Fatma

No one told me how easy it was to be influenced by my peers. I guess they wanted me to wait to find out for myself, so that I could ruin all of my best features trying to fit in.

I’m Turkish Cypriot, and like many of my compatriots, I’ve had curly hair since I was a baby. I’ve never wanted straight hair. But now, as a self-conscious girl in year 9 (aka 8th grade) who goes to a predominately white Anglo school, I feel like I’m starting to feel the tug of the majority.

This past week, I straightened my shoulder-length, super curly hair and went into school. And as I walked into class on Monday, I felt a change in the way I was being treated. The “cool” girls in my year group were complimenting me and none of the boys picked on me. Being the naïve person that I am, I thought it was just a coincidence. But it wasn’t; every day I went into school with straight hair I was treated much better than I am usually. People would rather treat a girl with straight hair nicely, as opposed to a girl with curly hair?!

Knowing this is the rule annoys me, but I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy how nicely people treated me. All of the “popular” boys—with their ’90s curtain haircuts—were actually nice to me. My peers actually engaged me in conversation.

It’s tempting to give in to peer pressure, or the pressure to conform, but I really don’t want to ruin the texture of my hair just because people are treating me better. When I go to school on Monday, with my hair curly, I’ll have to remember how much I love my natural state. And that I’m lucky to have that love to guard me from the years of hair-destruction I could’ve faced.

By the way, I’m definitely not dissing anyone who straightens their hair. If you’re into it, go for it! It’s just not my thing. I know that soon, I’ll find people who will appreciate me as I am. ♦