Thoughts From a Curly Girl on NY Textured Hair Bill

Growing up with my naturally textured hair was a reminder of my uniqueness. When you are a young child, you don’t think much about it. But, as you get older, it seems that society teaches you to see yourself—and those around you—differently. Beauty brands have come a long way since then. Women like me weren’t always seen in ads, commercials, or magazines.

But, just as women with anything but long, straight, and silky hair weren’t conveniently advertised as beautiful, access to services for my naturally curly hair were also not conveniently found.

Each improvement and every win absolutely matters.

But as America continues to blend in nationalities and cultures, some will purely identify with a blended experience. I am a mixed-race woman, and growing up, there weren’t many of us. I remember a lot of stares, questions, and finger-pointing when I was younger. Now, however, mixed race people are not only everywhere you look, but we also represent a wide array of beauty. Among people of color, there exists a multitude of different hair textures, some more wavy and some more curly. So now that it seems more states will start to implement similar textured hair policies for beauty education, there will be more opportunities for every single one of us.

And that’s exactly why I don’t view this as an either/or situation. It’s a step toward an ideal circumstance where our community simply has more choice. It means more freedom when deciding where to go for a self-care day - like those who may not have natural, textured hair - who can already walk into essentially any hair salon and be able to get pampered.

Ideally it will mean that gone are the days for people like myself and my loved ones who may not feel like they belong, who may have been “othered,” or even turned away from certain hair salons. Personally, if I’m having a bad hair day and need a quick fix, it will be nice to have the choice to head to the nearest shop with the soonest appointment, regardless of my race. Or if I want to share a more holistic experience with members of my community, I can still choose to specifically visit an African American-owned salon and do just that.

While this is a great step toward progress, in my opinion, it’s an even greater step toward inclusivity and the luxury of choice.