past
My natural stage consisted of huge fro’s and creative braid styles one week after the next. Most of the time my mom would be making her own choices of the types of styles she wanted in my own hair. I remember the times when I would sit between my mother’s legs as she would tug and pull through the knots in my hair. When she wasn’t doing that I was at one of my favorite salons, called “Child's Play”. There I would choose what type of hairstyle I wanted and what accessories I wanted to go with it. As I grew older, I became less dependent on my mom and started making my own choices. My hair strengthened the bond between my mother and I. While I was grateful for that, I also wanted to start doing things for myself. Even if the choices I was making were minor such as picking my own hairstyle or doing my own hair, that meant the world to me at that age.
recent
Middle school was my perm phase. Although it wasn’t my decision to begin to get it I grew to like it. My parents initially made the decision for me to get this hairstyle and even though it was a shock to me I quickly made this style my own. The long, grueling hours of applying the perm, washing, blow drying, and straightening my hair was worth it to me at the time when I saw what the end result was.Once I finished that whole process I loved the way my hair looked. Perm wasn't the only new thing that I adapted during middle school. My independence grew as my parents let me do more things for myself. Travelling on my own, doing activities without adult supervision, and unfortunately chores are just some of them many new freedoms that I gained. I began to see things in a different perspective once I was given the opportunity to just learn and do things myself.
present
High school is my experimentation stage. There’s not an exact hairstyle that I have now. Sometimes you may see me with braids in my hair and the next week I may have a high puff on my head. My hairstyles basically vary from week to week or month to month. Being in high school opened the door to many newfound freedoms that my parents gave me and ones that I created for myself. Like with my hair, I began trying and doing different things. One major difference was getting my first ever job. I was experiencing working with others, managing my money, and dealing with difficult situations. Joining Girls Write Now, my school softball team, and many other programs were also other new experiences for me. A feeling of self reliance came upon me and that's when I knew I was branching out more and becoming independent. This realization came upon when recognized that I was making choices for myself and not waiting for my parents to make them for me. As I continue high school and venture off into college I hope to experience even more newfound freedoms that will help me grow as a person.
about
Hi guys! This is my project called Freedence Through Hair! On this website I will be showing you how my hair journey influenced my life and helped me become independent throughout my elementary, middle, and high school years.