Where Did Curly Hair Go?!

Sh*t Razan and Sama Say: as a curly girl, I agree this needs to make a comeback

Queen: Its wild how persons hair type needs a "comeback" its basically saying let's accept these people for who they are again

Meg: i always hated that scene in the princess diaries where they depict her frizzy, curly hair as being an aspect of making her “ugly” for so many girls, that’s our natural hair type. it always made me feel bad about my hair. and even now when i get compliments on it, i just get told that it looks super 80’s esc… and “old fashioned.” like damn i just know the girlies are jealous…

Glamorous Stargal: It’s there you don’t just see it. Shout out to my Afro,curly,kinky hair queens out there rocking their hair❤

Boo!: When I was in elementary I always thought that curly hair was viewed negatively, like people thought curly hair was ugly, so I would always put it in a ponytail and never loose; I had a lot of curly hair, but now I just embrace it and I'm loving it.

Brittany Venti: I have this hair and it really sucks that I get told to straighten my hair, but you never see straight haired girls getting told to "curl" their hair. The pressure gets to you.

ophelia: My hair is also big , curly and frizzy and I totally agree that this needs to come back in style.

Señor Chang: Took me like 20 years to realize my natural hair like that is gorgeous. I’ve been no color, no heat for three years now with no regrets. Curly girls, do itttt

isha strega: As someone with super straight hair, I've always been so jealous of those big gorgeous curls.

Julia Rose the Snarky Autistic Witch: Natalie Portman’s natural hair is curly & I wish she wore it more often! She’s already beautiful but omfg HER CURLS ARE ✨ !

Ciera Malee: It’s been back. I get compliments on my curly hair all the time.. I wish I would’ve accepted my hair when I was younger. Now I love my curly hair

Shannon Calder: I agree. As someone with extremely straight hair I've always been obsessed with the full volumous curl or the extreme beachy waves. I think it's absolutely gorgeous

Layna: This been going on for a long time now... being a curly hair girl it does leaves a bad taste to see in movies the girl being depicted as part of the "ugly duckling phase".

JPR: There was a huge uproar when Keri Russell cut her hair during her 'Felicity' run. Her curls were legendary.

CJ: We've come to eqaute silky, well-defined curls with healthy hair. But I've always loved big frizzy curls. And it's not inherently less "healthy" than any other hair type.

Dara Oetting: I’m a curly girl and I wear it:) and get complements alll the time!!

Rama Ahbk: Whether you bring it back or not. We are curly girls and we love our hair. I've made it straight twice but I missed my curls and was so happy when I got them back

HedgerHodg: My best friend’s hair is naturally like this and we cannot go to a single place without someone telling her how beautiful her hair is. It’s so funny to me at this point because it’s truly just unavoidable

Pragya Singh: I think curly hair looks so free spirited, beautiful, and effortless (even though we KNOW it can take a lot of effort a lot of time). It’s glamorous in its own way. Def needs to make a comeback! ❤

sara sgs: As a curly girl, i love seeing "old" movies and series because of this. Elaine Benes is an icon

Eggs bacon grits SAUSAGE!!!!!!!!: Girl we have brought it back! There’s a whole curly hair community on YouTube! I have curly hair and I started my journey when I was 12, trying to get rid of all my heat damage, and now I’m 16 and I love my natural hair!

Tima Hy: As a coily hair gal, I love my hair. I stopped straightening it in the early/mid 90's never really looked back. In my early stage, I thought I made a huge mistake. Once I researched I got it and extremely happy.

HIH: those women made me love my hair and know it’s beautiful

Hafid: I don't want to spark controversy. But I think people just feel scared to get curly hair, you know. Because of "cultural appropriation". My older sister has natural curly and frizzy hair. And when I told my friend, she said that it's cultural appropriation LOL. A lot of people whether they are POC or white have that naturally curly, big, and frizzy hair. Like lots of my cousins and my siblings. It's difficult these days to touch something without it being "racists/cultural appropriation" .

