions are being asked: why is he growing it long? Can’t he just braid it? Some people also mistake him for a girl sometimes, even though he clearly looks like a boy… This shows how important hair is, and how significant it is for us as individuals. Let’s learn to love it as it is.