Curly Hair Through Two Mirrors: Childhood and Adulthood

In Her Mirror Episode 4, we see the main character walking into the waiting room for her appointment - curls soft, full and lifted after a calm morning spent styling and setting them. She takes a seat, a chair way from a little girl waiting for her mother or related adult in their appointment. The room is quiet yet still a space where quiet details become louder.

The little girl aged seven perhaps eight, with loose springy curls, is lost in her own world of curls and crayons colouring her booklet titled My Curls, My Crown, filled with illustrations designed to build identity and confidence in children.

After admiring the little girl from a far, she gets up to head inside for her appointment carrying the vivid image of this little girl, she sees something she never had – a childhood where curls are celebrated early on.

She sees her younger self, longing for this level of acceptance – the version of her who tied her back in school, who wished she looked like her mates, who thought straight hair was easier, safer and more acceptable.

Nurturing Curly Hair From Early: Like Her, Like Me

In this episode of the series, we witness a girl growing up proud, a girl unashamed, a girl that sees curly hair as beautiful. We also see a woman learning and finally believing in her curls. She saw a reflection of her younger self validating her current self with the words “Your curls are so big and so beautiful”

This sentence was enough to unravel years of internal conflict, a conflict so many curly haired women know too well. "Is my hair is too messy?" "Should I just do a keratin treatment?" "Why are my curls so frizzy?

Two generations meet in a quiet waiting room, completely unaware that they are rewriting a story together.

This is an example of how change happens, not necessarily loudly or overnight but through everyday moments and passing encounters like this.

What we see is a future being shaped, a past being healed and a story being rewritten simultaneously.

This serves to remind us that representation isn’t abstract. It is emotional validation. Its a mirror, a memory rewritten.

Tackling Negative Associations with Curly Hair

While many curly haired woman have worked hard to build confidence with their texture, it hasn't always been easy. The majority of us grew up unsure, apologetic and constantly quieten ourselves to fit in. We recall reposting a story of a mother who attended our Mummy & Me Curl Experience in Dubai back in June and she captioned the image -

"This has healed my inner child"

A statement that resonates so deeply.

It brings back the years we spent shrinking ourselves, the years spent rebuilding a positive self image, not because something was wrong with curly hair but because of something was wrong with the narrative around them.

In our reflections session, our main character expands on this same theme. She recognises how far she has come and how much further the next generation will go because of moments just like this.

Our Mummy & Me Curl Experience was built on this premise to raise curly haired children who will never have to question the beauty of their hair texture, and who have the confidence to walk into rooms and spaces already knowing their curls are crowns.

Give your child the curl confidence you never had - [ Explore the Mummy and Me Curl Experience]

About In Her Mirror 

In Her Mirror is an editorial storytelling series by Emerson – the Middle East’s first curl lifestyle destination – which explores how women with curly, textured hair see themselves in private, with a spotlight on that internal monologue that often causes us to second guess our curls. Shot in Dubai, the series captures identity, representation and the evolving narrative around curly hair and curl culture more broadly in the region.