I have always felt like I lived in different worlds, none of which I quite fit. I have spent a lot of time trying to understand what it means to be Latina and my hair played a role in that. As a child I was teased and told I “didn’t look Mexican” because of my hair and was often left feeling like I didn’t belong outside of my immediate family.

In high school I participated in a Latino program for teens. We were talking about professionalism, and it was one of the few seasons in which I didn’t straighten or relax my hair, and the [Latinx] woman presenting announced to the room “...curly hair is very unprofessional. You should try to keep it straight or flattened,” which seemed unnecessary since I was the only one who didn’t have straight hair. She avoided eye contact, of course.

In our communities, hair is very much connected to societal race relations and colorism. Pelo malo is translated as ‘bad hair’ and used to refer to kinkier, curly hair and its rooted in racism. 

My mother adored and nurtured my pelo rizo. She would wake up at 6 am to comb it and would say "this is a part of you and one day you will learn to love it" and (like usual) she was right. Learning to love the parts of yourself in which you were once made to feel shame is a journey and it’s one that I am grateful for. It took years of practice [and emotional healing] to learn how to accept my curls. Honestly it was the natural hair movement of Black/Afro-Latinx women and the growth of that industry that gave me my confidence. Now as an adult I feel so blessed to have my hair, it can do so much!

I wanted to showcase the essence of some women in my life that inspire me to love my pelo rizo. I am in awe of the brilliance, confidence, talent and beauty of these three and I hope these pictures capture even just a fraction. I asked them all one simple question:

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR HAIR?