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Curly hair don’t care: People ignore straight hair beauty standards, embrace natural locks
Curly hair is often seen as messy, bothersome and rebellious according to common beauty standards. Despite being donned by many living legends and music icons, reality can bite for those with natural curls.
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Two hairstylists treat curly haired clients at Kriwil Salon and Reflexology in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, on July 12, 2019. (JP/Robert Yota)
I
n a world where long, straight locks are seen as a sign of beauty, Wulang Derrida’s hair straightener used to be her best friend.
Exposed to so many shampoo advertisements in print and on TV, the 23-year-old thought her naturally curly hair was a mess and difficult to work with. Back in high school, she longed for straight, shiny locks like the women in those shampoo commercials.
She said that taking care of her naturally curly hair had not always been an easy task.
“With all the pollution and humidity in Jakarta, my hair turns oily and frizzy if I don’t constantly treat it with specialized shampoo and hair tonic,” she said recently, adding that she always carried hairbands to keep her corkscrew hair from puffing out.
Wulang finally came to terms with her locks when she studied in Scotland five years ago. Occupied with university work and a hectic schedule, Wulang said she had no time to carefully manage her hair and let it come out naturally.
This is when she started receiving compliments that her curls were her best feature.
“I was surprised that apparently having my curls out was okay and I started embracing my natural hair from then on,” Wulang, who just recently moved back to Jakarta, said.