Aimz Becky: When you think about Ella Mai in 2018 her album cover was a picture of her with curly her natural curly hair and in her second album her hair is gelled down and strait

EsterukeSup: I really liked the main character in Russian Doll. She had big curly ginger hair. You don't see that often in media

Mon Soleil: That’s my era- I always wear my hair natural in it’s curly wavy form then allow it to straiten on its own. Julia and Mariah were my idols

Jeff Goode: Natural curly heads, go for it! I think it's beautiful and sexy. However, if the "look" makes a comeback, the amount of hairspray it requires for each person will finish off the last leg of global warming.

Sharye Bethancourt: They spent an obscene amount of time demonizing curls. It’s like you said, the curls became a way to show someone pre makeover.

Cara DiFiore: Even thou I didn’t grow up in the 80’s and doesn’t have that type of hair. I totally agree with this

Sunnie: Agreed! I’ve always straightened my hair but this year I’ve decided to start wearing it like naturally - big and wavy. It makes me feel a lot more confident. :)

kim evans: as a naturally curly girl, im rocking them more nowadays

bon s: Whenever I wear my hair curly, someone always ends up being rude to me or yelling at me. This has happened to me since I was a kid and I’ve been convinced that my hair is a contributing factor in how they think they can treat me because of how we are conditioned to perceive curly hair. My life is literally so much easier when I straighten it.

Tina: Curly hair has so much personality. It's never boring.

CrazyCavalier: I have curly hair. Just because it isn't in right now doesn't mean I can't wear it curly. Y'all need to stop caring about what everyone else is doing smh.

imhellatired: As a curly hair girl, I love embracing it and leaving it down. Best part is, I get so many compliments on it. I was at Islands Of Adventure at Universal Studios and this lady came up and said my hair is really pretty. Similar situations have happened, where people compliment my hair and I feel super good. Curly hair is loved by others, so I have absolutely no idea why modern media depicts it as “messy.” If I had to describe my hair, I’d think of Hermione Granger from Harry Potter.

Paloma Sofía Alcalde: My mom has super straight hair, and in the 80s when big curry hair was in she would perm her hair to the point I didn't know she didn't have straight hair when she was a teen

mexrads: I have naturally curly hair and for so many years i've been brushing them to make them straight as all of my friends have straight hair and growing up i've always hated them but for a few months i've been trying the curly hair method and that has made a huge difference and i've finally learned to love my natural curly hair!!!! EMBRACE YOUR CURLS :)

Leslie Witherspoon: Natural Black hair community enters the chat.

Micaela Ferreira: I have been in a process of knowing my hair better and, having a teenage daughter with the same wavy/curly hair as me, I have been showing my love for wavy/curly hair. And yes, I love the big curly hair of those movies. I have to add that I am a white female so my hair is a lot more like Julia Robert's in Pretty Woman instead of the curls currently "in". And also yes, hair like mine has been depicted negatively. My daughter has been bullied for her hair, which is seen as messy here in my European country. I am aware that in the US the issue with natural hair is a lot more complicated. Still, you do have a point: we should bring that big frizzy curly hair back. I love t and it's my "power hair". I feel quite powerful when I wear it like that (And yes, I do have polka dot dresses, I just need a brown one ;) )

it's kitty×D: I spent my entire childhood and teen years damaging my hair with flat irons because I had been taught that my naturally curly/afro textured hair was ugly. It took years of rehabilitation but my curls are finally back to their natural texture and they’re gorgeous. In my opinion, curly hair is sexy and wild and I love mine.

kitty 🌺: I mean curly haired girls have never gone anywhere, y’all just don’t pay us any attention

kenna: Took me my whole life to accept my curly hair but I’m rocking it now

Chathumini Mallawa: I think people like you calling it “big,bushy,frizzy” is part of what’s holding us back from wearing our natural curly hair

