Two writers are duking it out over curly hair and styling irons. Both have curly hair, but only one is happy about it. Emma Cowing, who loves her flat irons, curses her wavy locks: "Left to its own devices, my hair would descend into unruly curls then run off and join a 1980s tribute band." On the other side of the argument is Fiona MacGregor, who urges curly girls to "embrace your natural kinks and say no to the tyranny of tamed tresses."
If you think those are fightin' words, you haven't seen anything yet. To see where it gets a little catty, read more
Cowing argues that styling irons are a "natural progression of women's rights," and that straight hair is superior to curly hair:
A woman with straightened hair looks in control. She looks as if she cares about her appearance—and that she's spent time perfecting it. . . . This small, unassuming instrument can turn ugly ducklings into swans, create beauty and inner pride, and restore self-confidence in even the most timid of women, all in a ceramic-plated flash.
And MacGregor retaliates:
For centuries curls were something to be proud of. Did Botticelli's Venus entice the world with ironed hair? No, she used those wavy locks blowing all over the place to seduce. Yet now straight hair is, according to celebrity magazines at least, an expression of feminine perfection to which we should all aspire. What kind of evil mastermind of female manipulation would decree that not only must women be thin and beautiful, but they also have to be straight-haired too?
Both writers seem intentionally provocative, but if you had to back one argument, which would it be?
Puma
Republic
Buti
I have big hair. Lots of hair and it has a weird S shaped curl to it. So it's neither curly nor straight. I can never air dry.
I am glad I'm not a curly sue , I don't have the face for that.
I'm good with big bouncy or flat ironed. I have no comment on which is better since I have neither. lol
1I like straight AND curly hair...both styles are nice.
2I ahve pretty wavy hair...I wouldn't say it's curly but it does make ringlets here and there! And I like it!
My boyfriend loves my curley hair too and it is also WAY easier to style then pin straight hair.
Then again, I do it straight sometimes too. It all reall depends on my mood and what I am doing that day.
3eh, its hair. i think a variety is nice, and whatever makes you happy. personally, my hair is wavy, but it doesnt lay right or really curl to leave it that way, so i straighten it. i dont think that makes me less of a woman, or that i am buying into an evil mastermind... it just looks better on ME.
4I stopped flat ironing my hair almost two years ago, and now I marvel at how much time and money I wasted damaging my hair that way. Plus, my husband has never been happier – he loves my curls!
As for straight hair being superior because "A woman with straightened hair looks in control. She looks as if she cares about her appearance—and that she's spent time perfecting it..." Well, screw that. Curly hair can look just as polished and sleek if properly maintained. There are choices besides "straight" and "unruly mess."
5I like both.
6I have naturally straight hair and while I have grown to love it, I sometimes regret that I dont have curly hair. Yes, I know the pains you curlies have to go through to straighten your hair but on the bright side, you have 2 hairstyles built into your own locks!
My hair is only straight, with no body or volume, always. Now to some of you, you might think my complaining is insane but think about all those times that you wore your hair curly and it bounced around your face, ever so beautifully. I am jealous. I cannot 'curl' my hair and volume/body is unknown to my locks. For all you curlies out there, embrace your curls and realize that 2 hairstyles are better than one!
7my hair is wavy.. and there are times when it looks nice.. but most of the time.. its like soo ahh outta control and not nice waves just like blah!! .. but when i find a good curl creator then it works well.. its just the bangs.. i HAVE to have them straight... they look funny but sometiems i get lucky and the waves are perfect! but most of the time.. i dont and i just straighten it.. blah!!
8I support the lovin' curly hair if you got it. I feel so bad that some people have crappy self-esteem if their hair isn't straightened. Lately my niece in first grade has been having issues with her curly hair. Her two older sisters fight over their flattening iron and they have relatively straight hair compared to her. She tells me she is ugly because of her hair, she also has some not so nice things to say about my curly locks. It is sad to hear that out of a 6 year-old's mouth.
9I have very curly hair, and I struggled with it for years. If you don't want your curls to look like a mess, you need to take care of your hair, find the right products, and, most importantly, find a good stylist. I feel that I look pretty polished with my short curls, but with longer hair I do sometimes feel as if it is too messy. Besides, it takes an hour to completely straighten my hair; I'm not going to do that everyday (or ever again).
Also, random people are always coming up to me and telling me how beautiful my reddish curly hair is. I doubt straight haired people have that happen to them.
10My hair is stick straight and very fine. i spent years wishes I had curls. I tried crimping, curling irons, hot rollers, you name it, I tried it. NOTHING will hold a curls in my hair. I evern tried a perm in 6th grade. I got waves, not curls. These days, I'm actually pretty happy with my straight mane.
