You hear about people of color being under-represented in the entertainment industry. I think we all realize that needs to change and I also think change is happening, although not fast enough. But you know what else is under-represented–vilified even–in the entertainment industry? Curly hair. Yup, th__ere is not enough curly hair on camera__ and I'm sick of it. I just read a piece by Meena Heart Duerson that is basically an open letter asking celebrities to stop straightening their hair and I hope that celebrities listen because all this phony straight hair is making my curly-haired daughters think their hair is "crazy" and "messy" and "out of control."
Inspired by Meena Heart Duerson, I have a request to make to curly haired celebrities too. Listen up, especially my curly haired Latina sisters!
Read more ¿Qué más?: Jennifer Lopez FINALLY embraces her naturally curly hair
To My Curly-haired Latina Sisters Who Happen to be Celebrities,
Mujeres, you are beautiful and talented. Thank you for representing! We love you, we look up to you, we want to know where you shop and where you get your hair done. If you have curly hair and rock it with pride, how awesome is that for those of us who have curly hair too?
To see you on the screen big or little or on the cover of a magazine with wonderful curls disregarding everyone's insistence that the only way to look put together is to straighten and dominate rizos that want to bounce free, is liberating and proof that beauty, strength and power can walk into any room with pelo chino.
No, there is nothing wrong with having choices, with choosing to wear your hair straight on occasion, but what are you saying to me and my curly-haired daughters if you almost never let us see your hair in it's natural ringleted glory? Are you telling us you don't like curls, that we shouldn't like our curls? Because you may not think that's what you are saying, but as the mother of a 3-year-old and an almost 6-year-old, I can tell you that's what they are hearing.
Don't believe me? It's so true. My daughters have gorgeous curly hair, it gets complimented everywhere we go. Then they turn on the TV and see so much straight hair and there is nothing wrong with straight hair, but where is their hair? Why can't they see their hair when I KNOW some of you ladies have hair like them?
I tell myself it's okay because I tell them their hair is awesome every single day. Then one day I buy my 3-year-old a princess costume and she puts it on and tells me that she wishes she could be a "real" princess and as much as I have issues with the whole princess thing, I suck it up and say, "You are a princess." And you know what she answered? She said, "No, I'm not because my hair doesn't look like this and she pointed at a picture of the princess on her dress who has straight hair." She's 3!!! So do you see why it matters that you rock your curly hair for us? For the next generation of curly-haired girls.
And to all the curly-haired celebrities that do rock their curls the majority of the time: THANK YOU! Thank you from me, but mostly thank you for and from them:
Yours truly,
The curly-haired mother of two curly-haired girls
Images via Getty Images, Unknown Mami
