When I was a child I hated having curly hair. Nobody else in my family had curls so it seemed like the fact that I had a head full of them created a lot of unwanted attention from my perspective as a child. People would ask my mother where my curls came from and she would just say she didn’t know. Of course there were the inevitable winks and jokes like, “What did the mailman look like?” which I didn’t quite understand but it always made people laugh. For the record, I happen to look very much like my father. The point is that all of this attention caused me to hate having curly hair. I used to actually cry and say, “No curls, is it?” asking for my mother to confirm what I so desperately desired to be true. But the fact remained that I do have curly hair.
When I grew up, I learned how to straighten my hair and wore it that way for a number of years. I happily lived in denial until my hair would get wet and the curls would start bouncing into place. Now, I embrace my head full of curls because it is an authentic part of who I am. It’s actually become part of my personal brand. I’m recognized and known for my curls. In fact, when I occasionally straighten my hair, people that know me don’t recognize me because I look so different. They actually walk right past me and don’t realize it’s me until I speak to them. So if there is something about you that stands out, use it to your advantage and make it part of your personal brand. And please don’t call me out on the color. It might not be quite as authentic. 🙂
An illustrator/ cartoonist who is a very good friend of mine, David Bamberg, even did a caricature of me that emphasizes my curls. I love it!
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