Ok.
So I’m tall.
And I’m curly.
I tried to be short. Didn’t work.
Tried to have straight hair. Didn’t last.
Then I thought : “Hey! Let’s try something new and be myself!”
And that is : tall, and curly.
Some people think it’s nice to be tall. Some people think it’s nice to be curly. Some people would rather die than being one or the other. I simply have no choice, so I try to enjoy myself as much as possible. But some days… oh some days…
I have created this blog for those days when, if there was a vaccine against inches or curls, I would run to get an injection.
[UPDATE]
My story as a Tall N Curly person
I’ve received a few messages asking me if I keep my hair natural or not, if I have relaxed my hair before, and if I’m against relaxing.
I also got a comment on my Pinterest profile that made me realize some people might think that because I draw all these comics about being tall and curly, I hate being one or the other, or both.
Therefore I’ve decided to add some details in my about section so that everyone can understand my approach concerning my blog and comics.
The HAIR.
The comment on Pinterest said that I should enjoy my hair because kinks are in. In other words : that I should stop complaining about it. I must admit I didn’t really see the connection between kinks being in or not and the fact that curly/kinky hair is very difficult to manage and sometimes complicated to deal with.
I’ve been natural for over 10 years now. Before that, I’ve relaxed my hair for about 10 years. And before that, my hair was kept natural. The problem is, being multiracial and my mother being white, she just never could figure out what to do with my hair and didn’t teach me a single thing about it.
Things were okay until I was 9 because my hair was very long and I always wore one or two big braids. But one day my mom decided to cut it very short because she found it too difficult to wash, comb and style. A little girl screaming for two hours when you’re trying to detangle her hair can get really nerve-racking – I guess.
So I went from this :
To this :
Please notice the smile in the before pic, and the “WTF” look on my face in the second one. Ooooh was I happy.
And so from there on kids started to make fun of me because I looked like a poodle, a sheep, a boy, the Jacksons 5… name it.
I grew up thinking I had the worst hair in the world and didn’t know what to do with it besides buns or ponytails. But that was until I discovered blow-drying. Then I spent a few years straightening my hair every week, fighting against rain, snow, wind… But that was until I discovered relaxers. Then the real trouble began.
I had no idea know how relaxers worked, so I went to this afro hair salon. I’ll never know whether the hairdresser didn’t like me or if she had missed a class in hairdressing school, but she relaxed my hair from the roots to the ends everytime I went there, which means every two months for 2 years.
My hair is veeeery thick and strong and I think it’s the only reason I’m not bald today.
Anyhow, one day I mentioned it to a girlfriend – didn’t think of mentioning it before, I didn’t even know there was a problem. I only knew my hair looked like sh*t, was dry as the Sahara, and almost cut my cheeks at night because it was so hard. The only thing that mattered to me at that time was that it was straight and manageable.
So my friend looked at me with big eyes and told me it was a miracle I still had hair. I stopped going to the hair salon and started relaxing my roots myself.
I remember hating my hair at that time, but as I said, it was manageable. At least.
I used to look at straight haired girls, envying their hair. I wanted their hair, I used to think they were the lucky ones. Like if I was born missing a leg or something. I simply couldn’t see my hair like a strength, a quality, something nice that made me special. I only felt handicapped. I tried to convince myself that straightening my hair made me part of the straight haired girls gang, glamorous and all, when I actually looked more like an old and worn out broom.
I think I would have relaxed my hair all my life if, when going to college, I hadn’t found myself tired of focusing on my hair instead of on my studies.
I remember one day looking at myself in the mirror, my roots being 2 inches long. You know when you have this adorable palm tree look, with the hair going up a little bit before falling back down like polluted waterfalls. It was time to relax.
But it was winter, it was cold outside and snowing, and I just didn’t feel like going out of the house. I had homework to do – homework that I loved because it was drawing homework – so suddenly I thought “Oh screw it. Damn hair. Do whatever you want.” And so it started to grow.
Months later I had to cut the relaxed part of my hair. I ended up curled up in my bathroom crying because as I’m tall, the little fro I had around my head made me look like a giant microphone.
Still, I don’t know why, I chose not to go back to relaxing only to gain a few inches. I decided to wait. And my hair grew and grew and grew. I didn’t have a clue about how to comb it, style it, wash it or take care of it. I was a newbie. I was getting mad at it 99% of the time. I thought so many times going back to relaxing you have no idea (or you do ). But I did not. I’ve waited. I learned, and tried stuff. And like any curly girl, years later, I’m still learning and trying stuff. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes the hair will cooperate, sometimes it won’t.
The thing is, growing up, we all learn things about life, and the path I chose brought me closer to nature. Looking for the truth everywhere I now believe everything happens for a reason. And in “everything”, there is my hair. I was born with this hair. There must be a reason for that too. So although I still – and will always – get angry a lot at it, I now respect my hair for what it is : a part of me.
