To the Curly Haired Girls.

Recently, (like yesterday) I CHOPPED my hair. Now all my life I've had pretty long hair. The shortest (besides like now) I'd ever had it was maybe my shoulders. I decided I wanted something different, without dying it and damaging it I just found a random picture on google that I thought was cute and cut it all off. Now at first, I was in shock and I kept asking myself "what the hell did I just do to myself" then I really liked it. When I found the courage to post a picture of my new hair and just walking around campus I kept getting the same inning questions: "wow so why'd you do it" "are you okay".  And it got me thinking, I never realized how much my hair defines me... how much hair defines us all. It was the most annoying experience ever and it's only been two days. I am also amazed at how many people said, "wow it probably looks so good straight". I just want to point out to EVERYONE, it is NOT a compliment when you tell a girl with curly hair, or her natural hair, fro whatever it may be that her hair looks better straight. For me personally, growing up I HATED my hair I hated how puffy it was, I was made fun of as a kid for not looking like everyone else, in middle school and high school I DAMAGED my hair. Straightening it every chance that I could, mousse hairspray, relaxing treatments, you name it. All so I could straighten and flatten out my curls because society and everyone around me deemed that to be more beautiful than my natural hair. One day my freshman year of college I ran out of  mousse and had a leave in conditioner and just left that in my hair and hoped for the best. And my soft and natural curls were so beautiful, not crunch and dry and flaky. So, I started looking into natural products and realized my dry, damaged hair was going to take a lot to fix. Now I have been trying to repair my hair that I have damaged for years and have found products that really work for me and I have made a vow to not straighten my hair ever again, this is the healthiest my hair has ever been in my life. Now, I've cut my hair before and gotten trims every three months (ladies fun fact to let your hair grow in healthy you should trim your hair about half an inch every 3-4 months) but two things: one, I wanted a change a big one and I feel like every girl in their life chops their hair off. Two, I knew the best way to grow my hair in healthy would be to make a dramatic cut to it and I am not bold enough to go bald (my head to big for all that and I could not pull it off like some girls.) I did a short curly bob instead. So, to everyone who thinks I am going through some early mid life crisis... I'm not I just wanted change. As a poet, I was inspired and wrote to all the curly haired girls.
From me to you:

To the curly headed girls

Wear your fro’s.

Be natural.

Be you.

Cut it.

Leave it long.

Straighten it if you want to.

Remember this, your hair does not define you, you are not your hair but your hair is you and

whatever you want it to be.