Like most young girls, one of my favorite movies of all time was "The Princess Diaries," the tale of an average teen girl (portrayed by Anne Hathaway) discovering that she is actually a princess and living the real life dream of many. While there were many iconic scenes during this movie, there was one that stood out and on a personal note, resonated with me in my childhood. The makeover scene, the scene where her curly hair goes straight and she says goodbye to her glasses. In my childhood, I had never encountered a character who also had the struggle of having her hair brushes break while trying to comb through her hair and watching her go from class joke to most popular girl was like watching an underlying wish of mine. As a child, that movie told me the secret to no longer being made fun of--getting rid of my curls would be the answer.
My curls have been a defining feature my entire life. Due to its curliness, I could never cut my hair as short as I wished and my mother would often keep my hair in braids or ponytails with ribbons the matched my outfits. I remember one time my friend's parent asking me how often I premed my hair and then being in shock when I told them that I did nothing to it. While I was often complimented by those older than me on my hair, the kids my age would often tease me for its volume and poof, much to due with the fact that I was still trying to figure out how to take care of it. On top of the teasing I received from my hair, I was also surrounded by a media that pushed the idea of straight hair and no glasses. Every major makeover in a movie involved the getting rid of curls and glasses, "Princess Diaries," "She's All That," "The Devil Wears Prada," etc. Every movie or show I was exposed to had the familiar idea that a makeover is what one needed to become beautiful.
I was in the 5th grade when I had my hair straightened for the first time. I instantly felt prettier, and the famous "you look so good with your straight hair" was flying from every direction, making me feel that this makeover theory was true, that straight hair was the key to beauty. When I finally learned how to use a straightener my sophomore year of high school and was also getting used to wearing my contacts, it become normal for myself to not feel as confident in how I looked when I wasn't doing at least one of the two. It took me a while before I finally came into my curls and realized that I had nothing to be ashamed of.
Kids can be cruel and fashion trends will come and go. After years of feeling that my hair made me ugly, I learned that it was one of the things that made me beautiful. One doesn't need a magical makeover to be beautiful, because we already are. My curls have now become one of my favorite features, and now that I know how to take care of them, I rock them on every occasion. While I do straighten my hair from time to time, I have no problem going out with my curls in tack. However our hair is, or however we may look, we are already beautiful, no need for any makeovers here.
