#geena garcia

Free Knitting Pattern: YinYang Kitty Ankle Socks by Geena Garcia

As a young child, I always knew that I naturally had curly hair, but I never considered it a part of myself because it was so often not styled naturally. In fact, when I got to around 10 or 11 and my mother began to leave doing my hair up to me, I was hardpressed to figure out what to do with it. For a couple of years, I styled my hair in a bun or ponytail and accessorized it with a headband or clips. I straightened my own hair for the very first time in middle school and fell in love with it. It was an easy and fast “fix” for my curly hair. For years, both implicitly and explicitly, I was told my hair needed to be fixed or remedied.

Having curly hair is central to my identity. Not only does it allude to my ethnic background, or who I am, it is also a daily reflection of how I am and how I’m feeling. At 17 years old, I’m incredibly grateful for my hair, and it is one of my favorite features of myself- but it hasn’t always been that way.