CMO: Yes! Bring back the curls! I love wavy, curly, coarse hair. That was always the thing i did not like in those movie make-overs, lol! Seemed unrealistic to me that they would straight those wavy and curly locks and that would be an improvement. I have very straight hair btw, but i just like the wavy look.

c c: So true! I naturally have really curly hair and I got made fun of for it growing up in the 2000s (probably because in movies it was portrayed as nerdy or ugly) so I’ve been straightening it since 8th grade. I’m confident now but straightening has become a habit and I never took the time to learn how to take care of my curly hair and my curl pattern is damaged. If only people knew the long term effects of bullying lol

Happy Sheepies: I’ve been wearing my hair curly since I was a little girl and basically have the same hairstyle I’ve had since my teens (minus the Jersey Mall Bangs!). I’ve updated it a little here and there, but it’s been basically the same because that’s just what my hair DOES. I got tired of fighting it years ago.

Anasta Anam: Heh, one I may be able to answer! I have this hair myself! I remember the pain way to well. These women had hair dressers doing their hair. The truth is, most of us normal girls had very bushy frizzy hair or it was crunchy in a effort to tame the frizz. Better products at a better price and more knowledge of how to take care of it have changed the way it looks. Not to mention, in the 80s and 90s you were picked on pretty badly about it. So you'll have some of those that straighten their hair. It's also a pain in the butt to take care of.

small footprint: It's back in a big way. Not dry and frizzy of those days, but shiney, and defined, all the way to wavy. The natural look is in.

Val Roufus: Yes! As a curly girl we need to bring it back! Everyone should feel beautiful rocking their natural texture.

Jiri BB: Curly hair is difficult to maintain and comb and feels hot in the summer. So i straightened it.

Micky: I LOVE a spiral perm, I absolutely want to bring this style back. Girls who have this natural texture must have angel genes.

Morgana Lex: I am also curly and fully agree that more representation would be amazing. When you look at advertising, a big reason for the shift is because hair adverts started focusing not as much on hair health (in fact, for curly hair, elasticity/bounce is the biggest indication of health) and more on sleekness, shine, lack of frizz etc. Granted, shininess for some hair types is a sign of hydration, but it's more that advertising emphasises those qualities as 'this product will do this for you', which isn't entirely true and is usually achieved by coating the hair as opposed to hydrating it internally.

Party13197Gurl: I have naturally straight hair and when I curl it I love that I feel like an '80s rom-com star! So fun and big and curly!!

Petty Bee: Let's bring it back. As a 17yr old biracial girl from the Caribbean, I adore the monthly chick flick and have been doing so out the womb✋. I love the 90s/2000's when it comes to fashion and even though I harbor a giant afro and not this particular hair texture, I'd love to see more of natural hair from all women and girlies in film, including this. I was always mesmerized by this hair style because all of the women who wore it were IT girls in their respective movies and just setting the trend by LITERALLY rocking their natural hair ✨

Kelley Ann Stanczyk, JD MBA TEFL ORDM: This is how my natural hair is… I always wear it natural. I don’t care if it doesn’t meet todays beauty standards. This type of curly hair is alive and well in my bedroom Frizzy and poofy.

allayna: Natasha Lyonne in Russian Doll, Alexandra Shipp in Tick, Tick, Boom…, and SZA go for it. As a curly girl, it’s definitely my favourite. It’s felt like the era of straight hair and slicked back high ponies has been going on for decades. I thought post-COVID, the rise of curl influencers and denman brushes, and people going for more stripped back and natural looks we would have seen more big romantic curls, but…

DonnaMartinGraduates: New curly girl here (the wave in my pic being a wig lol). I went through cancer treatment recently in my 30s and the so-called chemo curls stuck.. big time. I had a slight propensity to waves and loose curls before, but I have a ton of hair and decent coils now. I love it. It takes work, care and planning but when I'm out on that sweet spot day post-wash, maybe day 2-3, I get all kinds of looks and/or comments. Idc if it's admiring or not I'm lucky to have any hair at all and feel blessed in one tiny way after a terrible ordeal. Own your natural beautiful selves like it IS the trend of the moment.

