zoe's gloomy corner

what strikes me most about even the most causal conversations around curly hair is the language used. at the mildest, that curly hair ‘ruins the aesthetic’, but often worse is said. even amongst goths who themselves have curly hair. they’ll frame their appearance as something unfortunate that must be excused, as though curly hair is somehow less acceptable, less beautiful, and less goth. this bias extends beyond words. most popular goth accounts exclusively post girls with straight hair, quietly propagating the same message. when only certain features are consistently elevated and admired, a hierarchy of beauty emerges.

it’s funny because, black people and other ethnic varieties are usually left out of these conversations…as if they didn’t expect us to be there. I once had a very well known [white] goth compliment my hair and ask to touch it. of course, i was weirded out because I am black and I’ve literally heard her berate her own curls, which are a lot more manicured than mine. the energy is very: “well you can have curly hair, you’re not the beauty standard anyway.”