| Majoring in Curls | |
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Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday of all. I love it more than Arbor Day, Valentine’s Day, the 4th of July, and even more than Christmas.
A lot of the Thanksgiving love comes from the well-founded myth, that any calories one consumes upon a day of celebration do not ever add to one’s waistline. Ok, I made that one up, but it’s not considered completely gluttonous to gorge a little bit on Thanksgiving. Also love the fact that I get to see my family and hang out with them, if only for a couple days until I head back to school. And I can’t tell you how much I adore the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
But the best thing for me about Thanksgiving is the being thankful part. At dinner, my family goes around the table and everyone has to say what they’re thankful for. I’m always grateful that everyone is healthy and safe. And of course we’re all thankful for good food, close friends and great opportunities.
Now let’s look at it from a curly girl’s point of view.
In the first place, I’m thankful to have a head full of curly hair. It’s one of the things about me that makes me, me! When I straighten my hair (which happens once in a blue moon”>, I feel like something’s missing and incomplete. Instead of complaining about my hair when it’s humid, or envying my friends’ pin-straight hair, I remind myself that I wouldn’t want it any other way.
I’m also grateful that people in this world are increasingly appreciative of the natural qualities in a person’s appearance. It’s no longer the case that to be considered attractive you need to be need to be slim, toned, tanned and straightened.
I’m thankful that I’ve been blessed with a rather large family, most of whom have curly hair as well. Having two sisters, a mom, a brother, a grandma, and a great-grandmother who have all gone through the same curly struggles is a blessing. We share de-frizzing tips, horrific haircut stories and have witnessed each other curl transformations over the decades.
I think in general, many U.S. women take for granted the amazing freedom we have. I’m grateful to live in a country where I’m not persecuted for wearing certain clothes and hairstyles, or for being a woman. There are so many females who suffer daily, and I give thanks for being free to be a woman. I have the choice to wear my hair up or down, curly or straight, mohawk or clean-shaven, and no one can take that from me.
We need to be thankful every day of our lives, and not just on Thanksgiving. We can be thankful for big things, like family and friends, but it’s not shallow to also be thankful for curly hair, cute noses, and freckles. As a society, we tend to take a lot for granted.
So eat your turkey, slice up some pie, do some high-kicks with the Rockettes, and show off your curls on Thanksgiving! Live it up and happy holidays!
