So as I live and grow in Mali, my hair is also growing without being permed every 4-6 weeks and I'm loving it! But, as always, I've got haters telling me I need to get my hair braided or cut. I'm like, "What the heck? Why? Do you not like my hair,?" and my haters are like, "No, I like your hair, but you need to get it braided or cut. But, why?
Finally, the other day, a girl gave me a reason to this madness: she said, "You should get it braided because everyone else has their hair braided," Aha! This opened up a whole new issue on the mentality of people here, especially women. In this culture, appearance is everything, especially if you don't have anything going for you, then it really is everything. And what's really interesting is that these women don't mind looking like the next woman.
Yesterday, I went to a wedding and it really surprised me that half of the women in-attendance were wearing the same fabric. That would never happen at home, unless you're in the marriage party, a sorority, a family reunion or bar/bat mitzvah.
Being different is somewhat more encouraged where I grew up and this is a big difference between me and Malian women. Uniqueness is a good thing. This is what America was built on: daredevils. So, it takes bravery to be oneself and this seems to be lacking here.
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