Stephanie Morvant: % concur. As a curly mom of a curly daughter... it’s time we teach our young woman to embrace what they have. Curls are amazing... they just take a bit more effort to look their best. It took me years to learn how to care for my curls and style them properly. My daughter’s waist-length curls are unique and striking and she has learned to accept and appreciate being the only curly girl in her crowd.

Amber Rowe: YESSSSS! Girl, ME TOO! This is literally my absolute favorite hair ever and I am someone who has dead straight hair. I WISH this were my hair!

MissLilRedRooster: Being in high school in the early 2000s, I HATED my frizzy, curly hair, and straightened it any time I wore it down. Part of my issue was I genuinely didn't know what to do with it, or that products existed that would really support it being healthy in its natural state. Fast forward to my 30s, the internet has helped me figure out products and techniques to really bring my curls out and keep them healthy, and it changed EVERYTHING. Tons of us just grew up during a time when straight hair was the desired look, and we didn't know what to do with our natural hair, so we straightened it to fit in and make our lives "easier". I haven't straightened my hair in 6+ years, and it's been such a lovey thing to embrace the chaos that my hair embodies.

B. McKnight: Perms were really popular, a lot of them didn't have natural curls. I have noticed perms coming back, I think they have improved over time. I feel like almost every woman in her fifties has a perm horror story from the eighties. They used to look so bad for the first few weeks, until they relaxed a little, and then by the time you knew how to manage your new curls, they would start to grow out. I bleached my hair for like fifteen years, and recently grew out my natural color. I discovered I have really wavy hair when I'm not processing it to death, but I can't figure out how to manage it and make it look good so I always end up flatironing it

Kyle Rohan: I just wanna say real quick that I love that everybody now is aware of how to get super shaped non frizzy curls that are perfect and stuff but like big frizzy imperfect hair is so cool and for anyone that isn’t able to define their curls ur hair is awesome and you should lean into the vibe

Olivia Omar: My whole family has type 2/3 hair, and we didn't know how to take care of it at all, going all the way back to my two grandmothers who stuck to short hair their whole lives. I think that's true for a lot of curly people. You have to learn to take care of curls for them to look good, while straightened hair can be worn down with only a dry brush to keep it looking neat.

No One: I have naturally wavy/curly hair. Once I found the right hairdresser, my hair was literally wash and wear. No blow drying, no curling irons and no heat damage; just a little curl cream, crunch it a few times with my fists and out the door. I loved it. Unfortunately, as I aged, my hairdresser retired and I'm having a lot of problems with frizz and shedding. Found out a lot of my problems stemmed from malnutrition. Now I drink tons of nutritional drinks and use a satin pillow case. The frizz and shedding are improving rapidly. Now if I could just find a good hairdresser!

Melissa S: Some of these were "natural", but many (especially those curls that are VERY symmetrical) were from perms. I have naturally curly hair that gets bushy and frizzy - I don't like the frizz, but hair products have also come a long way. When I was younger I would get a perm to control the frizz and give my curls some stability, but now I can just throw a product in and it's fine. Also, styling curls can take longer than just using a flattening iron for some.

ResidentOmni: They definitely should bring back some of these hairstylessss

Abby: I had an ex-friend who used to always tell me to straighten my hair and that it looked better straight. Her hair was completely straight. As soon as I stopped hanging out with her she began curling her hair all the time

Kitty Katt: Please bring it back!!! This is my natural hair texture and I have so many traumatic events from other kids bullying me for it growing up that I straightened it everyday until I got into college. Literally the Princess Bride experience!

