Grrrl Couch Vol. 3 Photographed and written by Ruby RaĂąoa
Thank you to all that supported this project and the whole Grrrl Couch zine in general. Much love.
CURL POWER I chose to go through with this photoshoot and create this zine because of my own experience with curly hair. I’ve struggled with my curls a lot. I’d say even that was an understatement. When I was little, I had a full head of golden blonde and brown curls. Everyday I prayed for straight silky hair like all the other girls at my school. I began coloring my hair in third grade. Bleach, semi-permanent dye, the whole deal. My curls were lost in the process, which is what I thought I wanted. In middle school I straightened my hair every. single. morning. I dyed my hair every few weeks for years and years and years, and it was only last year was I hit the point where I swore off majorly damaging my hair. Now I’m on my journey to getting my curls back and finally accepting my natural hair for what it is. In my perspective now, my curls represent my own wild, passionate personality. It represents to me, my own acceptance of myself and the body I am in. Here’s to you, curly girls (and guys and everything in between). Love your curls. P.S. I do recognize the lack of diversity in curl pattern and race. I simply took pictures of my curly headed friends. Any lack of diversity is obviously unintentional.
Kira, 17 How did you learn to love your curls? “Honestly, I learned to love my hair when I decided I wanted to love myself. What really helped me was recognizing that it's a good thing my hair is unique. It's a good thing it doesn't look like anyone around me. As cheesy as it sounds, that's what makes me special.” What does “curl power” mean to you? “When I think of "curl power" I think of the fact that curly hair can't really be controlled. It just does what it does and you gotta learn to accept and work with that. I think that's a really good metaphor for self-image and accepting who you are.” Anything else you’d like to add? “Yea, I'd like to point out that me learning to love my curly hair is very different from a person of color learning to love theirs. Curly hair on a person of color is political and is actually banned in certain work and school environments. As a white person, I do not have to work through systemic oppression to love any part of my body. Therefor, even though I've had insecurities, me learning to love my curly hair was made much simpler and easier because of my white privilege.”
Kira is one of the closest people to me in my life. She means the world to me. During the photoshoot we had, I could tell she was not completely comfortable around the camera all the time. I found these candid photos where she’s genuinely laughing and giggling, and I think she looks absolutely beautiful in them. I couldn’t help but share them.
Did you ever have a hard time loving your hair?
Nizar,
“Definitely, growing up I always wanted to have super straight hair so I could look like those “cool” emo guys I saw on the internet.” How did you learn to love it?
“I think I started to love my hair in high school because I was a lot less self conscious and I would grow it out long but still keep it in a style.” What does “curl power” mean to you? “Just to be proud and love your curls.”
, 18 “People are obsessed with touching curly hair and it’s really annoying and totally violating my personal space.”
************** What are some positive experiences you have had relating to your hair? “Mostly people complimenting it, nothing crazy.”
Macy, 15 What does “curl power” mean to you? “To me, curl power represents the beautiful group of people who embrace their hair and teach others to love their own.” What are some positive experiences have you had relating to your hair? “I have bonded with other girls through my hair, taking about products that work well or how we take care of our curls.” What are some negative experiences have you had relating to your hair? “I haven’t had many negative experiences, other than a few humid days where I just felt like my hair was out of control.” How did you learn to love your hair? “I learned to love it by accepting that different is good and trying different styles.” Have any curly hair product recommendations? “I would definitely recommend argan oil for dry/ frizzy hair.”
Naia, 11 Did you ever have a hard time loving your hair? “I’ve had a hard time because other people have straight hair and sometimes I think it looks better. Other people treat me differently than people with straight hair.”
How so? “Everybody in my class has straight hair and my friend said, “Naia, did you know you’re the only one with curly hair?” Two kids said it looked weird, but my other friends say it looks cool.”
Grrrl Couch Vol. 3 Released April 2018 @grrrlcouch on Instagram grrrlcouch.tumblr.com issuu.com/grrrlcouch