Actually it’s not that different from who I am. I’m pretty stubborn and rebellious too. What was I expecting from it ?
So to answer the question “Am I against relaxing?” I will say that I understand when girls with curly/kinky/nappy hair choose to relax it. I understand because it’s complicated and sometimes expensive to take care of this kind of hair. I don’t judge girls who relax their hair. It can turn out very pretty when it’s done right. So no, I’m not the naturalista-power-dictator kind of girl, no.
On the other hand, I find curly/kinky/nappy hair not only beautiful, I find it magical. This kind of hair is strong in essence. It’s the root. The origins of hair. It’s a force of nature. It looks like there are magical powers in it. There’s something magical about a woman who walks proudly in the street with this big, voluminous, “do-you-have-something-to-say?” hair. She walks on top of the world. She couldn’t care less about what people think or say. She couldn’t care less about what products or beauty ideal the magazines are trying to sell her. She’s not discreet. She does not hide. She is there. She IS. And to have the courage and the pride to BE who you are, under everybody else’s eyes, THAT’S magical.
I also tend to find that a curly girl is always prettier when she wears her hair curly. Simply because it’s her! Her true self! How could it be better than that? She can be pretty with her hair straightened too. I blow-dry my hair sometimes and I like the way it looks. But I always end up being in a hurry to go back to my curls, and right after I washed my hair, seeing my curls living again in the mirror gives me the feeling I’m back to my true self.
If a girl relaxes her hair, I will respect her choice. But if I see the tiniest shadow of a doubt in her attitude, the kind of “I’d like to go natural but I’m afraid of what other people may think” I’ll definitely encourage her to stop putting dangerous chemicals on her head and to walk the path to learning to love herself in spite of others’ opinion. And to walk that path, you have to learn to love or at least accept every single thing about yourself. The curls are often a big part of the journey.
So people, I LOVE my hair. Still I fight with it all the time, and that’s why I find it funny to draw some of these experiences because I know – I hope hahaha – I’m not the only one having to deal with all of this.
The HEIGHT.
I’m 6′. I used to hate being tall too. I went to the same school from age 6 to age 16, and during all the time I’ve spent there, the same kids who made fun of me because of my poodle haircut made fun of me because of my height. I can tell you it’s very difficult to love something about yourself when everyone has been telling you that you look ridiculous for over 10 years. I admit it, it took me ages to get over it.
I did model for 3 years or so, and it did help me accepting my height. I definitely wasn’t the tallest girl in the runway shows, and wearing heels seemed to be normal for all these giant beautiful girls so I started to think being tall wasn’t that of a curse. It still felt weird sometimes and I was having a hard time understanding what I was doing amongst the models, and I still had to work on myself a lot to stop focusing on what shorter people had to say about me all the time, but eventually it did help.
Some may think being a model should have cured everything instantly but it didn’t. My complexes were too deeply ingrained!
Another thing that helped me a lot is that my cousin is very tall too. She’s 6’3″ so we shared a lot of the tall girls problems and learned to laugh about it together.
The journey to accepting my height was pretty much the same as accepting my hair. One day I simply got sick of feeling bad about it. I decided that I came on Earth with these extra inches, so that I had to deal with it. There was reason for that too. I worked hard and had to hush my complexes, but today I feel great about my height and wouldn’t let go half of one of my inches. I wear heels, I walk with my head up, I’m proud.
Still, like for the hair, being tall can be REALLY challenging because you have to deal with other people’s remarks, questions, and sometimes stupid attitude. That’s what I like to share through my comics, because again, I know I’m not the only one going through this.
Lastly, the fact of being tall AND curly, let me tell yall, that’s something you better accept and love because otherwise, your life can be a hell of a nightmare. You simply CANNOT HIDE, no matter what you do, no matter where you go, no matter how hard you try. You are THERE. So yeah, some days you just feel like you could have used a little bit of invisibility, but in the end, all that matters is to feel great about yourself at least 99% of the time. That’s where I’m at, so I’m able to laugh about everything that makes a curly and/or tall girl’s life sometimes irritating, and so that’s how and why I draw my lil comics 🙂
♎♀♎ (@krystalpistolet) says
Thanks to a fellow curly, I am absolutely enamored with this heartfelt post! You basically painted a picture of my curly stuggles as I AM TALL AND CURLY TOO!!!!! I couldn’t tell you how much this post was the one I got featured on CurlyNikki.com http://www.curlynikki.com/2013/05/krystal-cordovas-naturally-glam.html which is so similar to how I used to have to listen to my mom and give in to the relaxer 🙁 Needless to say, I am STILL struggling with my mane which leads me to spending SO MUCH MONEY on products that last me less than a month. I feel like my hair is the biggest driest of sponges and any product that I apply lasts no more than 2-3 days. It will continue to be my mission to find the “perfect product” but EY, the fro embodies everything I’ve ever wanted and continue to be: free, wild and full of life! Kudos to you naturalista <3
Michelle Sloan says
P.S
My point being I wish I was tall and curly. I have been wishing that since I was a kid. You must be stunning!!!!
