Entry #1:
Hi everyone!My name is Melinda and I'm transitioning! Wes is letting me document my transition on her site (God bless her, right?). I figured if I wrote it down for other people to read, I'd be less likely to go back to the creamy crack. I mean let's face it: it's an addiction, right? So my journal entries will detail the ups and downs of transitioning. The joys and triumphs, the tears and frustration... Too much? Ok, I'll just begin.
I got my first perm when I was 9 after begging and pleading with my mom. She wasn’t too hard to convince because she was tired of getting me to sit still and “hold my ear” whiled she pressed my hair for picture days, birthdays, church events, and holidays. When my hair wasn’t straightened my mom kept it braided and it was super thick. But like most black girls I was always told that I didn’t have good hair because when water hit it, it didn’t wave or curl. It KINKED. When it was straightened people told me how pretty I was and I loved the way my hair flowed around my shoulders… (I just had an Ah ha! Moment.) So for 13 years, I lived in the hair salon. I spent entire Saturdays there with my mom and my sister. The only one who was against my mom perming my hair was my dad. He had tears in his eyes when he saw my hair. I didn’t care; all I knew was that I was pretty, all the time now. Gradually my hair got shorter and it wasn’t as thick, but it never crossed my mind to stop getting perms. It was a way of life for all the black girls I knew. I just wished my family could’ve been mixed with a little Indian, a pinch of Colombian, and a dash of Italian, because then my hair would be more curly than kinky. My curls would be loose not tight. I was about 15 and trying to dilute my Black heritage.
3 comments:
I got my first perm when I was thirteen and my dad was also against it. I'm eighteen now and decided to grow out my perm. I used to get compliments on my thick dark hair before I got my perm but that was mostly after I got it blown out so it was straight. I also had an Ah ha! moment. First I was spending more money relaxing my hair and getting a wash and set every other week. Then my hair was breaking and getting lighter on top of that. So now I am trying to transition. It's diificult but I see people who are can do it and that encourages me not to go back to the perm.
i got my first perm when i was nine also and my father was also against it. my mom had to sneak me to the salon to get it done. i am now transitioning (at the age of 15) and i can't tell if he's happy that i'm switching back or not.
This is interesting. Do fathers know best? I can't wait to tell mine. He'll just give me that "I know what I'm talking about" look. Oh boy. Lol
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