Embracing the Triangle: Learning to Love "Wrong" Hair
The good, the bad, and the who cares?
For as long I can remember, I have had good-bad hair. From birth—when I emerged from the womb with a full head of Don King-like tufts—to approximately 10 years old, I had great, heavy sable swaths, so straight they couldn't hold a curl. Then puberty descended, and from then on, I had to contend with masses and masses of horsey, cowlick-y pouf that only recently settled into something resembling a mid-length style. Kind of like a topiary. Because it is now also green.
Others would tell you that these are the delusions of a malcontent, because, no, you actually have great hair, but it doesn't bother me—minus that time I wept in a stylist's chair in Taichung because she cut the layers so short it actually bloomed into a mushroom cloud, I've always been rather "whatever" about the state of my head, ext. Then the dye and the shears happened a few weeks ago, and I began really, *really* feeling myself, even though, objectively, there is still plenty of room for improvement. (Isn't there always?)
Here's the thing: Even though the beauty-industrial complex has crossed over into Loving Your Natural Texture! and Straight Isn't the Only Way!, there are still certain sorts of hair that have yet to be held up as desirable. See how The Curly-Haired One has spirals as perfectly formed and separate as double helixes? See how there's nobody—nobody who's not an "after" in an ad for smoothing cream, that is—with clumpy, stiff, bunches that are more sea sponge than human fiber? The seesaw might have tipped in favor of acceptance, but it hasn't helped up the smaller kid who's slipped off—the one with the ends cut far too blunt to do anything for the volume.
And yet...do we really need commercials when we've got Instagram and, oh, our own ever-malleable minds? Look at Nastassja Kinski in Paris, Texas with her pink angora jumper and a faintly polygonal lob. Regan Laird walking Gucci with a cumulonimbus of white-blonde cotton wool. Fried, bleached-out surfer waves at Alexander Wang. Poor Barb from Stranger Things! Wasn't The Daria kind of pointy too? (It was.) Even Transparent's Gaby Hoffmann, with her thick, gray-streaked bob so solid it kind of *sits* there on its own.
That's the rub: Hair is what you make it, not only in the sense of a life-making run-in with some neon pigment. Take a *real* look over one someone's prescribed for you, even if it goes against everything else out there. Choose risk over safety, wrong over "correct," which is usually code for "the wimpy path of least resistance." Any kind of hair can be good if you've got the conviction. After all, the triangle is the strongest shape.
A post shared by Christiaan (@hairbychristiaan)
A photo posted by on
Follow Marie Claire on Facebook for the latest celeb news, beauty tips, fascinating reads, livestream video, and more.
Stay In The Know
Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.
Chelsea Peng is a writer and editor who was formerly the assistant editor at Marie Claire. She's also worked for The Strategist and Refinery29, and is a graduate of Northwestern University. On her tombstone, she would like a GIF of herself that's better than the one that already exists on the Internet and a free fro-yo machine. Besides frozen dairy products, she's into pirates, carbs, Balzac, and snacking so hard she has to go lie down.
-
The CFDA Awards Red Carpet Had an Unofficial Dress Code: American Glamour
This year's looks highlighted emerging brands and industry power players.
By Halie LeSavage Published
-
Blake Lively Styles Herself Like a Boss for the CFDA Awards
She dripped in diamonds.
By Halie LeSavage Published
-
Kylie Jenner and This Couture Gown Are Birds of a Feather
The beauty mogul hit the CFDA Awards red carpet in a 'Black Swan'-coded look.
By Hanna Lustig Published
-
What Is Sugar Waxing? Everything to Know, According to Experts
It's also less painful than some alternatives.
By Iman Balagam Published
-
13 Best Drugstore Concealers That Feel Surprisingly Luxurious
Great things *do* come with small price tags.
By Iman Balagam Published
-
Starface Founder Julie Schott Shares Her Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
The entrepreneur spoke to editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike for the 'Marie Claire' podcast "Nice Talk."
By Sadie Bell Last updated
-
This Valentino Perfume Is the Best Fragrance of 2024, According to Beauty Experts
It's a layerable, floral fragrance.
By Samantha Holender Published
-
Is Colostrum the New Collagen?
Doctors and wellness professionals have a lot to say about TikTok's supplement of the moment.
By Gabrielle Ulubay Published
-
TikTok Is Making "Unsexy" Beauty Products Seem Very Appealing
There's more to worthwhile products than pretty packaging.
By Halie LeSavage Published
-
Fendi's First Fragrances Are Designed for Fashion Obsessives
It's finally available to shop.
By Halie LeSavage Last updated
-
Beauty Experts Called Out Youthforia's New Foundation in May. The Founder Apologized Four Months Later
This isn't the way to do inclusive shades.
By Halie LeSavage Last updated