Jillaine says
Totally understandable! Actually right after I posted to you I said the same thing to myself and ended up doing something different. Thank you for your little drawings, I always come to your blog when I need a little laugh. Xo
Jillaine says
Hey there! I’m moderately obsessed with your blog because the little cartoon is me! I’m about 5’10/5’11 with big curly hair just like that. I’m looking to redo my blog + I wanted to use one of your drawings for a banner (giving you credit of course) but wanted to contact you first beforehand to see if it would be okay? I love your art!
tallncurly says
Hi Jillaine ! Thank you very much tall n curly friend 🙂
I’m very happy that you recognize yourself in my little character 🙂 but although I’m fine with you sharing or posting any of my comics on your blog, I hope you’ll understand that this character is my blog’s visual identity, so please do not use it as a banner. Besides that, you can share anything you want 😉
Anonymous says
I just discovered your blog, and all I can say is YOU ARE A LIFE SAVER.
I’m in my early teens, tall and very curly. I’m the only mixed-race girl in my class and I never wear my hair out in it’s natural afro state because I know I’m just going to have a bunch of hobbits sticking their hands in my hair -.-.
reading your blog has really helped me; In fact I am building up my confidence and who knows, I might just wear it out someday ;).
Again Thank you so much, you help me get through my day (and school especially).
tallncurly says
wow ! a little me :))) Well you’re so very welcome sweetie 🙂
Oh you’ll see, one day you WILL wear it out, you have time to get used to your uniquess 🙂 You still have time ahead of you to realize how lucky you are. The most important thing is that you eventually DO realize it 😉
Teenage years were very hard, looking back. Feeling so different when all you wish is to blend in is VERY difficult I know… But WHY ? WHY do we want to blend in, WHY standing out is so annoying when we’re young…? After that, you spend all your life trying to be unique and special, and to stand out 😉
I think as teenagers are building their own identity, they don’t know who they are yet, they haven’t live enough to know themselves, they haven’t experienced life enough to know what they like or not, what they want or not… so during that time, as they’re not sure of themselves, they would rather hide instead of showing someone they’re not certain of. You need to know and love yourself very well to stand tall and proud in front of everyone else.
Just just think of it that way : teach yourself not to make your height and your curly hair an embarassment or a handicap. Tell yourself again and again that you only own something unique and precious, something that you need to understand, that you need to learn to handle, something you need to know by heart before letting it shine into the world. One day you’ll be ready, you’ll feel great about yourself, you’ll love every single thing about yourself, and when that day comes, I bet you’ll spread your gigantic wings and gigantic hair and will shine like you wouldn’t have ever imagined. 🙂
nukta says
I’ve always thought my Patronus would be a giraffe, so I LOVE the little illustration at the end. 😀
tallncurly says
Thanks ;D As a kid I wanted to live in Africa so I could own a giraffe of my own 🙂 Sometimes I’m wondering if THAT’S the real reason why I grew so much… damn spirit of the giraffe !! ;p
Sheila says
Hey,
I’m new to your blog & I must admit I absolutely love it! I find it (freakishly) relatable and downright hysterical!!
Being the tallest girl everywhere I go (I am also 5’11 and 1/2;) was pretty difficult for me deal with while growing up & I too have curly kinky hair. Unlike you though, I have not embraced my natural hair and I ALWAYS have it straight (blowout every weekend). Anyways, it was tough not having anyone to relate with while growing up and stumbling upon your blog made me realize that I’m not the only tall & curly out there! Thanks for your honesty & humor, I’ve bookmarked your page so I can keep following …
TALL, CURLY, & PROUD.
Sheila 🙂
tallncurly says
Hello Sheila ! Thank you so much ! 🙂
What don’t you like about your curly hair ? The hair itself ? Or the fact that it makes you feel even taller ?
I remember something a friend told me once when I used to wear my hair straight. I was trying to explain that I felt taller with big curly hair and that it made me stand out too much, and she told me “oh I see… I mean yeah… you’re so much shorter and invisible that way…” 🙂
Sheila says
Haha, you’re friend is so right about that! Unfortunately my dislike for my curly hair stems from a very personal trauma I endured as a child. It has been over 10 years since I really LOVED my curly hair. I mean, I like it… but only in the summer when I do not have another choice (i.e at the beach, pool, amusement park, etc.) haha!!
Nevertheless, you have opened my eyes to being more accepting of its natural beauty, and I so appreciate that! It is very true that laughter is the best remedy for any pain and tallncurly.com may just be the kick in the butt I needed to rock my natural hair! I think the world will be seeing some CURL POWER this summer 🙂 THANK YOU!
