Ok- Quick disclaimer- While actually researching the validity of “hair ornaments” and hair accessories in general, we did find out that this is a “thing”, however this story is not a promotion of said chachkies, but more a visit with Jess that allowed her to fully embrace the curls that she once denounced!
Ok, Curlies. If you’ve heard my story, you know that back in Jr. High, there was one kid (who shall remain nameless from now on, m’kay?) who used to stick pencils in the back of my hair during English class. My hair was thick. And big. And poofy. And ‘lil man just HAD to see how many pencils he could get stuck in there before I’d realize what he was up to. He also wanted to see how long they’d stay.
Well, those suckers stayed all day. I mean, alllllll DAY. I’d get home at the end of school and lie down on the couch and it’d be like a lobotomy with those pencils jabbing me in the head. GRRRRRRR, eh? :) As I write this, I get simultaneously mad for 13 year old Jess and totally laugh, because, well, I just said “grrrr, eh?” :-)
Anyway, this is not a pity party, people! This is where we TAKE BACK THE PENCILS! :)
I was interviewed and photographed for a book about curly hair, called Play With It. During my interview, I cited Pencil-Gate as a contributing factor to the hair obsession that ended up creating Jessicurl. (So, thanks for the pencils nameless boy. Now I have a company. Joke’s on you.)
The book is being written by Vaughn Dabney, and every time he shoots someone for it, he gets a shot of them holding his bookmark/business card. Good branding idea, right? Well, given I had just told him during my interview about the pencils, I just KNEW my shot with his card HAD to be this one…. :)
This MIGHT just be my favorite picture of my hair, ever, for all the reasons. :) 1. It was to promote a book from a creative perspective that I fully supported and c’mon, let’s face it, my hair is on point here!
The very next holiday after this promo was St. Patrick’s Day, and though I’m not usually one to celebrate it, (being a McGuinty and all…), I did find myself out and about with some friends. Irish flags were being handed out and, well, you know how this story ends….
(I'd like to point out, this hair was AFTER driving around for a few hours with the top down on my car. So don't even tell me you can't have decent hair AND a convertible. I'm here to say you can have both. :) )
So, Curlies. Welcome to my “Thing”. Putting Stuff In My Hair And Taking Pictures Of It Because Now I’M The One In Charge. In charge of what goes in my hair. (Good stuff only.) In charge of how I FEEL about my hair. (I love it.) And in charge of the message I convey to YOU about how YOU feel about YOUR hair. (You Have The Right To Remain Curly! Even if there's stuff stuck in it. :) )
So we implore you to do your own research! Check out “hair ornaments”, “hair accessories” or “hair accessories for braids” on your favorite search engine and either jump on board or not, but like Jess said, embrace your beautiful curls no matter what it takes!