Natalie Campos: I have always loved curly hair! Thankfully mine does hold some natural curl but nothing as gorgeous as this without help of products and tools lol! ❤ It’s sooo pretty I wonder why more people don’t try to do curly hair more often either!!!! And I always make sure to compliment girls with extra curly hair because it’s just such a unique beauty!!!

miztropraine Raine: I’m a curly hair girl, and I don’t care what the “media” perceive as beautiful… from experience I’ve been complimented on my hair by everyday people who mostly appreciate natural.. there’s way too many unnatural beauty out there which the media seems to promote/convince as better

Granny Witch: I will never get over Nicole Kidman’s natural hair, it’s SO BEAUTIFUL

Suhaylah Saeed: I don’t have curly hair but I love this hairstyle, I’ve wanted curls my whole life. Bring the big hair big curls back!

INTENTIONS: I personally have been staying strong with my curls since the 90's. . I love them. ❤️

Erika Haas: My daughters & I are curly girls! My oldest has RINGLETS and they’re GORGEOUS! She has fully embraced hers and I’m SO proud! I however, ruined mine by straightening it out for 15 years.

beanhill: I just straightened my hair. The frizzy curly hair was uncontrollable for me and I just needed a few good hair days where I felt nice about myself. I love my wavy curly hair but man sometimes I don’t want to put in so much work.

horizons: i have curly hair and there is ZERO representation for curly hair if it’s not pre-makeover. i literally get so excited when i see curly hair on tv bc i literally never saw it as a child. i even internalized that curly hair=ugly/unprofessional so for every fancy occasion i always straighten my hair so i look more “put together” it’s terrible. but also why i love love love 80s movies because even tho most of those girls curls are super loose compared to mine, it’s still curly hair representation and someone somewhere has that same hair type and will realize it’s beautiful just the way it is.

Jam Gart: As a curly haired girl, I can definitely tell you the media changed the game and started telling us that our hair was wrong and classed it as frizzy and messy. I literally see hair adverts with girls with perfect curls and the ad saying how frizzy it is and she walks out the salon or whatever with dead straight hair. I think we all went out and bought straighteners cos we were fed up with being told how messy and awful we looked. (I’ve gone back to the curls)

Angela Phillips: Well, in the cases of Julia Roberts, Geena Davis and Cher, you have to keep in mind that these photos of them were from the 80s or early 90s. Perms were HUGE in the 80s and a lot of women were still rocking them in the early 90s. Nicole Kidman and Keri Russell had naturally super curly hair, so I imagine their reasons for wearing it were based more on convenience. Nicole Kidman did say in a recent interview, though, that she straightened her hair so much that eventually her curls disappeared completely and she was/is really regretful about it. But I DO see the point you’re trying to make in reference to Anne Hathaway’s character in Princess Diaries. And you’re totally right-that is seen a lot in films where a girl has curly hair but then gets a “makeover” and afterwards her hair is straight. My hair is naturally curly but it’s so thin that it’s super easy to straighten. I’ve been blessed with the ability to easily sport either look without having to put much work into either one. I’ve gotten complimented SIGNIFICANTLY more often on my curly hair than I have on my straight hair, and almost every guy that’s ever made mention of it has told me that curly was/is much more attractive than straight ‍♀️

peter dee: Yesssss it’s a slay, I remember when sza came out with the big big hair and the curls I was in awe of her beauty

Pixie Boots: I remember that growing up, one of the most beautiful hairstyles for me was big curls in a ponytail, like with gel in the roots and only the ponytail was big and curly. Unfortunately I have super straight hair that doesn’t hold a curl for more than two hours. Maybe I can get that 80’s perm

D B: Curly hair really gives a dreamy, romantic look & vibe.

Rambling Rose: I loved the big hair ! I have straight fine hair and in the process of trying to get my straight fine hair permed I lost my hair twice , burnt ! Now I have hair so thin I wear a wig so love your original hair big , straight or in-between because chemical treatments perming or straightening can damage hair permanently :/

Doc Crazy: Having curly hair myself and a mother with straight hair I might have some insights: Taking care if curly hair is difficult and it won't always look good. But to people who don't know what people like us have to do (like my mom) it looks "ugly" and "unkempt", therefore being used to show a character is lazy and doesn't care about their appearance. Oh and not to be the person to cry racism, but it's also partially implicit societal racism probably

Mary Hamric: I had perms from the mid 80s to mid 90s. After I stopped perming, I found my hair was actually mostly curly/wavy. I wore it that way until 7 years ago when I decided to go straight, which I prefer. BUT I would like to see curly hair make a comeback.

