I was looking through my pictures from Las Vegas and I found this shot of my older daughter that I took on Christmas Day. Sixty degrees and clear, it was a very nice day. I remember thinking how smooth, straight and pretty her hair looked. I also know that her hair is very curly naturally. Like her sister's. And like mine used to be. I'll get a picture to prove it. [See below.]
I also remember a story she told me about my ex-husband. He has naturally curly hair, too.
When we were first married, he used to make fun of my curly hair. It wasn't in fashion in the early seventies, so I made every effort to Dippity Do it smooth. I stepped out of the shower one time with long curly ringlets only to have him hand me my ukelele and ask me to sing Tip Toe Through The Tulips. So, I just assumed he knew I had naturally curly hair.
[If you don't understand that Tiny Tim reference, sorry.]
For the most part during my marriage I didn't wear my hair natural. I used big rollers, hot rollers, whatever I could just to calm it down and make it wavy. When I got divorced and went back to work, I realized that I had wash and wear hair. And curly was cool now. I could save a ton of time just leaving it wet and letting it dry on the way to work.
One weekend a few years later, my daughter made some comment to her dad about the difficulties of dealing with naturally curly hair -- a problem she blamed me for inheriting. And my ex said, NOOOO, I didn't have naturally curly hair. It was a perm. I was so insulted. Ha. After eight years of marriage he didn't know I had naturally curly hair. Who was he sleeping with? Better not go there.
Front View of My Older Daughter
In college my friends used to watch my hair transform from early morning smooth to afternoon frizzy walking to classes in the North Carolina heat and humidity. They'd tell me to stick my head out the window so they could tell what the weather was like.
My daughter didn't argue with her dad's opinion. He's very sensitive about being told he's full of shit. Instead she just told me what he said and we had a good laugh.
I worked with a guy once in the eighties who had curly golden locks. By that time I did too. The curl was natural. The blond wasn't. Everyone thought my curls were from a perm and his was natural. I didn't help matters by blowing it dry and wearing it straight once in awhile. "Hey, wasn't your hair curly yesterday?" But the truth was his wife used to give him a perm every couple of months. And I was the natural one.
Now with flat irons we can smooth out the frizz fast. And make our hair stick straight. Or use product to enhance the curls. Either way people assume you're trying to fool them into thinking you're something you're not. And they take great pleasure in accusing you of trying to fool Mother Nature.
And the problem withthat is?
Mrs. Linklater [Big Bird to you] in the eighties at a college reunion
16 comments:
We are more than our extensions and implants, our tummy tucks and lipo sucks, our unnaturally bright pearly whites and our inconspicuously absent gray, please God.
With natural curls of my own, people are always telling me, "You don't look like your picture." Do you get that? In a picture, the hair is tame. In the wind, the humidity, or rain, it's anybody's guess, and never the same twice.
My hair's curly. When it's short lol... Once it got past my shoulder blades it went straight. Well, a little wavy but mostly straight. I'll be faking it soon enough lol I'm getting it curled for fall lol
I wonder how it's going to be to have curly hair again... lol
~Lily
Hair Schmair! More importantly, did your daughter get Kevin Spacey's autograph?
I use to wear my hair long down past my boobs but not to my waist. It was wavy as you said in the seventies that was not cool. my girl friend and I use to iron each others hair with an iron and the ironing board. In the eighties I got it cut more sholder length and got a perm looking like Bet Midler or Barbara Strisand. I let it gorw out in the 90's and 2000's to past shoulder length long layers around my face and no layers anywhere else. After my huband was killed and I found another great man several yrs later. I recently went to honey's hair dresser. I'm a redhead but after the gray started taking over I found my perfect shade of red in a bottle. When I sat down in my honey's hair dresser's chair I said please don't cut a lot of length. He talked me into short layers all over my head with the length mostly still there because of damage from the die. He blew it out culrled it with big curling iron and made it look very nice. my honey and I went dancing outside roof top afterwards. After the heat and sweat my hair curled up like Shirley Temples all ove my head. I went to the store and got the line of products for curly hair and yes it's wonderful after all these yrs. the person living in this same body with red hair found out my hair is not wavy it is indeed very very curly which means I can jump out of the shower shake my head spray a little more curly product on it and I'm off and running. I love it, I love it, I love it, and mostly I love the look on peoples faces when they find out that yes indeed those are my natural curls. How can that be they all say well darling I reply I'm using what the God Lord gave me naturally.
Fuuny thing hair is we primp and fuss and then it still isn't right lol Then you get cancer like Pam and it puts everything into perspective thanks for sharing
Essayons
Deb
That's the chick that stole my cellphone!
I bought Deb a copy of "Curly Girl" by Massey & Cheil. She now frolics in her naturally curly waves and I no longer get my fingers tangled up in a mass of shellac and gel.
Unless she wants me to.
Thats why i have the pixie cut !
Longer than 5 inchs and im a curly wurly frizzball ! hehe x
AND a STAR IS BORN~~~~Memories~~~~(You know those sunglasses are in style again?) Anne
That is a great picture! I love my short hair just because it is so easy to deal with in the morning. Function has long surpassed style:)
Chris
http://journals.aol.com/swibirun/Inanethoughtsandinsaneramblings
http://journals.aol.com/swibirun/MyJournalJarSaturdaySixetcanswer
I used to laugh at people who had natural curly hair - their hair was so pretty, but they always wanted to change it. The straight haired people wanted to curl it. Mine is in the middle, so I get to laugh at everyone. Then again, I am easily amused.
xoxo
Mrs. L
The beauty of J-Land is you can have whatever kind of hair or look you want to have, it doesn't matter. We get to know the inner person before the physical person here and I find it's much better this way. Psst... isn't that Emmapeeldallas sitting next to you?
Sam
what's really weird is that my hair has been thin & straight all my life, but the hormone fairy that makes me wake up sweaty in the night felt bad so she gave me thick wavy hair!
a change of life blessing!
marti
I have a couple of friends with curly hair. I love it. However, in my gene pool, the curly hair available is of the Brillo pad variety. So I'm happy I got dealt the straight stick.
We always want what we don't have, right? I'd like to be tall, thin, and blonde. Wait, isn't that you? lol
Anna
you look like glen close when she was younger in this shot !
"HELLO. MY NAME IS . . . Sister Golden Hair Surprise." Goldilocks has got nuthin' on you, babe.
You may think me insane, but having been given thin, straight hair by God and parents..I'd give a limb for your hair shown here.
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