Every once in awhile, I get a message or email about my hair.  What products do I use, how do I maintain my hair, where do I get it done?  I’ve long shied away from it because my relationship with my hair feels complicated and in many ways ties into my ethnicity.  There’s tons of stories about racial micro aggressions, being uncomfortable, and having to learn.  Being multiracial with an Asian mother and African-American father is in many ways a large part of my identity.  So let’s dive into self acceptance, race, and hair.

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featured | draper james: chambray ruffle shift dress c/o + justfab: shea bootie c/o + work the metal: black and white resin earrings {similar} + cato fashions: circle crossbody purse {similar}

Self Acceptance, Race, and Hair: On Being Different | I’m Six.

I’m six years old, visiting family in Atlanta, and having my hair pressed for the first time.  The stylist is detangling my curls while blow drying and I wince several times as she yanks.  “You can’t be that tender headed, baby,” she tells me while my mom stands nearby taking notes.  My mom is half Japanese, half white and struggling to figure out how to do my hair that’s so different from her own.

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