There’s a quiet truth most people in the mainstream curly hair community still aren’t ready to admit:
They didn’t liberate their texture. They just changed the weapon.
From heat to gel. From straightening rituals to curl definition obsessions and rituals. From flat irons to fifteen-step product routines and influencer-approved wash days.
The control never left. It just disguised itself under the language of “embracing.”
And sure—some of these curls might now be in better condition. But while the hair may look improved, the psyche often isn’t.
There’s still a right way and a wrong way to have curly hair.
Still shame when it doesn’t photograph well. Still fear of frizz. Still anxiety around what “day two” looks like. Still the need to justify your hair to a community that was supposed to be liberating.
Because that curated curl aesthetic you see online? It doesn’t exist in the real world. It exists to make you feel like you’re doing it wrong—so you’ll buy something to fix it.
That’s not freedom. That’s rebranded conformity.
And for many, it’s just another form of aesthetic imprisonment—this time with better marketing.