Hair New Era

Here I am walking through the mall when a little man approaches me and says,

"Honey, I love your hair. Do you ever straighten it?"

Not much, I say, thinking he has the most unoriginal pick-up line ever.

"Because it takes too long?" he asks. Now I see what he's up to.

Well, yes, and because straightening too much is unhealthy. And (gasp) I like my curls.

Then he grabs my arm and hustles me off to his little kiosk, where he shows me his "revolutionary" flat-iron-curling-iron-blow-dryer, made by the Italian company Amika. He says it actually makes the hair healthier. He asks if he can straighten a hunk of my hair. I tell him I don't have that much time. He says he can do my whole head in ten minutes. Yeah, right. He said that once I see the amazing work of the flat iron, I will fork over $200 for the thing and will want to straighten my "crazy" hair every day. There it is: the stereotype that curls = bad/crazy/unruly and straight = pretty/tame/professional.

I have to admit that straightening my hair can be fun. And unfortunately, at times I play to the straight = professional thing when I wear straight hair to an interview or first day of work or the first day of a class I'm teaching. But by Day 2 I'm back to curls. I definitely won't do it every day.

I turn to the little man, who is holding his little iron and looking hopefully at my hair.

No, thank you.