{"id":199,"date":"2025-10-01T12:03:43","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T19:03:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawan.trubox.ca\/?page_id=199"},"modified":"2026-02-12T22:00:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T06:00:28","slug":"informative-story","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hawan.trubox.ca\/?page_id=199","title":{"rendered":"Informative Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Festival braids\/ feed in braids:
Braids with extension hair added into the hair from the beginning of the braid. Green coloured extensions are used to achieve a vibrant style.This is a style that has been increasingly adopted by people of all races for events such as festivals and concerts. it shows that braids have now become appreciated by all types of people.
(Hawan Abdissa, 2025)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Western Beauty Standards and Braids<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hawan Abdissa- T00668085<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Braids have been an important aspect in not only my life but in many different cultures as well. They can be a display of individuality, culture, and beauty. Since the start of African civilizations hairstyles played an important role and held meanings within communities (Nyambura, 2012). At times In western societies some individuals feel pressure to alter their curly or kinky hair to achieve a more Eurocentric look (Bencosme, 2017). I have had my own journey in regard to this and have come full circle. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019t 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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). <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Natural box braids:
Simple 3 strand braid done on short hair. This is the simplest and easiest style of braids. It can be done any type of hair ( curly, wavy, straight).
(Hawan Abdissa, 2025)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Dutch braids + 2 mini cornrows:
2 bigger cornrows accompanied by 2 mini cornrows in the middle. Shows the variation that can be done in terms of sizes of braid.
(Hawan Abdissa, 2025)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cornrows:
Braids closely braided to the scalp with a zig zag parting in between. This photo demonstrates how a simple straightback cornrow can be parted in order to give the wearer a sense of individuality\/ style.
(Hawan Abdissa, 2025)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Goddess Braids:
Long 3 strand braids that have extension hair braided into them creating a bohemian look. These braids are very versatile and can offer a look between having braids and wavy hair.
(Hawan Abdissa, 2025)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s different. It may not have been trendy to wear braids when I was growing up, but now it\u2019s what I eventually ended up getting paid to do . That\u2019s the funny thing about trends, they\u2019re 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\u2019s better we open our minds to the beauty in differences and arm ourselves with the confidence to be authentic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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click -><\/a>Download<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Click the download button to the left to watch a video that goes deeper into the story and displays the process of braids!<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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References<\/strong>

Bencosme, Yamilex. (2017). Beauty is Pain: Black Women\u2019s Identity and Their Struggle with Embracing Their Natural Hair.\u00a0Perspectives<\/em>: Vol. 9, Article 1. https:\/\/scholars.unh.edu\/perspectives\/vol9\/iss1\/1\/<\/a>

Nyambura, R., Nyamache, T., & Tarus, I. (2012). Fashion and Beauty\u202f: A Historical Perspective.\u00a0LAMBERT Academic Publishing<\/em>.
https:\/\/www.academia.edu\/download\/86492394\/fashion_20pdf.pdf<\/a>

Wong, N., Williams, K., Tolliver, S., & Potts, G. (2025). Historical Perspectives on Hair Care and Common Styling Practices in Black Women.\u00a0Cutis<\/em>,\u00a0115<\/em>(3), 95\u201398.
https:\/\/cdn.mdedge.com\/files\/s3fspublic\/issues\/articles\/CT115003095.pdf<\/a>

LoungeV Films. (2015, June 7). Relaxing Music and Nature Sounds. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=DXzk5i4Ofe8<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Western Beauty Standards and Braids Hawan Abdissa- T00668085 Braids have been an important aspect in not only my life but in many different cultures as well. They can be a display of individuality, culture, and beauty. Since the start of African civilizations hairstyles played an important role and held meanings within communities (Nyambura, 2012). At […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3224,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-199","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawan.trubox.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawan.trubox.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawan.trubox.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawan.trubox.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3224"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawan.trubox.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=199"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/hawan.trubox.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":290,"href":"https:\/\/hawan.trubox.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/199\/revisions\/290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawan.trubox.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}