11I have very fine, straight hair and have always wished for curls!
12I have both on my baby fine hair. In the summer it is completely out of control with all the humidity going on, but I'm still fine with that. In the winter I can air dry and it's completely stick straight.
I like both.
It's all about personal style! It doesn't really matter. Whatever you feel comfortable with and whatever you think looks best, go with it.
13I have naturally curly hair and I love it!
But it wasn't always the case, not until I stumbled upon curl enhancers/creams and I could actually make my curls work WITH me and not against me, haha. Before then I'd constantly straighten my hair.
Whether I use styling products or straighteners (which I still do sporadically), I don't think that augmenting my hair is somehow detracting from who I am or making some statement about how everyone else SHOULD be, and I don't think that of anyone else either.
And as for straight hair being superior, nonsense! Plenty of powerful/polished women boast curly locks. Look at Oprah, heck, even the Queen of England as contemporary examples!
14My hair used to be pin straight, I couldn't even keep a barrette in it, it would slide right off. Then in my punk stage when I was 16 I shaved my hair practically all the way off. It then grew in curly. It was really weird. So now, if I want it curly I just air dry it and if I want it straight I blowdry it with a round brush for 5 minutes. If I want more curl I just use a curling iron. It's the best of both worlds and I'm very happy with it.
As far as the argument of the two writers, I side with Macgregor who seems to embrace what she has.
Cowing seems to not have much self esteem and feels that straight hair is the only way hair should be. So what, if I have curly hair I don't look like I care about my appearance? I'm not polished, or beautiful? Sounds like the making of a Nazi regime to me. Ridiculous.
15Ahh, the age old debate..
Anyone who has curly hair needs to read "Curly Girls" by Lorraine Massey. It's an awesome book.. it's like the Curly hair bible!
I'm very lucky.. my hair is very versatile. It usually does what I want it to. If I let it dry naturally, I'll have really nice loose ringlet curls. But it's not SO curly that it takes me forever to straighten it. Lately though, I've been doing the program outlined in that book and my curls have become so much nicer! I flat iron my hair maybe once every couple weeks but for the most part I let the curls do their thang.
16I permed my hair to get big bouncing locks, but still on occasion I flat iron it. I like both. Why should women have to choose? It's not like starlets (with the exception of Gwenyth Paltrow) choose one and stick with it.
17I have the straightest hair in the world!! I think that there's nothing sexier then huge ringlet curls, unfortunately my hair falls flat every time i even think about curling it
18i have naturally curly hair and it takes a lot of work to make it look decent but the amount of compliments i get when i wear it curly is amazing. having said that though i prefer my hair straight and polished even though it is more work. i guess because i went through my younger years never able to achieve it and now i have learned the tricks of the trade and feel like i have control over it.
i will still wear my hair curly though and when it listens to me it is so pretty.
i guess i am lucky to be able to do both. but there are days it would be great to wash and go. but i am a lazy daisy.
19Curls are so versatile! I love the fact that I can wear my naturally curly hair (it actually falls in ringlets) straight, wavy, whatever. I agree that you should embrace your natural hair...but that doesn't mean that all other hairstyles are forbidden!
20I say, don't fight your hair type! Life is too short to spend time curling or straightening. Just wear the hair type you have and be happy.
21My hair's slightly wavy; so if I want controlled waves I blowdry with care; If I want ringlets I tong and If I want it straight (every day other than special occasions). If I'm in a rush I tie it up but I couldn't just brush it and walk out of the house; with it being shoulder length it just looks stupid.
22-Yuck!
But If I HAD to choose; I'd say straight. More practical and yes, perfect.
23i just love my curls. i once had a speech professor who told me they were distracting and that i should just put my hair in a ponytail... some nerve!
24i jus cant love my straight hair. honestly, it sux!
25I couldnt be more jealous of wavy, bouncy, and curly hair.
so, girls w/curly hair r really really lucky..in my opinion.
jmast, mayb i should shave all my hair once...LOL
i have naturally curly hair,..and i do straighten it
26however it's really nice to have both options
it's sad if any woman is straightening their hair because it's "a must"... i think it's a "choice"
and i also feel like both those women need something WAY more important to argue about!
Personally in my life I agree that "straightened hair looks in control" but I think it's up to every woman to choose the way they like to wear their hair.
27I don't really see either point. the point of women getting more freedom in society is being able to do whatever they want with their hair. having it straight is not an example of super-perfection, and there are millions of absolutely gorgeous curly-haired girls. I think both styles are beautiful, especially when the curls are well-maintained and the straight-ironed hair is well-conditioned and kept non-frizzy.
