The Toilet Brush

I have posted here before about the hair that gives me my nom de peeve. As I wrote then, it can be nice when people tell me how jealous they are of my curls or how good my hair looks. But I didn't mentioned the darker side of the story -- the nasty comments.

I know that people tend to tease others when they are themselves insecure. But that doesn't necessarily help me feel better when others mock me. Over the years, I'm been told that my hair looks like a toilet brush, a Brillo pad, a wig, Harpo Marx, a broom, and much more. I've been told that I resemble a sheep, because of the curly hair and the big nose. Sometimes (okay, most of the time) these comments have hurt. Sometimes (okay, rarely) I've been able to brush them off.

I currently live in a medium-sized city that is not really that diverse. As a result, I guess I stick out somewhat. I've had men running after me on the street, laughing and shouting at me, "Afro! Afro!" (I was tempted to tell them that my hair is a Jewfro, not an Afro.) And today, several young women starting screaming at me, "Poodle curls! Poodle curls!" They also referred to me as a cunt, but I guess that's beside the point here.

Again, I am aware that the problem is with these people and not really with my hair. Nevertheless, I wonder what makes them act this way. I never yell at random people on the street and I try not to hurt people's feelings or make critical remarks about their looks. So why do other people?

--Curly (who sometimes can feel like a toilet brush, dealing with all sorts of shit in life)