Dominican Hair Products Suck
Society Loves Embracing Euro-centric Beauty Ideals
My relationship with my hair has always been a negative one. My mom and grandmother’s goal was always to straighten, tuck away, and hide my curls every chance they could.
When I was too young to put straightening chemicals in my hair it was braided so tight I thought my scalp would burst. When I got older, with relaxers, perms, and an excessive amount of heat, I was able to maintain hairstyles that could only be described as white standard approved.
I never understood the obsession with straightening your hair but it seems that people with straight hair wish to have curly hair and the opposite goes for people with curly hair.
I grew up in Ohio and I still remember trying to copy the pigtail looks that my white peers had then getting upset when I realized my hair wasn’t falling flat like theirs.
Why is that?
Why is it that society teaches us to hate our hair no matter its texture but overall it punishes and calls ugly those who have kinkier or tighter curl patterns?
I remember taking on an internship in high school and a girl who wore her hair naturally, came into work with straight hair one day only to receive ongoing praise from our boss.
