Thinking about hairstyles I see on the Internet —not really anywhere else; girls in our part of the world tend to do fancy hair only for special occasions—I have to say, I'm beginning to like the styles with braids. I mean the ornamental braids, that go sideways. We were kind of no nonsense as far as braids were concerned, when I was growing up. They were a neat way to keep the hair tidy and out of the way, when you were going to school, or playing a sport, or going out on a windy day. In today's world, in contrast, braids are for fun (a lot of the time), and not there to do a job.
I haven't made a secret of my preference for hair that's tidy and neat, and I find the wispy, blowsy arrangements that girls wear—mostly girls who are unsatisfied with the shapes of their heads, or unsatisfied with their faces, for some reason—distracting, and actually unattractive. (At least I didn't call them downright ugly!)
Girls whose hair is a little too textured for their liking (e.g. girls who want to iron their hair before going out) don't want to braid their hair, because it gives their hair extra body. Some hair reacts well to being braided, other hair doesn't.
For years, I only took notice of the hair of girls from the point of view of whether or not I liked how it looked; not 'what has she done to it.' I knew how to make my hair do what I wanted. It was some time before I started noticing details about other girls.
Well, enough of that. Suffice it to say, these fancy ornamental braids are growing on me, and they can be used to make hair stay put where you want it. I'm so envious of girls who have friends or sisters who can help them with these ornamental braids! I can actually do one for a simple style, but man, does it ever take a long time to do tidily and well!
K.
