I have had numerous conversations about hair with my friend and Spanish tutor pictured right. She, along with other Dominican friends, have let me know that straight hair is "good and pretty" hair. Curly, wavy, and, heaven forbid, frizzy hair is "bad" hair and must be forced into submission. Now most Dominican women are born with hair that is not straight and frizz-free. So, many spend time each week at one of the numerous salons here having it washed and straightened. I have been to a salon twice in my nine months of living here. (Three times if you count the time I went in for a wash only. I had been without water for three days and it was my best option besides my neighbor's backyard hose.) This is how it goes down at the salon:
Hair is first washed and conditioned, then rinsed with freezing cold water. From there it is trimmed, (long hair is preferred so they don't cut off too much), dried, and straightened. A heated straightener is not used, only a blowdryer, a large brush, and a no-nonsense stylist. Two hours later, I emerge looking like a different woman. It is nothing short of a miracle how straight and perfect my hair becomes when a Dominican stylist gets ahold of it. Women here then wrap it in a "tubie"(sort of swirled around the head--it's brilliant) and a crocheted black net is placed over it. This keeps a woman's locks from getting frizzy or going into curly mode for a week before they go back to the salon. Dominican women sleep in their nets and some wear them around town if they're not doing or going anywhere special. When they are, they simply take off the net, shake their head, and their hair seductively swirls around them before lying perfectly down their back. It's a scene to behold.
Going to the salon here is much cheaper than in the states. The most I've paid is the equivalent of $15, including tip. Both times I've had it styled, though, for several days my neck and shoulder ache from having to keep my head steady while the stylist straightens my hair with great force! (What I saved in salon fees, I spent on Tylenol.) I realized, too, that something else ached in me after getting my hair done--my self-esteem.
While I do wear some make-up and dye my hair, I have felt pressure here to not have "bad" hair, but do all that I need to do to make it "good." But I don't want to spend so much time in a salon. I don't want my neck to be in pain. I just don't want to put so much effort fighting my curls and frizzies. It has taken a while, but my rebellion has actually resulted in me embracing how God made me. My white skin, German nose, and crazy hair stand out here. I do not look exotic like the women around me, and yet I am "fearfully and wonderfully made." How many times have I read that verse in Psalm 139! And now, at nearly age 48, a lightbulb has gone on in me about my looks. I'm sure I'll have my days, but I've gained a peace I haven't experienced before and I'm thankful for it.
How are YOU feeling about you?
"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.....Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in my, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139: 14, 23 & 24
"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.....Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in my, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139: 14, 23 & 24