Lexi Ladonna: I'm bringing it back, I started getting my hair permed a year ago and I plan on continuing. Big, fluffy, fun hair is the best!

Me C!: This is my natural hair and it sucks when people ask my if I even brush my hair and that it looks like a rat’s nest even when I do my best to comb it out Edit: Thanks for all the tips guys

Kristina Eremenko: I would really like to see some different trends appear at the same time. Im 2a so getting any of that volume is a DEDICATION for me, I’m more straight hair girl. But I would really enjoy seeing other people around me rocking different styles, textures, decades even all at the same time❤

Keryn L. Sánchez: My life changed the moment I got my keratin treatment and my hair straighten. No more crazy, no more tangles, no more bottles of conditioner. I wish I could have done it during my teenage years, I was bullied because of my big bushy and frizzy hair, it was a nightmare to maintain!

Zain TheExplainer: I literally spent my 80ties as a very young teen giving my self perms with paper strips. Everyone used to get a chemical perm in the salon So the same happened to straight hair that is happening now with curly hair…:)

Candice Young: It is back. I embraced my curly locks for the first time during the pandemic and threw out my straightener. Curly hair is beautiful and I won't be shamed by other women into straightening it ever again.

adrienne jung martinez: When I wear my natural wavy curly hair, I feel like a Greek princess. Growing up in the early 2000s, my friends always wanted to straighten my hair. It always looked like a lifeless wig floating around my head. My curls and waves, however dance around my face like they are happy to be there

Eliza Carrie: As someone with straight hair who grew up with watching 80s hair with those gorgeous curls: YES bring it back!!

ZoWonderfull: I’ve stopped trying to control my hair and just let it be curly and embrace the volume now. I’ve actually really started to like it and will even brush it out to make it fluffier which is something I used to be terrified of.

Lucie: As a straight haired human I love this hair and used to get perms but they are so hard to maintain. I would love to see big hair make a comeback!

Cassie Selle: Yes! As a girl with naturally curly hair I would very much appreciate it! ❤

Michelle Meek: What do you guys mean you "hope" it makes a come back! I see girls rocking their curly everywhere I go and on SM and it makes me so happy to see people embracing their natural textures again. I love when my hair is smooth & sleek, but my waves/curls have so much volume. I'm committing to not straightening my hair anymore! Can't wait to see how beautiful it will look after about a year.

Lisa Renée: If you look for something hard enough you will find it. It’s easy to find things to support your thinking, but that doesn’t make it fact. The Pretty Woman star, Julia Roberts, had a permanent wave in her hair, for starters. Curly hair has never gone out of style. I’m a Hair Designer: Curly hair is very fashionable right now. You just simply need to be surrounded by people that truly know fashion rather than those who are behind the times and stick with the old worn out trends. 80s Rock shag (curly hair) is extremely mode right now and looks great on shoulder lengths as well as waist length.

Tally: I have a picture of my auntie in the early 90s rocking this hair, it's natural. I took a picture of myself the other week and my hair is exactly the same as that picture. I always thought she was the most beautiful person (physically) and her hair, I loved it. My mum would blowdry my hair to make it more manageable, I then straightened it all through my teen years and 20s. Now in my 30s I am embracing that hair. I have not straightened it in about 2 years now and I'm loving it, screw what society liked! I love my unruly, curly/wavy hair now that I know how to take care of it, style it and accept that it doesn't always want to play nice. Best thing I ever did!!!

Megan Fisher: "you should straighten your hair. You'd look so much better!" I can't count the number of times of heard that lol Frizzy, curly, bushy hair is usually associated with the dirty, unpopular nerd type of person where I am too so most people straighten their hair. It took me more than 10 years to not hate or be self conscious about my hair.