‘To Hell with Norms’: On Gender and Curly Hair

By: Malak Ehab
Special to The Caravan

“Curly hair has become part of my identity,”says Nour Barakat, the Student Union (SU) Vice-President.

She leaves her hair flowing naturally down her shoulders and back, and believes that curly hair “is a gift from God, and He did that knowing who looks best in what exactly.”

However, when Barakat attends an event or family gathering, people still criticize her hair as Manaksha (fluffy, in the bad sense, too big).

Many people tried to convince Barakat to straighten her hair so that she would look more beautiful. But she wouldn’t back down.

“Beauty shouldn’t be based on straight hair. No one should decide what beauty looks like,” she says defiantly.

Barakat even wanted to make a statement when she ran in the SU elections in 2021; in her photoshoot she left her hair curly. It’s part of her identity, she says, and she wanted to make that clear in the elections.

Her steadfastness has earned her the respect of her peers.

“Nour is one of the strongest and most dedicated women that anyone will ever come across,” says Fatima Hagag, the Chair of
Events Planning at the SU.

Hagag is also a natural curly head who believes in the power of wearing her hair any way she chooses.

Eyad Hegazy, a Political Science junior who leaves his hair naturally curly, also believes that the way he fashions his locks is really a testament to who he is.

“My relationship with my curls is so strong as it dictates how my day will go. If my curls are good, then I will have a great day, but if they’re terrible, then definitely don’t speak to me,” he says. “My curls change my mood.”

However, unlike Barakat, Hegazy does not get negative comments on his hair. “No one cares, but they comment on its length, claiming it’s not masculine enough,” he says.

When it comes to gender, women are more harshly scrutinized for their appearance than men.

And when it comes to how women wear their hair, older generations are inflexible when it comes to curls.

When asked who comments on her hair, Barakat said that it was mostly older people.

“They don’t understand the beauty of curly hair, and it’s not their fault, but for them, to be a beautiful girl, you should straighten your hair,” she says.

She believes that older generations have been taught that straightened hair is what makes a girl look feminine.

Is Barakat right?

Adjunct Professor Mariam Ayad at the Department of Sociology, Egyptology and Anthropology sees young Egyptians rejecting some of the social norms; particularly about personal appearance.

“Young people have now understood that curly hair is part of you; it defines who you are. It embraces one’s identity,” Fouad says.

She said that local hairdressers advise straightening her hair.

“Everyone looks at curly hair as a liability and that it’s not worth the time we spend to take care of it, rather make it straight,” Fouad says.

But is there gender disparity when it comes to how one wears their hair?

Men are not asked to straighten their hair and likely do not face the societal pressures women do. They may be asked to cut their hair if it is too long, Fouad says, but that’s where the criticism ends.

“Society wants girls just to be girls, take care of their hair and just be beautiful, men not so much.”

Curly hair is also considered informal and unprofessional in the workplace – a young woman certainly can’t go to a job interview without straightening her hair.

“They should have straight hair; and if they can’t afford it, then put it in a slicked bun,” Fouad said of the prevailing school
of thought.

Why does this kind of mindset exist?

Both Barakat and Hegazy believe that a patriarchal society dictates women’s dress and demeanor and what can be accepted.

“The fact that those mindsets still exist is bewildering,” said Hegazy,

But Barakat says that is not society’s fault as many grew up with these norms and that was the way it has always been.

She does add, however, that colonization has had a role to play.

“These Westernized thoughts [of accepted appearance] are embedded within our culture because it has been there for years.

We were colonized for ages and these thoughts can’t be changed easily for the older generation,” she says.

Fouad agrees, adding that it’s a form of racism impacting young women.

“It is due to the fact that we look at the beauty standards of the West, thinking it’s only them that are beautiful in the workplace or school. We tell girls not to have curly hair,” she says.

“Curly hair is an identity and we should learn to accept it,” Fouad adds.

In the meantime, Barakat believes that while these norms are restrictive and can even hinder people from being who they are, she sees the world changing; she is hopeful that people are challenging and changing societal norms, no longer idle bystanders.

Both Barakat and Hegazy also acknowledge that it requires a lot of courage for girls and women to break these ingrained social norms.

Hegazy encourages his peers to break the norms and be who they are, never allowing anyone to determine their identity for them.

Barakat believes that the patriarchy should be challenged and opposed; “Don’t let anyone tell you how to be beautiful, just be you.”

“To hell with the norms.”