How many times have you felt you are not good enough? Or that you don't love yourself the way you are? Have you been pressured by ads that play on your confidence levels or the way you look at yourself? As women, we sometimes do not accept ourselves the way we are and social pressures might push us to strive for perfection, leaving us feeling drained. As US author Louis Hay explains in her book Empowering Women, advertising can make women dissatisfied with their appearance and suggest that buying a certain product will make them more beautiful. Embrace the difference Hay points out that ads play on the confidence levels of women through social taboos that sink in with time, like the idea that having fair skin is more beautiful, that straight hair is the best, and that having a certain body weight is a must. It is often teenagers who are the most affected by such messages, when the journey of having low self-confidence starts and the feeling of dissatisfaction with our appearance begins. The good news is that calls have been circulating to encourage women to love themselves more and to appreciate the way they look. These calls are designed to help women embrace being different. One of these calls in Egypt that has been having some success is organised by a group called the “Hair Addicts”. The group is dedicated to women taking care of themselves in a natural way and particularly loving the shape, nature and texture of their hair. “We started as a social-media platform in 2016, and we expanded on Facebook and Instagram,” explains Doaa Gawish, founder of Hair Addicts. “I believe this move grew larger because it resonated with the beliefs of many women who have curly or wavy hair and have been bombarded since they were young with how their hair looks. They have been pressured by parents to use heat to straighten their hair, despite the fact that this is really bad for the hair, and sometimes they get comments from their peers as well. These might leave them feeling negative about their hair or the way they look,” Gawish said. Women gain confidence when they accept and take care of their beauty the way they want to and not the way other people want them to look. “It makes a big difference when you stop listening to people and do what makes you comfortable. The move we encouraged resonates with many women in Egypt, as we help women to use natural products for their hair instead of using products with a lot of chemicals in them. Even if they dye their hair, we educate them about natural hair dyes and what chemicals to avoid if they use shampoos off the shelf,” she said. Embrace the difference “Many women are suffering from hair loss due to stress, environmental factors, and hormonal changes, so this move helps them not only to gain confidence with their looks, but also to keep their hair strong and healthy as well.” “Another important point is that this move resonates with mothers who have little girls with curly hair who might get exposed to bullying from their peers at school. Many mothers are following our group for tips for their daughters. Having curly or wavy hair is natural for many women, so it is good to appreciate what we have and know how to deal with it,” she added. Hadir S, one of the women who have been attending Hair Addicts events, explained that standardised beauty pushes women to have certain looks and can leave many frustrated. It is not about having curly or straight hair; it is about opposing the standardised beauty concepts, she said. “I have curly hair, and I have been receiving negative comments about my hair since I was a child. For some reason, negative comments about the hair tend to stay inside you and leave an undesired effect. I have also been skinny for many years, so I used to receive negative comments about my weight as well,” she said. “But the bottom line is that if you keep listening to people this won't get you anywhere. You need to listen to yourself and do what makes you comfortable. When I hear those comments now, I simply don't care,” she added. Groups like Hair Addicts can help many women to love how they look, appreciate and accept what they have, and empower them to leave destructive comments behind them. When there is a platform with more than 300,00 followers, this make a huge difference to many. People are becoming more aware that it is not a must to follow standardised beauty ideas. Looks should reflect the personality, and they should not reflect the mainstream. So go with the difference.
