My hair is an indication of my father’s Syrian origins. The curls started to form while I was entering my teenage years.
At that stage of my life,I wasn't in love with these coils as the volume they would bring was very disturbing to me. I was growing up and evolving in an environment where the trend was all about straight hair, which didn't help, obviously.
To fit in, I simply decided to chemically relax it and as you can imagine it was nothing but a real catastrophe!
I am glad the nature of my hair isn’t something that bothers me anymore. Its versatility actually makes me feel quite lucky as it can help me change the way I look in a blink of an eye.
Unlike myself, people have always been very appreciative of my hair. Such support is what encouraged me to feel more comfortable in my own skin.
The fact that the media isn’t ready to represent us is not an issue for me. I don’t pay attention to this as I found ways to love my hair myself, take care of it myself and to understand its different moods myself. However, I acknowledge the fact that more work could be done.
The fashion industry is now showcasing more diversity and features that for long haven’t been considered beautiful so there is an improvement. Unfortunately, these efforts are nothing but a drop in a massive ocean.