Saturday, January 20, 2007

Swiss Miss!

Hello all, sorry for the lack of posting all last week. I was actually on a trip to Geneva, Switzerland, and things were so crazy before I left that I forgot to post an announcement about it.

However, I can write a short post about one thing I noticed in Switzerland, and I think this is something common throughout Europe-- women seem to wear their hair naturally much more there. I've heard this said before about women in Paris, for example. Here in the states, it seems everyone's gravitating towards this ultra-styled look-- everywhere you look, most women look perfectly blown-out, or with super-straight, sleek styles that can only come from slaving away with a flat iron, or with bouncy, beautiful curling-iron ringlets. It probably stems somewhat from how every movie and sitcom showcases women who seem to wake up every morning looking perfectly groomed. Everyone's hair is styled, and you can always tell.

But in Europe women seem to instead learn how to work with their own hair texture. They don't end up looking like frizzy messes-- instead they embrace their curly or wavy-haired-ness, and get good cuts that seem to suit their hair type. They must find products that make the most of their hair texture, rather than fighting it. Or they find chic ways to wear it up and out of their face, without having to spend hours on their hair.

I must say, I find this somewhat inspiring (and not just because I happen to be flat-iron-less at the moment, after foolishly burning mine out with the wrong type of power adapter). It's a relief to know that it's ok to just wear my hair naturally. This is silly, of course, because really I've always known this, but it does feel like there's pressure here to "do your hair," making one feel as if she's not properly grooming herself otherwise. When other women around you wear their hair in the curls and waves that only come from Mother Nature, it feels more "ok" to allow yourself to do the same. Maybe I should grow my bangs out, instead of continuing to wear a style that dictates the need for straightening them out. Maybe I should invest in a good haircut that will allow me to make the most of my curly hair, rather than fight it most days.

Maybe we should all consider doing the same, and save ourselves the time (and our hair the heat-damage) of everyday styling.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think this is the best idea! About three years ago, I started on my journey to finding and embracing my natural hair texture and I haven't looked back!