chiniece-curlygirlystory

[chiniece-curlygirlystory]

Girlhood + Makeup

My first experience with makeup came in the form of a cheap princess makeup set that came with a pair of high heels shoes to imitate the popular glass slipper from Disney’s “Cinderella”. Clip-on earrings, rings, and beaded necklaces intended to mimic diamonds we all know diamonds are a girl's best friend personally I'm more of a gold or pearl girly but I digress we all had this set or some variation of it. I’d dress up in little heels barely able to walk in them, lips properly glossed, peel off nail polish on my fingers with glittery eyeshadow across my eyelids the perfect embodiment of the prettiest girl in the world, well at least in my mind at that age. I often think about the fact that at an early age as girls, we’re given very few options at developmental stages in our lives when it comes to what could be our interests. We’re given baby dolls, cooking sets, make-up, and jewelry-making kits to keep our hands busy. We’re indoctrinated early on into the mindset to be focused on our looks and this translates into our older years switching out the cheaply manufactured make-up palettes to more expensive make-up kits equipped with the necessary items to perfectly conceal any imperfections that we may have. I had no interest in makeup after those days of enjoying the children's make-up sets. At most, I would use flavored lip gloss that came in an array of colours that wouldn't show on your lips but they were pretty to look at. Until I was a bit older maybe around 15 years old, again the influence of my eldest sister, she properly introduced me to make-up, and again for the first time, I had this feeling of fireworks going off in my mind. That initial “WOW”  I could look so pretty in a whole different form that  I had never known. Again I was sitting on the chair in front of the mirror my hair freshly done on my wonky kinky twists and now my face done well with a sparly shimmer shadow almost mirroring how it was done in my early years. The bold red lip didn't suit me at all but I  felt so pretty at that moment I didn't care. Something about that changes your brain chemistry as a young girl wearing makeup for the first time simply to go nowhere getting ready with your eldest sister It is quite remarkable and to this day I long for that experience once again. I'm very glad that I can still look back on that memory fondly and not with any type of disdain. Others have different experiences making their relationship with makeup more negative than mine and see it as a form of oppression. For me make-up is something that brought me joy simply because I didn't feel pressured or made to believe that it was something I needed I was reassured by my sister throughout the whole process that I was perfect with or without it makeup added to my natural beauty. I knew this before but the words of affirmation were very much needed for me to keep a great relationship with makeup. Even now when I wear my simple false eyelashes, brown lip liner coconut scented lip gloss over the top, and my blush I feel that same amount of confidence that I would have with a bare face. 

       I believe all women are pretty without makeup, but  with the right makeup can be pretty powerful

   -Your favourtie Curly Girly

[chiniece-curlygirlystory]

Girlhood + Hair

A huge part of girlhood for me was surrounded by my hair, particularly how it was styled. Being a young black girl in the Caribbean, I think it's indicative of our experience at one point we'd sit in between our mother's legs or a very close relative to have our hair braided on a Sunday afternoon before school on Monday. Styles ranged from extravagant partings in canerows, braids, and two-strand twists adorned with clips, bubbles, and ribbons to make us look presentable. This was the case for me until at some stage my hair was relaxed. Moving from detailed and creative hair designs downgrading to a simple container of chemicals making my once kinky hair filled with expression into a sleek conformative look. I can remember being 6 years old when this happened, my mother had relaxed hair it was easier for her to manage at the time and she thought why not do the same to me? I was old enough for my young scalp to take on the harsh chemicals. I still remember the pink and green box with the little girl on the packaging her hair straight with curler set curls in them at the end, I thought wow I'd look so pretty like that too. Although now I look back on it as the innocence of my virgin hair being stolen from me. After I turned 14 I decided to no longer have my hair chemically relaxed I wanted to get to know my natural hair. I couldn't remember what my hair looked like when I was robbed of an experience figuring out how to manage my hair. So I took it upon myself to go on the journey of becoming a natural again. I did the big chop and rocked my tiny afro for quite some time then my sister did my hair in afro kinky twists for the first time. It made me feel like the prettiest girl on earth and no one could tell me otherwise. She had never done that style before on anyone, I was basically her guinea pig so she could figure out how to do it on herself. I of course was more than willing to be a lab rat, they looked wonky but I didn't care I loved them because I had never seen myself like that before. I felt pretty with my hair relaxed yes, I loved getting my hair put into a fresh curler set every Sunday, but something about the kinky twists had just resonated with me more. I felt a sense of identity with all its imperfections the wonky parts, I felt different and that was better than anything in the world. Another part of your hair journey as a young black girl was when you were allowed to get your first set of box braids with colour at the ends. For some reason, the universal option chosen is more often than not purple.  I've asked my friends and they too said their first experience with coloured braids was purple. We all gravitated to purple there's something so innocent about our collective love of the colour purple in our hair as young girls juxtaposed our different tones of beautiful skin we all looked phenomenal. Even now as I'm on the cusp of being a full-blown adult entering my 20s I still find myself experimenting with my hair in different styles. This year alone I've done several styles from faux locs, butterfly locs, Marley twists, box braids with beads, French braids and lace front wigs. I always find myself back to kinky twists, they hold a special place in my heart they opened my eyes to see my true beauty in a natural state. My younger self got to experience that feeling of getting a natural hairstyle done for the first time I'll never be able to get that back again  I do envy my younger self for having that feeling of being renewed, reborn, liberated even. Hair and one’s journey with their hair is a particularly important part of girlhood specifically black girlhood that no one speaks on and I'm glad that I'm able to do so through my blog.

     I didn't go natural I started to love the hair I was born with.

           -Your favourite Curly Girly 

All photos used can be found in the linked Pinterest board :)

[chiniece-curlygirlystory]

My Thought Process

I had no idea what I wanted my blog to say. Every thought in my head started feeling like variations of half-baked ideas that others have already explored in greater detail. Would my addition to any particular conversation even be necessary? Do I possess the vocabulary to convey the messages I want to relay efficiently? I found myself obsessing over these questions and decisions I had to make to the point of throwing myself into a severely panicked state, trying to weigh my options as to how I could still pass this course without a mark for this assignment. Unfortunately, passing this course and not creating this blog could not exist in my reality and failure is never a viable option in my book as it would in turn be an extra layer to my anxiety and self-doubt. With this realization, an epiphany of some sort so to speak, I made the connection that I should create a blog surrounding my own experiences, perhaps someone would read it and by any means relate to it. I finally had a start, which is usually the hardest part but then the uncertainty came back “What's so special about your experiences? And why should it be the main focus of your blog?” and I can admit it is an entirely cliche troop to follow. Nothing new or captivating, again fell into my half-baked ideas category. However this time it was different. Instead of falling into my usual cycle of anxiety and defeatism, I turned to a topic I found myself fascinated with at the moment. Ironically enough in typical Gen Z fashion, I learned about it through TikTok, the basic concept of “girlhood”. So here we have the focus of my blog girlhood. Its definition according to Urban Dictionary is 

“The state, shared experience, and mindset of being a girl. Not yet a woman, but the coming-of-age memories/moments each girl experiences as they grow. Girlhood can be shaped by both shared and individual experiences, feelings, and moments in a girl's life..” 

This definition perfectly encapsulates the essence of girlhood that I wish to explore in my blog in combination with my own “girlhood” experiences. 

     Focus on the steps in front of you, not the whole staircase

    -Your favourite Curly Girly