Cosmetics are definitely not my forte, and as a girl who doesn’t own a pair of heels and wears makeup only a handful of times a year, I had many unsuccessful years of DIY hair straightening under my belt.
It was the 90s, and no one felt pretty unless their hair was straight. I went to school with girls from a range of different cultural backgrounds. Egyptian, Lebanese, Italian and many more. As different as our looks were, we all had one thing in common, the burning desire for straight hair.
We would trade tips on how to get the straightest hair. Some girls chose the iron as their weapon of choice. And not straightening irons, your regular household iron typically used for straightening clothes. Ironing their hair on ironing boards or kitchen benches for maximum effect.
I chose the ‘healthier’ option. A steam-based hair straightener that used steam to replace moisture lost after turning each strand into dry brittle twigs. Kind of ironic when curly hair and humidity tend not to get along. Maybe that’s where I went wrong all those years ago.
But then we discovered chemical straightening. A permanent, chemical solution applied to your hair, that kept your hair straight until it grew out. Watch out world, the straight hair goddesses had arrived.
As an impressionable teen and early twenty-something I hated my curly hair.
As a 36-year old woman, I now love my curls, no doubt in part to Beyoncé. And while straight hair isn’t remotely on my agenda these days, as an impressionable teen and early twenty-something I hated my curly hair. The lack of diversity in models and women in mainstream media had set the tone for what was considered beautiful. Straight, gorgeous locks.
Reflecting on how I felt back then, that I wasn’t worth a look in without straight hair, offers insight into the shame and lack of self-acceptance those that don’t match the dominant culture can experience.
If hair seems a trivial point of reflection, consider how until 2014 the US Army banned women of African descent from wearing their hair in its natural form. Even today there are many women and girls with African heritage in the US, UK, South Africa and Australia that face discrimination for their natural hair, including discrimination and punishment at school and work.
It’s not isolated to women. Only a few nights ago, I was at a pub in a popular New South Wales coastal town watching a talented musician. But the only thing the young men in the crowd noticed was his hair. His afro was indeed fantastic. But the boys kept running up to him on stage with their phones showing him pictures of Krusty the Clown.
The lack of diversity in models and women in mainstream media had set the tone for what was considered beautiful. Straight, gorgeous locks.
Who's responsibility is it to set new, inclusive standards of beauty? While society can influence business, particularly in the content heavy, social media landscape we live in today, business can also influence society, with an inherent ability to set social norms and cultural trends.
Lingerie brand ThirdLife called out Victoria Secret on its exclusionary beauty ideals, offering a remarkable example of how a company can use its platforms and resources to change outdated beauty standards that fail to represent society as a whole.
Dominant and restrictive norms should be challenged. Who gets to decide what beauty is? Shouldn’t we all see ourselves in everything we read, watch and do?
While conversations around the dominance of western beauty standards are increasing, and we’re seeing more diversity in the fashion industry and mainstream media today, it still feels more like tokenism than actual change.
We need more Beyoncé’s in the world. More women who are encouraged to be themselves. Setting new trends and bringing their own cultures to the table. For we are all beautiful just as we are. We just need to start seeing beauty reflected in its many forms.