Time to be Fierce!
tallncurly says
HAHA you’re WELCOME !! 😀 As long as there are curls everywhere I’m happy 😀
And you don’t have to speak about it but I’m very curious to know what trauma you endured that made you dislike your hair that much :s
Sheila says
I am not sure the world wide web is the best place to post such information… As I mentioned, it is personal, but to make a long history short: a VERY BAD person from my childhood liked my curly hair, a lot. Sporting the curls does not help in shaking those memories out of my head, no pun intended!
Random question: are you on instagram? I can tag you when the CURL POWER is rocking this summer!
Best 🙂
tallncurly says
Oh no… I’m sorry, I didn’t expect that kind of answer at all… I wouldn’t have insisted :s
That is terrible.. Indeed the web isn’t the best place to discuss this, but if I just can say something. Two persons really close to me went through the same kind of story. One never recovered, the other one tried to put it behind and move forward. They’ve had two very different lives, very very different lives… I don’t know how old you are and how far behind you this is, but I just hope you’ll be able to remember how perfect you were when you came on this planet, and how perfect you still are. I understand the bad memories. Then hopefully one day you’ll be able to see yourself as one whole perfect being who can be freed from all things, and I hope that day you’ll see your hair as one of the most beautiful and powerful things about yourself… 🙂
Instagram. I created an account a few months ago because some people asked me, but I don’t remember if I closed it or what, what I know is I never went back ! I will check it and tell you. I must say instagram and twitter are the two social medias I just can’t seem to grasp 🙂
Sheila says
Thank you for your kind words, and I am deeply sorry that two people close to you have similar stories! We must allow those negative parts of our pasts be the drivers that push us towards greatness in the future.. I’ve never let my past define me and, instead I’ve seen those experiences as fuel to push forward be the best human I can be. Your words really touched me, you are wonderful woman and I am so glad we connected, virtually anyways!
Agreed, instagram took me some time to grasp, when you get that running please let me know.. I’d love to follow your stories there also.
Cheers!
tallncurly says
Well I’m really happy to read this 🙂 You’re a strong woman 🙂 and I can’t wait to see that strong woman with strong curls haha !
I’ll let you know about instagram, if it’s still open I think I have only one picture uploaded, gotta work on this 😉
Take good care of yourself !
Sheila says
Sorry for the delayed reply!
Please keep me posted, thank you soo much, its people like you that keep us Tall & Curlies strong!!
Have a wonderful memorial day weekend! !
God Bless
Asia says
So glad I found your blog! I love graphic bloggers!
I don’t consider myself tall (I’m 5’9) since I have many friends that are over 5’11 (making me relatively short) but I guess others would. And my hair is curly. CURLY. CURLY!!! Not those beautiful Botticelli curls that looks straight when wet. Not that, Jennifer Freeman just hangs before it ‘hangs out’ curls. I have those teeny, tiny coils; curly hair that shoots up like little arms reaching from the underworld to grab random bits of tree debris because even when it’s only 8 inches long, you’re close to the branches since you’re so tall.
I had sort of given up on my hair. Wash it when it’s gross and put it in a single braid. But my hair truly loves moisturizing sessions and twists so the skit about needing an entire day for your hair was so close to home I could touch it from my window.
But I feel re-inspired. When nothing you do (flats, hats…) can help you hide, it feels like anything additional is a cry for attention. But you’re helping me realize that my needs are not additional, they’re exceptional. I’m going about life all wrong if my goal is about reducing my existence so as to fit in.
So yay!
tallncurly says
I just loved your message, thank you for taking the time to write it 🙂
It’s amazing to see that some little comics can bring something more than just a good laugh sometimes !
You’re right where you should be : not additional, EXCEPTIONAL. I like to think that everything that makes us special is indeed not an addition of elements but a multiplication of strengths. They all combine and grow exponentially and as soon as we realize this, our confidence, our pride and our strength simply have no limit, making us the women we were born to be. Trying to run from who we are and from how we are is pointless and such a waste of time. Until our very last breath, we’ll be who and how we are. I hope that when that day comes I know I’ve made the most of it 🙂
NO MORE HIDING ! 😀
Alexis says
Wow! You are truly gifted! I absolutely love the site–please keep up the great work! I am also very tall 6’1” and I have big curly natural hair. So this is the story of my life lol. It took me a while to become comfortable with how God created me, but I have finally arrived. Now, I love my uniqueness! It’s what makes us beautiful!
Thanks so much for creating this fun and empowering blog! I will be following and spreading the word to all my fabulous tall ‘n curly friends!
tallncurly says
Thank you very much Tall N Curly friend ! 😀 I’m glad you found me and happy to know you now realize that life is way more beautiful with a little extra curls and extra inches ;D welcome !