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Untangling Egypt’s Beauty Standards

July 20, 2015
Hair textures in Egypt vary greatly, from soft coils to silky straight

Coiled wire: this is the best description for my hair. Well, soft coiled wire. It looks a lot rougher than it feels, and if it’s long enough, it could resemble an Afro. I still remember the little boy with the beautiful silky hair in day care when I was 4 or 5, making fun of my kinky tresses. There was a new TV commercial at the time for a product made of rough coiled wire, used for rubbing sinks and pots. He looked at my hair and laughed, making the sounds you hear when you pull something and then let go. That’s what my hair does when it’s long enough – you pull, and it recoils back to its tiny curls. I don’t remember how I felt that day. I don’t think it devastated me, but I know that it’s something I’ve never forgotten. My hair was a very big part of my life when I was growing up. Almost every Saturday night, my mom and I would embark on a beautifying, head-aching journey. My mom would sit on the bed with her feet on the floor; I would sit…


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