I Hated Being Tall And Curly, But I Turned It Into My Strength

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Ok. So I’m tall. And I’m curly. For most of my life, I hated both. I’ve only wished I was small and invisible. But there I am, towering above everyone with that huge crown of hair and you don’t know how to handle it. No matter how hard I tried, I simply couldn’t hide.

So, I grew up thinking I had the worst hair in the world. Not only because I actually hated it, but also because of all the teasing at school. It was traumatizing. I was called poodle, a sheep, Jackson 5.... You name it. I remember one time in class, kids were voting by raising their hand to say what girl they found pretty or not. When my name came up, no one raised their hand and everyone started to laugh. They even kept putting chewing gum in my hair so I had to cut it. So, that’s why I spent years straightening them every week using relaxers. I tried to convince myself that it made me part of the straight-haired girl's gang when I actually looked more like an old and worn out broom. At that time, I couldn‘t see my hair as a strength and something that made me special...

And well, the same goes for my height. I can’t even remember how many times I was called a giraffe. That’s why I didn’t wear heels and I was wearing only loose clothes. I was not only trying to be like everybody else, but I was also trying to disappear. That’s why I hated buying clothes because salespeople kept making harsh comments about my height. I remember I was looking for clothes for some occasion at the last minute. I hadn’t even started to look for clothes and the saleswoman told me: “We have nothing for you here, you’re too tall!”. And yeah, I didn’t find even ONE thing that fit me. I ended up crying in the dressing room feeling completely miserable.

It‘s very difficult to love something about yourself when everyone has been telling you that you look ridiculous for over 10 years. It took me ages to get over it. But when I started college, I found myself tired of focusing on my hair instead of studies. I remember this one winter when it was time to relax my hair. AGAIN. But I was too lazy to go outside to buy relaxers so I thought, “Oh, screw it. Damn hair. Do whatever you want.” And so it started to grow and I decided to wait. During that time, I understood that it‘s a part of me. And today, when I wash my hair and see my curls living again, it gives me the feeling I‘m back to my true self. The journey to accepting my height was pretty much the same. One day, I came to a point when you find life is better when you’re not caring about what other people think. I came to earth with these extra inches so I have to deal with it. And that’s it.

And you know, once you feel good about yourself, you will be able to help others who are still going through what you went through. That’s why I started sharing my experience through my ‘Tall N Curly’ comics. I’m trying to show that confident women walk through life NOT apologizing for being who they are. They walk through life shouting: "Look at me, this is who I am and I'm perfect." This holds more power than you could ever imagine. It opens doors. And most importantly, it allows you to genuinely be HAPPY.

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Видео I Hated Being Tall And Curly, But I Turned It Into My Strength канала Dear Diary