Family + Curls = Big Mess

Hi there my fellow curly girls!

I came here and joined because my hair, which is naturally soft ringlets, has caused turmoil in my family. This may sounds strange, but I promise it's completely true.

You see, for the longest time - actually for longer than I can remember - I've straightened my hair by every method possible. And lately, it's become both a hastle and threatening to my hair's existence. Aka, I've been losing more and more of it because of the brutalities. Either way, I decided to just let my natural waves fall freely. I even bought a book called Curly Girl (maybe some have heard of it) to help me learn how to handle my curls properly.

This is when sparks flew. Today I didn't straighten my hair as usual. I thought it looked nice, better than straight. So, I went downstairs. My parents were shocked. At first I thought it was something I was wearing when they said, "You are not leaving the house like that!" Then I thought they were joking when they said it was because of my hair. My hair!!

They were dead serious. I didn't straighten it, I hid it in a tight braid. When I came home from work later that evening, I asked my mom very maturely why she didn't agree to my natural hair style. Her reply was that it was trashy. I was shocked. I thought maybe it looked too greasy or something. No, she told me it made me look like I needed to be standing on a street corner.

Then she goes off on a tangent about how my attitude has been so different, when it really hasn't, and how I've changed so much. Oh wait, no... I'm exactly the same. My hair is just in it's natural form. Sorry, Mom, that my genes are formulated for harlotry.

So there you have it, my rant. As far as my mom's concerned... she says that as long as I live under this roof I have to straighten my hair. I'm sorry but I didn't think hair defined the person under it.

And all I ever wanted was to have curls...

- Laura

If your hair is long, I definitely recommend putting it up in an updo fastened with a single hairstick. As you pull out of the driveway, you pull out the hairstick...

Put it back up again on your way home.

wow...thats really crazy... I think that your parents have more of a problem with THEMSELVES then they do with your hair, hence, the psychopathic attitude. Let it go in one ear and out the other. Explain to them that straightening daily will completely ruin your hair from heat damage,

your parents should not be so angry with you for leaving your hair in its natural form... since you did inherit it from them,

I think this is totally ridiculous and ignorant of your parents
(not too mention old-fashioned) but unfortunately this is not the
first time I have heard something along these lines.

When I first met my the women who were to become my
mother-in-law and sister-in-law, my sister-in-law told me that
whenever she wore her hair naturally curly her mother told her
it looked trashy. The problem is, I have naturally curly hair that
is almost identical to the sister's! Imagine how I felt when I
heard this, this woman is looking me over with a fine-tooth
comb so I was nervous enough, but then to find out she detests
curly hair, that was the icing on the cake. What is even worse is
my husband disliked curly hair as well. When we first met the
few times I would wear it naturally curled, he always