28I have stick straight dark hair, and all the money, stylists, and time in the world can't give it either volume or curls for more than 10 minutes. BUT. I love it just how it is! And I can understand all the curly haired women trying to look as awesome as I do.
29I have wavy hair..so, I guess in some sense I'm kind of lucky. I can straighten it if I want, or I can curl it if I want. It just depends on my mood. Generally, I just leave it wavy.
I think that women should embrace what they have. I don't think that one hair style is superior to another. Just rock what you have
30I have curly hair and for many years I've hated my hair. I've realized now, that I used to hate my hair because I didn't know hot to take care of it. Now I now exactly the products that I need to use, how to wash my hair, how to dry it.... I like myself with both curly and straight hair. I do try. not to straighten my hair to often (I have a professional flat iron
) so I don't ruin it. In my opinion hair is more important than makeup (at least for me), so
I like my hair healthy and shinny 
31I have come to terms with my curly hair. Yes, straight hair is more popular and has a larger variety of styles, but curly hair always looks classic and nice. To each her own, I just don't have patience to flat-iron.
32i have a mixture of wavy, straight and curly hair. I got a reverse perm once and i loved it, but then i started missing my normal hair. Then once the perm grew out i started missing my straight hair. To be honest i like straight hair more, but not the pin straight hair. I like a little more volume to the straight hair.
33I have curly hair and absolutely love my hair this way. Unfortunately I must admit that people look at you differently if you arrive at a job interview with straight shiny hair instead of the usual lovely curly mess..
34I love curly hair and I love it when women love their curly hair. I have wavy hair. I like to let it go natural, yet I often find myself straightening it due to frizz... it's almost as if the maintanence involved in achieving the desired waves and curls (as natural as they may be, and as opposed to the undesired, frizzy kind) is more work than quickly taking a flat iron to it.
35My hair is naturally curly. Loose curls. I used to try to blow dry it straight, but myhair would never stay straight for long. So I gave up on straight hair, enhanced the curliness, and am much happier. It takes less time, and I can get away with longer periods between cuts. I love pre-raphaelite curls (like Nicole Kidman used to have.) Just beautiful!
36I love my curls too. I learned to embrace it -and I rarely flat iron it now. I consider it lucky that I have hair that can go either way not to mention thick and shiny too!
37I have naturally curly hair and I do not blow-dry it straight. Fortunately I work in a field where I can wear it curly, plus it totally suits my personality and style.
The tricks:
Find a stylist that understands curly hair. It'll take some leg work, but it's worth it. Stop a curly on the street if you like her hair and ASK.
Chose the right products. They really make a difference.
Get a diffuser attachement.
Flounce. You're rocking the curls.
38i have straight hair-- it curls pretty good though, which is nice, but I was always jealous of girls who had pretty curls and didn't have to work hard to get them!
39I like both. No one style is better then the other. It just depends on the mood your in, or the mood you want to create for yourself. Both have great advantages. It takes a little longer for me to do the straight look, but that doesn't keep me from breaking out the flat iron. My hubby also adores it when I curl it up real big. So it really just depends on the mood.
40I don't think that either style is 'superior', it really depends on what looks best for you!
41curly hair forever! It's sexy, it moves, it hides roots! I am endlessly sad when a beautiful curly girl goes straight. And good point about Bottecelli!
42I have straight hair, and I've always wanted curls!!! I'm seriously thinking about getting a perm... my hair is between chin and shoulder length. Has anybody gotten a perm? What do you think about it?
43Oh, and is there a way to get loose, bouncy curls with a perm?
44Naturally curly hair is something that sounds good until you actually have it....blah!
45Naturally curly hair is something that sounds good until you actually have it....blah!
46My hair is wavy; not curly just this weird wavy thing going on. When I was younger it was very curly and drove me nuts and I did everything I could to straighten it. Then I went through a phase where I permed it to control the girls (and save time). Now it's just this wavy mess and if I am spending time on it then I have to say I flat iron it to go ahead and get it straight. I prefer the straight look on myself but that doesn't necessarily mean I don't like the curls on others. I guess it is the old saying of "the grass is always greener on the other side".
47What happens if you have curly hair and you get it permed the exact opposite direction as the hair curls?
48I have a weird kind of curly hair so i iron it, but if i had beutiful sexy curls, i wouldn't iron them i would wear them proudly, 'cause straight hair can make you look good and in control but curls can make you look funa and spontanious!!
49My natural hair is literally ringlets, but I'm really not fond of them at all...I like straight hair best, but most of the time I don't have time to do it every day. Instead, I kind of compromise-I pull my hair straight when I diffuse it and run a straightening iron over it just a bit to smooth out each section. This way, it ends up nice and wavy, rather than one of the extremes.
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