Informative Story

In my early school years, braids were so special they had their own day of the week. Every Sunday my mother and I spent the whole day together washing and styling my hair. We would chat, eat snacks, watch tv, and laugh as she did my braids. In our very busy schedules, it was a moment where time would slow down. She would allow her creativity flow through and always braid a new pattern that she had seen or thought of. As much as I loved the time we spent together and the beauty of the braids, the need to fit into the western standards of beauty surrounding me outshined that love. I would be asked why do you have the same hair style every day? Do you wash your hair? Why don’t you wear your hair normal? As a young child trying to fit in, these questions haunted me, so I decided to swap out hair days with my mom to hair days with my blow-dryer and straightener. As time went on, I realized there were too many negatives that came from this decision. My decision to abandon the braids was met with acceptance from others but I felt that I no longer accepted my natural hair and sense of style. The constant heat gave my hair a sleek look, but it took away the length and fullness due to breakage. If I created a pros and cons list, each side would have an even number of entries.

In my adult life, braids made a re-emergence and have since remained. I have worn them as a protective style, and they have done wonders for the health of my hair as well as my self-esteem and appreciation of different forms of beauty.Braids can have many benefits for individuals with curly and kinky hair. Common concerns pertaining to this hair texture are dryness, brittleness with increased susceptibility to breakage (Wong et al, 2025). Braids are intended for long term wear and minimize breakage caused by over manipulation (Wong et al, 2025). Individuals can wear their hair in braids from a couple of weeks to months to a couple months depending on the style. Styles include cornrows which are done closely along the scalp or individual braids that can be done in different sizes and offer more versatility (Wong et al, 2025).  

Although what is beautiful to one person may be different to what is beautiful to another, as a society I think we need to be open to seeing the beauty in everything, even if it’s different. It may not have been trendy to wear braids when I was growing up, but now it’s what I eventually ended up getting paid to do . That’s the funny thing about trends, they’re constantly evolving. What was once different and un-popular will one day become common and normal. Instead of waiting for that one day, I think it’s better we open our minds to the beauty in differences and arm ourselves with the confidence to be authentic.