Deeper Than Hair

by Jennifer Lara

“I grew up with this thought in my head that my curly hair was unrefined, messy, because it was curly and long.”

Jennifer: Girl, your hair looking good, juicy—who you, mami? I don't get these curls for free, chica. You got to put in work [laughs].

Flat, dry, we don't know her! Curls, moisture, definition, volume… mmm.

My name is Jennifer, and… you know me as the curly-haired girl in the room. Hair has been such a vital part of my life. I spend a lot of time admiring other people's beauty instead of my own. My godmother, for instance, has golden locks and long hair. I feel like every person should be able to feel beautiful within themselves without believing that they have to follow a certain guideline, and… they should be able to say, "This is beautiful," and most importantly, if it's me and what I want. I grew up with this thought in my head that my curly hair was unrefined, messy, because it was curly and long. The only kind of woman I had to look up to had rubio hair, which in Spanish means blonde. Coarse, beautifully blown out to give it that bounce and luminous finish, opposed to myself—I had brunette long, curly hair.

I have multi-textured hair, which the types are 3A, 3B, 3C. I didn't start wearing my hair curly with pride until I was about fourteen years old. I have been heat, color-free for three years, meaning my hair is virgin now. That, I truly am proud of. Not only has my hair evolved, but so has a different love and confidence that I never had for myself. I look very much like the women on my father's side of the family. However, the only different thing about my appearance is that my hair is so, so curly. One woman in particular who is my madrina, which means godmother in Spanish, has learned with me along the way to care for me and my hair as well as embracing it.

Madrina: Yo soy Guadalupe Lara, y soy estilista desde el 99, mi tipo de cabello pues es lacio, pero es fino y para arreglarme pues, como ya tengo bastante práctica y poco pelo me lo arreglo rápido. Unos,ya una vez secado mi pelo, me lo arreglo en unos 15 minutos.

Jennifer: My madrina has been a hairdresser since 1999, and has straight, silver hair. And, on a regular basis, she takes about fifteen minutes or so to do her routine, which is very different from mine. Every time I meet someone, I immediately look at their hair and see the way that it is styled. That's why it's so important that my hair looks its best and that I give it the proper love that it needs. My madrina shares the same beliefs as well.

Madrina: Pues es mucho, muy importante para mí porque es una de las características que tienes más cerca de tu cara. A veces no importa ni qué tipo de cuerpo tengas, que simplemente con arreglar tu pelo bonito, todas las mujeres se ven bonitas.

Jennifer: It doesn't matter your outfit, face, body shape; having hair that is beautifully done, or even taken care of, is so beautiful and flattering to the eye. She absolutely adores seventies-styled hair, but, she's also very accepting of me, my curly hair, and many new trends. She took the time to figure out what works with my hair texture considering that it is fine, very curly and not many people are able to work with it.

Madrina: A mí me gustaba, las de, los años 60, me gustaba mucho como se arreglaban las mujeres. Que veo fotos a una ahorita, y pues, la quiero mucho, y también de su cabello, pues siempre se me ha hecho lindo, desde que nació porque tiene unos chinos que me agrada mucho.

Jennifer: Along with accepting my curls, it is quite difficult than others may think it is.

Madrina: Si es más difícil para una persona tenerlo chino, que tenerlo, es bonito, porque uno cuando nace una bebé, un niño, lo que sea, dices tú, hay bonito tiene su pelo, esta chinito. Pero ahorita, en la actualidad, se usa más el planchado, y entonces es cuando todas las personas, al menos a mí me ha tocado bastante, casi la mayoría de las personas que tienen su pelo chino, son contadas las personas que les gusta su pelo, lo quieren tener lacio. Y hay unos chinos que están muy bonitos, están bonitos, pero si todo va en los productos.

Jennifer: This finally lets me know I'm not the only woman who feels this way. I see so often the most beautiful, wonderful women with textured hair struggle to embrace it like I did, because I didn't have the confidence. They went for the flat iron, the curler, the relaxer, anything that wasn't them. When I created a vision for who I thought I was, I was nowhere near myself. At one point, I went blonde and disliked it so much, but that's what I thought it meant to be a Latina in my family, a Latina in society, the women in my hair [laughs]—the women in my family don't leave to go to the store without putting hours into their hair and overall appearance. I thought I had to fit this commercial, like, inauthentic lifestyle with blonde locks and straight hair.

Madrina: Pues a mí me agrada, me agrada verla porque yo la quiero, y del pelo, pues a mí siempre me ha agradado su pelo, lo mejor para ella, como todas, yo lo tengo lacio, lo quiero tener chino, y la que lo tiene chino, lo quiere tener lacio. Pero para mí, se le ve muy bonito sus chinos.

Jennifer: All the kind words and how she talks about me is the reason as to why I'm able to love a part of myself that I couldn't before. To some, it may just be hair. It grows back and it evolves with you throughout your lifetime, but… it's deeper than my hair follicles. It's roots, culture, and individuality. People refer to me as the one with curly hair, and I couldn't envision myself otherwise.