Why Are Women Still Judged For Wearing Their Hair Curly?

It's a sad fact that, even today, many women wouldn't be caught dead flaunting naturally air-dried curls or waves. Despite the damaging effects of straightening, heat-styling, or chemical treatments (and the hours that it can sometimes take to stretch tight curls into submission), there still seems to be a fascination with smooth, sleek hair — and women of all ethnicities and hair types seem to be willing to go to almost any length (or cost) to get straight, shiny locks.

The question is, why? Is it because women genuinely prefer the look of straight hair, or is it because straight hair is often perceived as more "professional" and "put-together" than curly hair? One writer set out to determine the reasons behind her own flat-iron obsession when she recently went cold-turkey on heat styling and, for the first time in her life, embraced her natural waves.

As it turned out, the journey to self-love was much more difficult than Marianne Power expected it to be. The feedback she received about her natural locks from both colleagues and friends was mixed, to put it diplomatically. One pal told Power that she looked "less uptight" with her natural waves, yet a colleague called her new look "Bohemian" (and not, Power assures, in a positive way). And, Power herself admits that wearing her hair naturally made her feel like "a mad woman." She writes, "[I realized] that with straight, well-behaved hair I blend in, but with my own bushy hair I stood out. I didn't like it."

Thankfully, towards the end of her two-week experiment, Power ended up embracing her amber waves — and learning to care less about what other people thought, whether she was in the boardroom or on a date. We applaud Power for facing her own hair-related demons — and, for the record, we love how the writer looks so darn happy with her new look. Tell us, does her story inspire you to let your naturally curly hair be? (The Daily Mail)