Zoe Kravitz understands the struggles of being a Black actress with naturally curly hair, and is open about the struggle she faces. Zoe recently shared that when she goes to photo shoots, she often has to bring her own hair stylist who is familiar with styling natural curls with her. After having arrived at several shoots where the hair stylist didn’t know how to work with her hair, she took matters into her own hands.
For naturally curly girls, it can be really tough to find the right salon to manage your mane. A rite of passage on your journey to gorgeous curls is enduring a horrific haircut, and then learning how to work with your stylist next to get the curls of your dreams. We are firm believers in every curly girl’s right to an amazing salon experiences and if you’ve had a rough time going under the shears, you’re not alone!
Weather woman Rhonda A. Lee was let go from her job as a meteorologist in Shreveport, La. after defending her choice to wear her naturally curly hair. Rhonda took to the station’s Facebook page to defend her her natural hair against critical viewers, which resulted in her being fired. After a lengthy period of unemployment, she worried she would never work in news again, Rhonda received several job offers. A year and a half ago, Rhonda found herself at the center of a firestorm after she defended herself on KTBS 3 News’ Facebook page.
In the past several years, there has been a shift towards women wearing their naturally curly hair. In the past, naturals often straightened, relaxed, colored and covered their curly hair with weaves to conform to society’s standards. Celebrities like Alicia Keys, Solange Knowles and Zendaya have begun to wear their natural curls, showing others that it’s ok to embrace their hair. There is no shame in using protective styling or straightening one’s curls.
Model Alanna Arrington has recently burst onto the fashion scene and her vibrant natural curls are taking the fashion world by storm. Discovered at age 16 in St. Louis, Alanna endured a traumatic back injury that left her immobile for four months before recovering her health and ambition to be a model. She has since gone on to earn international recognition and will be walking in Victoria’s Secret Fashion show on November 30th, 2016.
While everyone likes to get a compliment, there are often things said to curly girls that can come across as less than complimentary. Whether it’s a thinly veiled insult, trying to navigate others’ ignorance or a backhanded compliment, it can feel wearisome to have to spend time educating others. We’re going to do some of the work for you and offer our suggestions for things you should never say to a curly girl.
We all know that finding the right stylist can be a challenge when you have curly hair. Stylists who can cut your curls and not make you look like the dreaded triangle are worth their weight in gold, so once you find one make sure to treat him or her right. All stylists have some pet peeves that they wish they could tell their clients, but since they’re all great at keeping secrets, odds are they won’t.
When one of her students approached her to tell her she’d been bullied about her natural curls, Brazillian teacher Ana Barbara Ferreira decided to take matters into her own hands. After a student came to her in tears and confided in her that a young boy had called her curls “ugly”, Ms. Ferreira knew she wanted to do something to help her student feel confident about her hair. She started by telling her student that no matter what anyone else said, she was beautiful and should ignore what others had to say about her hair.
Calling our girls with naturally curly hair! We’ve all had our moments of frustration with our curly hair, especially when it comes to cutting and styling our coils. Sometimes it can feel as though there is a huge divide between yourself and your stylist, especially when it comes explaining what you’re hoping for and what you actually leave the salon with. There continues to be an issue with stylists just not knowing how to manage their curly client’s hair and there have been several not-so-great attempts lately at styling naturally curly hair, either in magazines or on TV shows (read more here ).
It seems to be an inevitable issue for most curly haired women; at some point someone will touch our hair. We get it, our hair is gorgeous. It’s ok to be jealous, to be curious and ask questions but it isn’t ok to touch without our permission. Many people have mixed feelings about whether or not it’s o for strangers to touch our curls, and curlies say that even being asked is one of their top annoyances.
Recently, R&B singer Tinashe has recently become the brand ambassador for John Freida “Hair Talks- Make Your Statement” campaign. The new initiative is encouraging women to take pride in their hair. Tinashe feels especially passionate about this campaign, as she has struggled for years to learn to love her natural curls. As a child, Tinashe wore her natural curls, but didn’t know how to care for them. Since she didn’t have anyone who could teach her how to manage her curls, she struggled for years to learn how.
Curly girls, we get it. Your curly hair is amazing and sometimes it leads people to ask or worse yet, just touch your hair without permission. We aren’t sure what it is about curls that makes people feel as though they have the right to touch your hair whenever they feel like it, but author and comedian Phoebe Robinson has added her voice to the mix. Her new collection of essays which covers a variety of topics from pop culture to the current political climate is aptly titled You Can’t Touch My Hair.
Like many women with naturally curly hair, Ndija Anderson-Yantha has spent her life interacting with people who don’t quite understand her natural hair. With a strong interest in how society views women with natural hair, Ndija earned a fellowship that allowed her to study the hair stories of women around the world. Her university sponsored fellowship took her to Senegal, Australia, Egypt, Japan, India, Brazil and Jamaica to learn how natural hair is perceived around the world.
One of our favorite shows featuring a powerful woman, ABC”s “Scandal” recently celebrated its 100th episode. In honor of this milestone, creator and mastermind Shonda Rimes shows her audience how thing could have been for star crossed lovers Olivia Pope and Fitzgerald Grant, including Olivia rocking her naturally curly hair for the entire episode. If you haven’t seen it yet, be warned there are spoilers ahead. In the alternate reality episode, Olivia and Fitz are happily married, as he never won the Presidency.
Recently, a mother of an 11 year old girl released an advertisement supporting women with naturally curly hair. Her act of encouragement and compassion has sparked conversation around the world, particularly focused on how Black women and others with natural curls relate to their hair. If you look around you, you’ll see many women rocking their natural looks, but even more doing everything they can to alter the state of their curls.
More naturally curly women are beginning to embrace their curl’s textures. With this movement comes different ways of styling natural curls. Some women are exploring the idea of locs, and for YouTuber Taren Guy, the battle to embrace her naturally curly hair and begin the process of committing to locs wasn’t always easy. Despite Taren’s own mother embracing the process and locing her own hair, Taren says her mom was reluctant for her to start locing her own natural hair.
Are any of you curlies out there planning a wedding? Choosing the right hair style for your wedding day when you’re naturally curly can be daunting. Check out this advice from naturalistas like you and what they want you to know when planning your big day. For more brides looking gorgeous and rocking their naturally curly hair, click here . naturallycurly.com Shacola: She recommends doing the best you can when it comes to planning your wedding, and having you and your future husband’s best interests at heart.
We don’t know about you, but we are all about finding natural ways to take care of our curls. Whether it’s buying products with all natural ingredients, or reaching for whatever’s in our pantry to make our own, we’re game for trying new things. If your curls are in need of some TLC, check out these easy-as-pie DIY curl care treatments . Avocado Hair Masque: If you’ve been putting your curls through the wringer with color, chemical treatments or heat tools, it’s time to replenish.
The winner of the 2017 Miss France competition, Alicia Aylies, recently found photos of herself under scrutiny. The 18 year old is from French Guinea, and has often been seen in the pageant circuit wearing her natural curls. In photos from a recent shoot, it appears to some as though her curls had been altered to fit European beauty standards. During her crowning on December 17th, 2016, Aylies proudly wore her natural curls in a wash and go style.
There’s been a lot in the news lately regarding women and girls’ rights to wear our naturally curly hair, whether at work or in school. As long as there are rules or laws barring us from our natural hair, there is work to be done. Recently, Cierra Jackson took up the mantle in the struggle for inclusivity. Cierra has been participating for six years in beauty pageants and recently competed in the Miss America pageant representing the District of Columbia.